436 
CULTIVATION  OF  IPECACUANHA  IN  INDIA. 
prevent  this  drying  and  moulding  by  placing  the  lemons  in  close 
vessels,  in  dry  air,  in  sand,  and  also  in  bran,  but  none  of  these 
methods  proved  efficacious.  Thus,  for  example,  in  twenty-one 
days  the  lemons  lost  on  an  average,  17'33  per  cent,  of  their 
weight  in  sand,  and  1743  per  cent,  in  bran.  Experiments  were 
made  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  effect  of  enveloping  the 
fruit  in  tinfoil,  and  also  of  coating  it  with  a  film  of  collodion. 
Some  of  the  fruit  prepared  in  each  way,  and  some  unprepared, 
was  weighed,  exposed  to  the  air,  and  again  weighed  at  intervals 
of  a  month.  This  method  was  applied  to  lemons  and  oranges, 
and  the  following  results  were  obtained  : — 
1.  The  unprepared  fruit  became  rapidly  dried.  In  two  months 
the  lemons  had  lost  42  per  cent,  of  their  weight,  while  the 
oranges,  in  the  same  time,  had  lost  only  26  per  cent. 
2.  Collodion,  when  applied  to  the  fruit  alone,  exerted  but  a 
feeble  preservative  influence  in  retarding  spontaneous  evapora- 
tion. In  two  months  lemons  coated  with  collodion  had  lost  29 
per  cent.,  and  oranges  22-5  per  cent. 
3  Tinfoil  almost  entirely  prevents  the  drying  of  the  fruit.  In 
two  months  lemons  lost  only  1*58  per  cent.,  and  in  three  months 
3*16  per  cent.  In  one  case,  indeed,  the  loss  was  only  0*92  per 
cent,  during  the  longer  period.  Oranges  lost  about  5  per  cent, 
in  two  months.  On  the  removal  of  the  metallic  envelope,  the  fruit 
was  found  to  be  as  fresh  and  fragrant  as  when  the  experiments 
were  commenced.  These  observations  and  experiments  will  tend 
to  show  the  remarkable  power  of  tinfoil  in  preserving  substances 
enclosed  in  it  from  the  influence  of  air  and  moisture  derived  from 
air,  and  may  induce  those  who  are  interested  in  the  subject  to 
extend  the  application  of  this  preservative  means. — Lond.  Pharm. 
Journ.^  July  2,  1810,fro7n  Journ.  de  Pharmacie  et  de  Chemie. 
GULTIYATION  01  IPECACUANHA  IN  INDIA. 
The  Supplement  to  the  Gazette  of  India  "  of  23d  January, 
1869,  contained  a  strong  representation  to  Government  from  the 
Inspector-General  of  Hospitals,  dated  5th  October,  on  the  advisa- 
bility of  introducing  the  cultivation  of  the  ipecacuanha  plant  in 
an  analogous  manner  to  that  of  cinchona. 
