THE SAFFRON CROCUS.

675

j^hese are dried on brown paper in a stove. They are shining, and of a‘Townigh red colour. I can detect neither saffron nor marigolds (Calen-officinalis) in them. Their price is about one-fifth of that of goodsaffron. I am informed, by a maker of cake saffron, that there isanother person besides himself in London by whom this substancels made.

Adulteration. —The only adulteration practised on saffron, whicha ' s come under my notice, is that of mixing safflower with saffron, and. ls I have met with once only. It must have been effected abroad,Slr| ce the druggist who pointed it out to me bought the saffron in bond,did not discover the fraud until the saffron had been for some time11 his warehouse. The pieces of safflower readily escape the eye of a^Perficial observer. If rubbed with the moistened finger on paper, theyProduce a slightly yellow mark only, whereas genuine saffron causes a

y intense orange-yellow stain. The fraud may also be detected by

}’er

fusing the suspected saffron in hot water, when the florets of the saf-°Wer may be readily distinguished from the stigmas which constituteKa %>n.

, I am informed that old and dry saffron is sometimes oiled, to give it® appearance of freshness. The stain communicated to the fingers, or.,mte blotting paper, when such saffron is compressed, readily detectsl ' e fraud.

fibres of smoked beef and the petals of the officinal marigold are,, m to have been used for adulterating saffron. But there is no fear ofe se adulterations now. Such frauds would be readily detected by theespecially when the suspected saffron has been infused in hot water.. Pommerce. —The quantity of saffron on which duty (of ls .per lb.) isj^ I( P is about 5,000 lbs. per annum. The places from which it is^Ported have been already mentioned. It is brought over in cases,^?els, and boxes.

j Composition. —Saffron was analyzed in 1811 by Vogel and Bouillon-A a ifrange (Bull, de Pharm. iv. 89), and in 1818 by Aschoff (Gmelin,

' d. Chim. ii. 1334).

Vogel andBouillon-Lagrange.

Ascholf.

Volatile oil

7-5

1-4

Wax

05

4 0

Polychroite

. 65-0

52 0

Gum

6-5

10-4

Soluble albumen

0-5

—

Woody fibre

. 10-0

19 0

Water

. 10-0

10 0

Balsamic matter, solubleether and alcohol .

-* -

20

Saffron

. 1000

98-8

1 is Oil of Saffron . (Oleum, Croci). —Obtained by distilling saffron with water,

ffldifl 0W ’ l |eav ' er than water, has a burning, acrid, somewhat bitter taste, and is% 7 soluble in water. By keeping, it becomes white, solid, and lighter than water.

2. JJ e Pends probably the medicinal properties of saffron.

W lowing matter; Polychroite (so called from no\vs, many, and xP^ a ’ c °l° ur , in' So eilce 't s being susceptible of numerous changes of colour).—By digestingtSta 0U . S ex tract of saffron in alcohol, and evaporating the tincture to dryness, a\* Ce is obtained which Bouillon-Lagrange and Vogel called polychroite, but which^ Want, de Pharm, vii. 397; has separated into volatile oil and a bitter red sub-