Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-01-25
IN A DRUG HOUSE.
All Nations of the World are Under Con-
tribution.

a who lesale drug house Is filed
Rrom top to bottom with contributions
from every land beneath the sun. For
Instance, one finds himself in a para
SiLss of sponges. The whole great
stock Is divided into two classes
Mediterranean and West Indian goods.
1he latter are taken in water varying
from twenty to forty feet in depth, by
divers, who plunge into the sea from
little rowboatS, carrying heavy stones
ma their hands to hasten the descent to
the bottom. In the Grecian Archi-
peiago the water is deeper and the
Spouges, consequently, finer, for the
action of waves lessen the beauty of
the sponges- Prices of this product
vary from 10 cents sponge TO SIS a
pound, sponges bringing the latter
price being OF small and extremely
rare variety.
From Greece to Egypt seems easy
sailing, and the contribution furnished
0y the realm once ruled by Cleopatra
rs SIENNA The essential quality of the
LEAD, which is gathered from low BUSH
IS Ia Egypt is used very extensively
An the preparation of medicine, and in
such general demand that many of the
drug houses in the country would sus-
pend tomorrow were the supply to be
exhausted tonight. From South Af-
RIGA comes buchu, the mercantile form
also being in leaves stripped from the
small trees, on which they grow in
great abundance. Hottentots are the
first handlers of the drug. The heart
of Africa yields also acacia, a gum
thae enters into the composition of
every mucilage made, as well as into
the preparation of various medicines
zaad with these few mentioned come
host of other agents OF help and heal
AHg from the dark continent to those
hafhed in welcome light Near the
shelves whereon these drugs are ar
xsyed is section given up to opium,
the product chiefly of northern India.
Atls harmless looking substance as
at lies in packages in wholesale drug
house, but it hides more demons than
che realms of darkness ever knew.
Gainamen of the northern provinces
hunt the musk deer on the plains of
ThIbet and Tartary. claiminga monop-
oily of this, the basis of most perfumes.
And this groundwork of sweet scents
being obtained, the careful compound
DER of drugs has learned to increase it
largely by commingling with it the
product OF ambergris, curious gray
substance found floating on the sea in
those northern, colder chimes where
sperm whales and iceburgs are met
with.
But the rarest of all perfumes, the
s8ttar OF roses, claims the explorer of
drug houses with its wonderful power.
The sunny sides of the Balkan Mount
7ak0s seem especially designed for the
propagation of roses, and the gather
ing OF the flowers, the distilling of the
oh and its sale to jewellers in lands
less favored forms the chief revenue
OF the people. Altar of roses comes to
the wholesale trade in vessels exactly
the size and shape OF an army can
teen, but covered with soft, woolly
shieid, and the contents of one Of these
vessels is valued at 1925. By retail the
rich oil sells for cents drop.
CInchona in various stages OF prep
aratlon, from the bark to the prepared
drug, fills another section of the stock
room. This is South American pro-
duct with a pan-American sale. The
tree which produces the bark is felled
hy the natives of Peru, and the wood
from the ground to the uttermost end
0f the branches is denuded of bark,
even the covering OF the roots being
sOmetimes taken and sold Another
american product, the class of which
rs yet unsettled, is quicksilver 1t is
heavy enough to be sold in hardware
stores and costly enough for jewelry
establishments, but as it is precious
whether mineral or liquid-drug stores
sisse 1t In the compromising of medicines
and as adjunct OF the fine arts. 1t is
IN,
and larger quantity in California. II
stands about in seventy-fve pound iron
nasks that look like dunn bbells; but
ambitious athletes never try to lift
them more than once.
Stored in great vaults are bundles
eot sweet smelling vanilla beans from
Mexico and Central America; essential
nils and perfumes from Cuba, Italy
and far Siberia; Valencia saffron from |
Spain, and caustic soda from England: |
cans OF beautiful analine colors from |
Germany and France, and cutie bones |
1r9fn the Mediterranean sea; cocoa |
from the Andes, and cloves, mace and
peppers from Java; sulphur from
Sicily, and borax from the wonderful /
snIues IN California; camphor from
Japan and licorice and cork from
spain; rhubarb from Persia and pum-
Ice. olive oils and anise from Italy;
sperm oil from the Arctic Ocean and
soap from Mount Carmel, in Syria; cod
liver oil from Norway and insect pow
ders from Austria; logwood from Hayti
and indigo from Ceylon; caraway seed
from Holland and camomile flowers
from the castle-bordered Rhine.
Good spirits and bad reign in drug
house. Oil OF rattlesnalSes is bottled
and arranged in tiers on one side of
board partition, while antidotes that
bring tears are easily uncorked on the
other Take it all around, man can
see more countries in his minds eve
by one voyage through a wholesale
drug house than any one with magic
aautern ever dreamed Of. He can
stimulate himself with more tonics,
togo down his exuberance with more
sedStSvcs, kill himself off with more
pOisOns and go home with more scents
0c his clothes and fewer inside than