August i, iSiJj.J ' 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



ix: 



largely diminishe<l, possibly iu both cases to the ex- 

 leuc uf 25 per cent, to 5U per cJht. his trees will 

 however exhibit every siyn of health and vigour. This 

 is no mere hypothesis on our part. 



We may rem irk that the effect on young trees may 

 not be so proiiouncid, that with such trees the bark 

 iu spite of slicing may go ou improving even in ciuality 

 as it naturally should, it bf lug possible that the etfect 

 on the bark may bt; iio perceptible as long as the tree 

 has not attained maturity but we are perfectly per- 

 suaded that slicing a maiure tree is fatal, prooably 

 the change from slicing to mossing and stripping would 

 be discouraging for the tir^t s.ason or perhaps longer 

 as the wasti) will have taken place from the bark left 

 on the tree aftei- taking tne slice and it will only 

 b * after m-w bark has bi^eu grown entirely under the 

 stripping process that the benefit will be reaped of 

 trees that bave been sliced. 



We are thoroughly convinced that were the two 

 systems to be tested side by side and uuder similar 

 cucumstancea the slicing fallacy would quickly ex- 

 plO'ie and we submit that the t.icts of the case were 

 known do not recommend itj adoptiou. We advise 

 all our friends to look into the matter ihoroughly be- 

 fore slicing a single tree Ked or Crown. 



Urjing Bark at a high temperature. — The conveni- 

 ence and economy ol the expeditions drying of the 

 bark has rai-ed the question, whether baik could not 

 be dried as well at a hii;h l^mperature, on a tea dry- 

 ing machine as at a low temperature in the usual 

 drying house. 



We have the highest authority for saying that the 

 effect of drying at a high temperature is simply de- 

 structive to the Alkaloids. — We are, Dear Sirs, yours 

 faittully, 



(Signed) Franc;ois Lk Maib and Rivers Sticks. 



Mr. Wiuterbothani said : In refeienoeo to the above 

 expression of opinion I would observe that the ques- 

 tion is one of the greatest moment to Planters in 

 Wynaad, for in a year or two a considerable quantity 

 of Cinchona as almost every Estate will come of age 

 to yield something in the way of a return. 



In the shaving or " slicing " operation wo fondly 

 hoped that a very efficacious simple and altogether 

 satisfactory method of gathering in our harvest had 

 been devised. If this idea is upset and it is 

 true that thw method is destructive we shall have to 

 take to " coppicing" or if we prefer to export re- 

 newed bark we must go in for the plan pursued ou 

 the Government Gardens for souie years past and take 

 off strips of bark in alternate years, with the incon- 

 venience of mossing, or covering the trees .in some 

 way . 



Any how I think wo ought to have the matter 

 settled as soon as possible, and to have as much 

 light as can be obtained thrown upon the question. 



And proposed " that a copy of the letter be sent 

 to the Government of Madras with the v.'quest that 

 it would iiak the opinion of its C'.nchona uuthorities ou 

 the su'ject, aud supply us with any inf.irmation, or 

 statistics of the reaulis obtained by the shaving pro- 

 cess over a series of year.", as m;iy be available in 

 India, or in Java where the process is said tu havi: 

 originated, and that a copy be sent thiougii Mr. 

 Guard to Capt. Cox now in England with a request 

 thit he would Ijo kind oupugh to satisfy him- 

 self as to the value of the opinion exprtssed in the 

 above letter and to give us the benefit of his great 

 experience. The subject was afterwards discussed at 

 great length and with much interest [We should think 

 so, ai. I we have no doubt planters in Ceylon will give 

 their opinions. The balance of testimony, we believe, 

 will be dead against the dogmatic assertions of Mes.srs. 

 Lc Mair and Kivcra Sticki '. We know that the bark 



from the Nilgiri gardens, dried by strong furnace heat, 

 always sold at higU prices. — Ed ] 



Coast Charije-i on Coffee. — Read the following letter 

 from iVIcssrs. Parry & Co. of Madras. 



Madras, 17th April 1883. 



G, L, Yonge, Esq., Honorary Secretary. 



Wynaad Planting and Mining .Association, Vythery. 



Dear Sir, — We have to apologise for so long de- 

 laying an answer to your Association's letter addressed 

 to us and other coffee cuiers in Calicut in regard to 

 a reductivm in tlie rate now charged. 



The matter has had our best attention, and we have 

 resolved to reduce our charges to 



Coffee in bags R35 per ton of 20 cwt F. 0. B. 

 Do cases R40 „ ,, ,, 



which will we trust meet the expedations of your- 

 self and the members of the Association. We b'lieva 

 that we are the only coffee curers who have accepted 

 the desiralulity of meeting the wishes of the pLiUt. rs, 

 and «e trust to recr-ive a solid recognition from the 

 planters in the form of crops to cure. We enclose 

 a copy of the notice we are issuing and will be obliged 

 by your giving to it the utmost publicity. — We i;re, 

 dear sir, your fa. thtuUy, Parry &Co. 



Keeolved that Messrs. Parry & Co. be thanked for 

 their public spirit m thus meeting the necessities of 

 the Planting int. rest aud that the attention of the 

 other Coast Firms Lie drawn to the reduction m the 

 curing charges with the hope that they will be able 

 to reconsider their decision expressed in December last 

 and lower their rates to the same standard. 



CAOUTCHOUC. 



Letter from W. T. Theselton Dyer, Esq., to Sir 



Locis Malbt, c. b., India Office, dated Royal 



Gardens, Kew, 7th March 1S83, No. R. S. 



and C. 584-83. 



I am desirid by Sir Joseph Hooker to draw your 

 attentn n to the enclosed extract from the Ke» report 

 for 1881, pagfS 47-48, with referenreto Paramtria yland- 

 ulifera, au apocynaceous plant believed to be coiiunnn 

 iu Southern India, hut which appears to have hceti 

 hitherto overlooked as a source of caoutchouc. 



Extract from Kew Report 1881, pji. 47-4d. 



Ubineae collections of materia mediea often contain sijcci- 

 mens oC a drug consisting ol blackened fragments of bark 

 and small pieces of twif^s. These when broken across are seen 

 to contain au abundauce of caontchouc which can be drawn 

 out iu fine elastic threads as in the East African Landolphias, 

 Specimens have reached the Kew Museum from the faris 

 Exhibition of lts78 (with the Chinese name tuchung) aud from 

 the Smitlisoniau lustitutlou, Washington. The botanical origin 

 hasbeen hitlierto altogether uncertain. Itseems, however.prob- 

 able from a notice by M. L. Pierre, Director of the liotauic Cjard- 

 eus, Saigon (Excursions et Keconiiaissauces No. 11, Saigon), 

 that this drug is the produce of Paranuria glamiulijaa. This is 

 an apocvuaecous climber asceutliug to the suumilts i f the 

 highest trees; it is common in the forests of Cochin China. 

 Specimens which M. Pierre has obligingly comujunicated to 

 Kew prove that the plant is identical with a species which 

 abounds in Suuthern India. M. P.erre states "that the sap 

 which flows iroui the stem has exactly the appearance 

 of milk, aud may even be used as a subsiituie for it. 

 it has a slight uutty flavor. In the liquid state it is often em- 

 ployed iu nieilicine by the Annamites aud the l_'.imbodians 

 The bark after being dried ordinarily iu emokc is sold at 20 

 to 25 francs the picul(-= la;3^ lb.) aud exported to Uhiua. The 

 bark is a modiciual product esteemed by the Chinese." 



The method of est acting the caoutchouc is exceedingly 

 simple. The liquor obtained from the bane either from in- 

 cisions I r by cutting it into short lengths (if it is wished to 

 obtain at once a lavgtr quantity) i- poured into a basin tilled 

 with water at a temperature ol iU4" — l-jy" Fah. On agitating 

 the mixture with a stick the milk immediaiely coagulates 

 into pure caoutchouc ol excelleut quality. The plant may be 

 propagated by cuttings with great tacilily, aud Al. Pierre sug- 

 gests that it may be planted iu forest reserves where the 

 trees are nut less than ten years old. If this method were 

 thought ijracticable by the ludiau Forest Department it 

 might be extended to the African Laudolphias and in this 

 way a forest product ol great importance might be aeou'cd. 



