542 
CULTIVATION    OF  CINCHONA  IN  MEXICO. 
out  upon  the  platform  of  the  pill  machine  or  pill  tile.  By  the 
time  the  label  is  prepared  the  pills  will  have  become  sufficiently 
dry  to  allow  boxing.  A  little  dusting  powder,  preferably 
lycopodium,  should  be  dusted  over  them,  and  the  work  is  done. 
Speaking  of  pills,  an  idea  occurs  which  is  worth  suggesting  to 
the  manufacturers  of  pill  machines — namely,  that  these  convenient 
implements  be  made  to  cut  thirty  pills  instead  of  twenty-four. 
The  former  number  of  pills  is  much  more  frequently  prescribed 
than  the  latter.  A  great  improvement  would  be  the  placing  of 
numerals  before  each  groove,  so  that  the  operator  may  not  be 
obliged  to  count  the  grooves  whenever  a  fractional  number  of 
pills  are  to  be  divided. 
While  making  suggestions,  we  will  continue  by  adding  that 
there  is  a  great  need  for  vials,  especially  for  half,  one  and  two 
ounce  vials,  with  lips  suitable  for  dropping  liquids.  With  the 
ware  of  the  market  at  present,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  an 
expert  to  be  successful  in  dropping,  so  what  must  be  the  expe- 
rience of  invalids  and  nurses  in  this  respect?  The  defect  may 
be  easily  remedied  by  making  the  lips  of  vials  for  such  uses 
broad  and  thin.  If  we  insist  in  demanding  such  improvements 
as  we  are  suggesting,  manufacturers  will  be  eager  to  supply 
them. — Pharmacist^  July^  1870. 
CULTIYATION  OF  CINCHONA  IN  MEXICO. 
Mr.  Hugo  Finck,  Yice-Consul  of  the  North  German  Confede- 
ration at  Cordova,  Mexico,  writes  as  follows,  under  date  10  July, 
1870,  to  Mr.  Hanbury,  who  has  favored  us  with  the  extract 
"  You  remember  sending  me  some  seeds  of  Cinchona  officina- 
lis. I  sowed  them  and  a  good  many  germinated,  but  the  plants 
were  all  lost  save  one.  That  plant  is  now  7  feet  high  and  look- 
ing very  healthy.  Afterwards  I  got  from  Mr.  Nieto  about  a 
hundred  small  plants  of  C.  Calisaya^  Q.  succiruhra  and  O.  Qon- 
daminea,  which  are  all  growing  amazingly  well.  Some  are 
already  12  feet  high,  with  leaves  from  10  to  15  inches  long  and 
wide  in  proportion.  One  three  year  old  plant  flowered  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Nieto,  but  I  think  this  was  premature  and  caused 
