OBSERVATIONS  ON  GOSSYPIUM  HERBACEUM.  419 
forests — I  mean  potash.  The  well  known  "  Orber  Badesalz," 
(from  the  saline  spring  Orb,  in  Germany,)  contains  so  large  an 
amount  of  potassa  that  procuring  it  from  such  a  source  is  not  an 
impossibility. 
Another  of  the  properties  of  sulphate  of  alumina  must  be 
mentioned  here — the  readiness  with  which  it  parts  with  its  acid. 
In  a  good  glass  retort  a  dull  read  heat  liberates  from  the  an- 
hydrous salt,  the  sulphuric  acid  which  distills  over  and  leaves 
pure  alumina  in  a  light  state  behind,  which  may  be  used  for 
preparing  other  salts  of  this  base.  This  method  to  obtain  a 
chemically  pure  sulphuric  acid  merits  recommendation,  as  the 
commercial  articles  of  this  acid  are  scarcely  ever  pure,  rendering 
them  unfit  for  analytical  investigations,  as  also  for  medicinal 
use. 
OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ROOT  OF  GOSSYPIUM  HERBACEUM, 
OR,  COTTON  PLANT. 
By  Thomas  J.  Shaw,  M.  D.,  of  Robertson  County,  Tenn. 
Cotton  Hoot — Its  General  Characters — It  is  fusiform  in  shape, 
giving  off  small  radicles  thoughout  its  length.  The  size  of  the 
root  varies,  according  to  the  soil  from  which  it  is  produced.  Its 
length  varies  from  a  few  inches  to  that  of  a  foot.  When  the 
root  is  cut  or  broken,  it  displays  a  white  color ;  the  bark  is  of  a 
reddish  brown ;  the  taste  is  pleasant,  somewhat  sweet  and  astrin- 
gent ;  it  contains  more  of  the  latter  principle  than  the  root  from 
which  it  is  procured ;  it  is  very  mucilaginous  in  its  properties. 
The  root  is  easily  broken  when  dry,  but  the  bark  is  quite  tena- 
cious, pulling  off  in  strings. 
This  root  is  too  well  known  in  this  country  to  require  a  lengthy 
description  ;  therefore  I  will  pass  to  the  chemical  analysis,  as 
prepared  and  furnished  to  me  by  my  esteemed  friend,  Mr.  PL  B. 
Orr,  of  Nashville,  Tenn. 
Chemical  Examinations  of  the  Root  The  result  of  which,  as 
accurately  as  might  be  determined,  is  as  follows,  to  wit : 
Gum,  Albumen,  Sugar,  Starch,  Tannic  Acid,  Gallic -Acid, 
Chlorophyle,  Iodine,  Caoutchouc,  Black  Resin,  Red  Extractive 
Matter,  Black  and  White  Oleaginous-like  Matter.  The  latter 
two  abound  in  this  plant. 
