554 
Fruit  of  Cocos  Nucifera. 
I  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
l  November,  1901. 
in  the  powder,  the  pitted  trachea  being  quite  unlike  any  vascular 
elements  of  the  spices. 
The  stegmata  (ste)  of  the  mesocarp  fibers  with  their  silicious  con- 
tents are  characteristic,  but  they  are  difficult  to  find  owing  to  the 
great  preponderance  of  other  tissues.  Bast-fibers  (/)  are  more 
liable  to  be  encountered  than  the  stegmata,  but  they  furnish  less 
conclusive  evidence. 
Spices  adulterated  with  charred  cocoanut  shells  show  under  the 
microscope  black,  opaque  fragments  which  are  not  bleached  by 
aqua  regia  or  nitric  acid  and  potassium  chlorate.  Except  in  cases 
where  some  of  the  stone  cells  or  other  elements  have  escaped  char- 
ring, this  material  cannot  be  distinguished  from  other  forms  of 
charcoal. 
Black 
Pepper. 
(Av.  of  14 
Analyses.) 
Cloves. 
(Av.  of  8 
Analyses). 
Allspice. 
(Av.  of  3 
Analyses  ) 
Nutmeg. 
(Av.  of  3 
Analyses.) 
Cocoanut 
Shells.  (1 
Analysis.) 
Per  Cent. 
Per  Cent. 
Per  Cent. 
Per  Cent. 
Per  Cent. 
1 1 '96 
7-81 
9-78 
3-63 
7'36 
476 
5'92 
4*47 
2-28 
o'54 
Ash  soluble  in  water  
2"54 
3-58 
2-47 
o-86 
0-50 
Ash  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid 
0-47 
006 
0-03 
0-00 
o'oo 
Volatile  ether-extract  
114 
19-18 
4'°5 
3-02 
O'OO 
8-42 
6-49 
5-84 
36-70 
0-25 
9-62 
14-87 
11-97 
10-77 
m 
Reducing  matters  by  direct  inver- 
38-63 
8-99 
18-03 
25-56 
20-88 
Starch  by  diastase  method  .... 
34*15 
274 
3-04 
23-72 
o'7S 
13-06 
8-io 
22-39 
2-51 
56-19 
2*26 
0-99 
0-92 
1-08 
o'i8 
Oxygen  absorbed  by  aqueous  ex- 
2 '33 
1-24 
0-2J 
Quercitannic  acid  equivalent  to  O. 
18-19 
9  71 
1S2 
Chemical  analysis  is  a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  microscopic  ex- 
amination and  often  determines  approximately  the  extent  of  the 
adulteration,  but  since  other  nut  shells  have  a  similar  composition, 
the  microscope  is  essential  for  the  identification  of  the  particular 
adulterant  present.    As  was  pointed  out  by  the  writer1  five  years 
1  Conn.  Agr.  Expt.  Sta.,  Rep.  1896,  p.  34. 
