§89 



THE TROPICAL AGBICULTURIST, 



fJtfKE 2, l81>4. 



said to be l-5th to l-3rd of a pound per tree. "Coppicing 

 trees," meaning doubtless trees when coppiced, are 

 said to give three times as much bark as one shav- 

 ing of them. This we can well suppose, the quantity 

 of bark, of course, depending on the interval between 

 the last shaving, which ought not to be less than 

 eight months or a year. Sun-drving of the bark is 

 deemed preferable and yet the furuace-dried bark 

 from the Nilgiris sold at high jirices. The great point 

 is, of course, so to dry the bark that it will not 

 mould. The Oommittee believe that coppicing rein- 

 vigorates the tree and their fiual recommendation is to 

 shave twice (once in the thiid year, once in the fourth ?) 

 and then to coppice (at the end of the fifth jear ?). 

 We have thus dealt with the main coi. elusions drawn 

 by the Dimbula Committee from the answers received 

 and their main recommendations, but some of the 

 individual answers are worthy of consideration. One 

 word from ourselves. It is far cheajjer to bury or 

 even burn the lopped branches from cinchona trees 

 than to employ labour iu barking them. Nothing but 

 stout stem bark should be sent to market now, for 

 nothing else will pay. 



DIMBULA PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 



REPORT OF SUB-OOMMITTEE ON OINOHONA. 



The plan pursued by the Sub-Oommitlee appointed to 

 enquire into the cultivatiou and harvesting of cinchona 

 has been to send to various estates where a certain 

 quantity of cinchona was growing a series of questions 

 referring to all points connected with this subject, hop- 

 ing in this way to bring together and compare the 

 opinions and experiences of the different managers of 

 estates : and thus to arrive at reliable data. 



In an appendix attached to this report will be found 

 an abstract of the answers sent by each estate to the ques- 

 tions given. A number has been given for the purpose of tliis 

 report to each estate that has sent answers, and tlaat number 

 is used throughout wherever that estate is referred to. 



The points on which questions have been asked have 

 been 1, origin of trees, 2, planting, 3, cultivation, 4, harv- 

 esting, 5, coppicing, G, curing. 



The Sub-Oommittee have arrived at the following con- 

 clusions on tlie above points after going through the 

 answers they have received. 



1. With regard to species ««d origin, succirubra aud 

 hybrids have answered best chiefly from seed from Hak- 

 gala trees, that is trees growing on estates that was pro- 

 cured from Hakgala. The trees raised from Hakgala cut- 

 tings are highly spoken of by those that have them. No 

 difference appears to have been f oimd between seed from 

 shaved and unshaved trees. 



2. Plants put iuto holes have answered generally best, 

 nursery aud self-sown plaiits being equally good : very few 

 have succeeded in making cmchona grow where it has 

 died before. 



3. In cultivating, lopping and forking are generally 

 approved of as stimulating the trees, also bidky manure ; a 

 gradual lopping of two branches at a time is considered best. 



Trees are generally considered to seed early because 

 they are unhealthy or in unsuitable soil; and there ap- 

 pears to be no method in vogue that has stopped the 

 flowering of the tree. Shaving is said by the majority 

 not to increase the tendency to seed but by some excess- 

 ive shaving is thought to have that effect. By nearly 

 all cutting oft' the seed is said to strengthen the tree. By 

 the majority no difference has been noticed between trees 

 raised from foreign and local seed, but by some that have 

 tried it they are considered to be less liable to canker. 

 Canker is said by most to be caused by damp soil and by 

 gome by the degeneracy of the stock ana successive 

 generations have been found by nearly all to canker more 

 than the original ; by most managers no treatment has been 

 found to stop canker; by some, baring the collar has been 

 found to do good and by some forking. 



4. Harvesting. — Shaving is almost uuiver.sally approved 

 of as the i)e.st means of harvestuig and there is a good 

 deal of evidence iu favour of stopping sharing when the 



tree is five years old. Most have foimd commencing sh;iv- 

 ing at 3 years old the best, but some at 2 years aud 

 some at 4. Covering is universally approved of, grass 

 being the best covering, while in dry weather the cover- 

 ing should be put on immediately after shaving, some 

 recommending au interval between sharing and covering 

 of two mouths. It appears that generally a pait of the 

 cellular bark is left on as well as the hber, and that it 

 is thought best to leave the covering on till the next 

 shave. The majority are of opinion that sharing checks the 

 growth of the tree especially after 5 years old and in some 

 cases it is said to kill the trees. In every ease except 

 one an increase of bark is reported between the shavings 

 and in some cases as nuich as 50 per cent but generally 

 speaking about 20 per cent. 



From the answers received original succirubra appears 

 to give 2J per cent sulphate of quinine ; oflicinalis about 

 1| per cent ; renewed succirubra about 3j ; renewed 

 officinalis at 5 years old covered 5j and in cue case at 

 7 years old 7 per cent. The yield of succirubra is said 

 to be from l-5th to l-3rd of a lb. per tree. 



The best months for sharing are said to be March and 

 April and September aud October and the majority ap- 

 prove of dry weather for covering in. Most managers 

 report that some trees have suffered from the bark rot- 

 ting after shavmg owing to this being done badly or iu 

 unfavoiu:able weather ; again there is an equal- weight of 

 evidence as to whether or not this rotting occurs when 

 trees are not covered. The majority are of opinion that 

 trees will renew bark well if shaved after 5J years old, 

 and again most managers say that 3 is the greatest 

 number of times that they have found trees renew well 

 after shaving. 



5. Six years old is considered the best age to coppice 

 trees and between March and May the favourite months, 

 while it is considered best to lea\ o 3 suckers. Very few 

 stools are said not to throw out suckers after coppicing 

 and from i to 7 years the best interval to leave between 

 coppicing. Coppicing trees are said generally to give three 

 times as much bark as one shaving of them. 



6. Curing. — Drying in the sun is generally considered 

 the best way of curing ; artificial drying by those that 

 have tried it has been found unsuccessful. 



The Sub-Conmiittee think it will not be out of place 

 to offer a few remarks on cinchona generally that have 

 been suggested by the information they have collected. 



The stock generally appears without doubt to be de- 

 generating, and it therefore behoves cinchona growers to 

 import as far as hes iu their power seed from the native 

 habitat of the tree. 



Canker which has so far proved incurable, undoubtedly 

 is much more prevalent among the present stock than 

 the original. Importation of fresh seed is looked upon 

 by the Sub-Committee as the best remedy for it. 



Shaviug twice and then coppicing is in the opinion of 

 the Sub-Committee the most profitable mode of harvesting 

 the bark of the tree and the best means of prolonging 

 the life of the stock; for by this treatment (namely cop- 

 picing) the system of the plant is reiuvigorated. 



G. A. Talbot, P. H. Maitland, Ch.is. R. Paterson. J. A. 

 Campbell, J. K. Symonds, A. Cautlay, J. N. Martiu, C. J. 

 Scott, W. Smith, AV. B. Jackson. 



APPENDIX. 



Section 1. — Origin of Trees. 



Questi. 11 1. AVhat species of Cinchona grow best on your 

 estate 1' Were the trees raised from seed or cuttings 'i 



Answer. 1. Approximate elevation 5,500 feet. Officinalis 

 and hybrids from seed. 2. 4,550 feet, hybrids from seed 

 and cuttings. 3. 4,500 feet, Succirubra and hydrids iu 

 the higher fields, OlHcinaUs does well as also Calisaya 

 and Ledger. 4. 4,S.">0 feet. Hybrids. 5. 5,000 feet, Ollic- 

 inaU", all raised from seed. 0. 4,400 feet, Succirubra, 

 OfficinaUs aud Ledger. 7. 4,400 feet, Hybrid and Succi- 

 rubra raised from seed. 8. 4,400 feet, Succirubra and 

 hybrids from seed. 9. 4,300 feet, Succirubra from seed. 



10. 4,500 feet. Hybrids, believed to be from cuttings. 



11. 4,300 feet. Hybrids, the best being from Hakgala 

 cuttings. 12. 4,700 feet. Hybrids from self-sown plants, 

 13. 4,700 feet, Succirubra and officinalis, succirubra from 

 seed Officinalis from cuttings. 14, 4,450 feet, Hybrid and 



