n
260
TOBACCO.
guish any vegetable mixture besides tbe tobacco ?—We readily distinguished in K, themixture of foxglove and rhubarb.”
There was no rhubarb in K ; the foxglove was unluckily conspicuous by its lightgreen color, and easily picked out. Answer to question 7,858 : “ So also as regardsthe rhubarb, the rhubarb is very full of massy strong hairs, which are something likebodkins rather round ; they are larger at the end ; in fact, where the points of the hairsof tobacco are small, the rhubarb swell out and increase and cross each other in variousdirections, while those of the tobacco are flattened at the top.”
Has the foxglove the same massy hairs as the rhubarb ?
With regard to the production of alcohol from the samples of adulterated tobacco,Mr. E. Solly, in his examination before the committee, makes the following observa-tions in answers to questions 8,350, 8,352: “Then you do not consider the mode bywhich saccharine matter is said to be detected at present to be a good and sufficienttest ?—I should receive it with very great caution.”
“ 8,352.— Ans. I believe that tobacco contains substances that may give rise tothe formation of spirit; therefore I think it possible, until the contrary has been proved,that spirit may be formed from fermenting pure tobacco.”
Se'ven samples of tobacco, mixed under the superintendence of the committee, asabove described, were sent to me on the 18th of June last, for analysis, marked BB,C C, FF, MM, 0 0, QQ, XX, which I now presume were of like composition to theparcels marked B, C, F, M, 0, Q, X, in those sent to the excise. As I operate alwaysalone in my laboratory, I required naturally a considerable time to perform the severalsets of experiments which I deemed requisite in trying to detect adulterations in so het-erogeneous.a compound as tobacco. In my first examination before the committee, onthe 15th of July, I stated that my first line of research had been to determine the pro-portion of azote in each of the above specimens, and compare it with that in genuinetobacco, with the view of ascertaining into which of the parcels non-azotized plants,such as rhubarb and other indigenous leaves, might have been introduced. For thispurpose, I took a weighed portion of each tobacco, dried it thoroughly by a gentle steamheat, and found thereby how much moisture it contained .—See second table below.
in 100 grains.
B B when dry, afforded, by ignition with hydrate of
soda and quicklime, in an appropriate apparatus - 2-55 = 2-1C C afforded ------ 2-49 = 1-89
FF “.2-38 = 1-96
MM “.3-06 = 2-52
0 0 “.2-72 = 2-24
Q Q “.3-6 = 2-97
XX “ - ... - - - 2-72 = 2-24
Virginia (genuine) - - - - - 2-6 = 2-14
1 was now convinced that no good purpose could be served by this process of analy-sis, since it appeared that the differences in the proportions of azote resulting fromthe different proportions of nicotine, albumen, gluten, &c., in the tobacco, were tooslight, and most probably too variable, from soil, climate, and mode of culture, to be'relied on as tests of purity; and more especially when I found, on trial, that the driedleaves of foxglove afforded 1*96, or nearly 2 per cent, of azote, and that this plant wasone likely to be used in making the adulterations. Besides, it appears that X X, whichI now perceive to have contained 16 per cent, of rhubarb-leaves, afforded as muchazote as 0 0, which was altogether tobacco. Practical chemists are aware that eachof the above experiments requires no little time, as well as nicety of manipulation. Theresults may, I believe, be depended on ; they were derived in each case from the decom-position of 50 grains of the dried tobacco. I next dried by a gentle heat, continued forseveral hours, as long as weight was lost, 200 grain* of each sample.
Dry.
Wator Spec. grav.at 70° F. of infusion.
Residuum
dried.
Soluble matteror extract
B B lost
11*75 perct. and 100 gr.
+ 1,000= 1-017
59-5
40-5
«CC “
14-5
it
“ = 1-0184
54
46
15
CC
“ = 1-017
60
40
MM“
14-75
«
“ = 1-015
71
29
0 «
15-5
a
“ = 1-018
62
36
0 X a
17-5
it
“ = 1-021
72
28
QQ “
17-75
CC
“ = 1-019
67
33
XX
Tirginiu
leaf 6-5
CC
“ = 1-015
53
47