

"tm f Mdi^ieAL AhMtVlftJ^^'^. [t^Ed. 1, 1886, 



i i-M i -m>ii i -» « SrMr;l~i ri i l i »T i >M «M ai l 



nil m J I i iiirili iyit^"^'" m il i n imnHTTr 



was quite at home on scientific, technical and 

 social subjects. 



For many years, I was in corresirondence with 

 Mr. Moens and became personally acquainted with 

 him in 1883. To me in the Colonial Museum he 

 was nn invaluable oracle and counsellor. In him 



1 lose more than I can now realize.^ And what is 

 to become of our cinchona cultivation now that 

 its great champion is stricken down ? Shall that 

 gigantic work at which so many of our best 

 laborers have wrought now tend to its fall ? Scarce 

 ten days before his death, Moens paid me a visit, 

 apparently recovered from a short but severe ill- 

 ness. We spoke of the Colonial Exhibition in 

 London, which he would willingly have seen. He 

 seemed worn out and sad, and in his voice there 

 was a peaceful resignation. It was as though he 

 misdoubted repose after a long and exciting labour. 

 We parted and he promised to return soon . . . 

 So pass all things away, but not the grateful re- 

 membrance of such a Netherlander as Bernelot 

 Moens. — Haarlem, 5th Oct. 1886. 



F. W. Van Eeden. 

 From the English Chemi'it and Druggist we iiuote 

 as follows : — 



Mr. Johan Carel Bernelot Moens, the celebrated 

 Dutch quinnlogist, died at Haarlem on October 



2 nd after a short illness. Mr. Moeus was born at Kra- 

 liugpu, near Eotterdam, iti 1837, and studied pharmacy 

 in Holland. At the age of twenty-one he left for Java 

 having been appointed pharmacist of the third class 

 in the Dutch-Indian army. Mr. Moens rapidly advan- 

 ced to the position of military pharmacist of the first 

 class, and showed special proficiencj' in chemical 

 studies. Shortly before 186G he made the acquaintance 

 of Mr. K. W. Van Gorkom, then director of the Gov- 

 ernment cinchona plantations at Bandong, in Java, 

 and soon found himself on terms of intimate friend- 

 ship with that gentleman. About this time the dis- 

 coTery of C Led'/eriana gave an extraordinary impetus 

 to cinchona planting. The Ledgeriana bark, with its 

 richness in alkaloids, gradually superseded most of 

 the other cinchona varieties, the officinalis and the 

 succirubra only being able to hold the field against 

 it. It was found necessary to call in the aid of ex- 

 perienced chemists in order to perfect the cultivation 

 of cinchona by showing how to obtain the largest 

 possible percentage of alkaloids. Accordingly in 1872 

 Mr. Moens was appointed chemist to the Govomment 

 cinchona plantations, and it was in this capacity that 

 he created his reputation as a quinologist. The three 

 principal discoveries in cinchona cultivation for which 

 we are iudebttd to Mr. Moeus are the propagation 

 of cinchonas by grafting, the obtaining of bark by 

 shaving, and stripping of part of the tree, covering 

 the naked parts with moss, This latter process was 

 first practised l>y Mr. Maciver at Madras. Mr. l\Ioens's 

 researcbeb have shown that the disease to which cin- 

 chonas are subject is caused by an insect, and rend- 

 ered it possible to successfully combat the disease. 

 1875 Mr. Mcens was promoted to the directorship of 

 the Government cinchona plantation.s, which post he 

 ^iied umidc d until ]87t>, when Mr. Van Boniunde, the 

 prt'fit'ot director, wa.s appointed as hi.s assistant. In 

 1880 Blr. Muens visited Ceylon, Madras, and Bengal, 

 in order to report to his Government upon the cou- 

 dition of cinchona culture in those countries, and in 

 18^3, after a quarter of a century's residence in India, 

 he obtained leave of absence for tA-o years, his health 

 having broken down He never returned to India, 

 but was at his request relieved from his post under 

 the Government and charged with the analysis of the 

 Java bark.s imported into Holland. His work on 

 "Cinchona Cultivation in Asia" contains a complete 

 account of the introduction of the tree in the East 

 Indies, and the progress of ils cultivation, Mr. Moens's 

 death is a severe loss to those interested iu the Am- 

 sterdam cinchona market, for it was to a great extent 

 oviug to bis talents and energy that that market has 

 {ipt Ipng since succumbed to British competitiou, 



•mmt 



PLANTING IN JAMAICA 



(From an ex-Ceylon Hajjutale Planter.) 



Jamaica, 12th Sept. 1880. 



Ygu may imagine with what pleasure 1 look for- 

 ward to a regular perusal of yonr most valuable 

 periodical. I have heard two or three persons here 

 speak iu the highest terms of your monthly gazette, 

 the Tropical Aijrieidtii list. 



As you have expressed a desire to receive some 

 news from this part of Jamaica, I will endeavour 

 to give you from time to time a few notes of planting 

 and general interest. Within the last four months 

 the island has passed successively through an earth- 

 quake, a flood and a hurricane, all three visitations 

 doing more or less damage to estates, houses, roads 

 and railways. American intelligence would lead us to 

 expect another hurricane in October, but I sincerely 

 trust that we may be left in undistui-bed security for 

 many a long day. 



Coffee. — Crops are over and the majority of estates 

 have picked their estimates which although not large 

 will leave a fair margin of profit to proprietors. 

 This year prices in Liverpool are extremely good and 

 but little inferior to those of last season. In the 

 matter of value, I am glad to say that this estate's 

 coffee came third in the last "account sales." The 

 marks and prices are as follows : — Clifton Mount 136s, 

 Radnor 131s, Chester Vale 127s, per cwt. At one time 

 prospects for the coming year were good. But the 

 Blue Mountain properties have suffered so often from 

 wind and rain in the past twelve months, that the 

 crops will be as small as those gathered in 1880 I am 

 afraid. Last month when a good blossom was looked 

 for we encountered the hurricane of which I have 

 spoken elsewhere. During the last six years Jamaica 

 has suffered from drought, hut we are now supposed 

 to be entering a wet cycle, and it is to be devoutly 

 hoped that such is the case, for our planting of both 

 cmchona and coffee has been more or less, a failure 

 of late. 



Cinchona. — The three or four plantations that hold 

 land from the Government under certain " conditions " 

 are gradually planting up the required acreage to 

 qualify for a title, but otherwise no extension is being 

 made in this direction. The present state of the 

 market is anything but encouraging and indications 

 are not wanting that the great mortality amongst 

 trees of all sizes, is not alone pecidiar to Ceylon. 



Tea, — At the Government Cinchona Plantation 

 some four acres, mostly Assam Hybrid, has recently 

 been put in. They look healthy enough but appear 

 tc grow very slowly. 1 have not seen the Portland 

 Gap clearing lately, but as the plants were excep- 

 tionally fine and the elevation more suitable, they 

 shduld be showing up well by this time. No private 

 individuals as yet have taken to the planting of tea 

 in the island. Before closing my remarks on this 

 industry, I cannot help givmg praise to Mr. Hart of 

 the Cmchona Plantation for the first class samples 

 of hand-made leaf which he has produced. To one 

 unaccustomed to drink anything but China tea its 

 superiority is not always detected, or appreciated, 

 but there is no doubt tliat this Jamaica sample, like 

 Ceylon Tea is refresjiing, strong and economical, Mr. 

 Hart has manufactured several lots and 1 think I 

 may say he goes on improving. But in the roll of 

 the leaf there is yet room for great improvement. 

 The above remarks I should not feel justified in 

 making, had I not had some little experience iu 

 the ■' Lane," before coming out to Jamaica. In the 

 early part of 1880 when I was established in a small 

 way as a tea dealer, I submitted a splendid sample of 

 Ceylon Tea to a broker. I tried to impress him with 

 the special quality of this ten, but I am sorry to 

 say he was not deeply enamored with it. 



He admitted that the liquor was strong, but said 

 that the leaf was badly made and the infusion rough 

 to the tongue. How things are changed since then I 

 He valued the sample at Is Id to Is 6d and I 

 know that the same tea was selling at os per 2lb 

 packet. 



/^((;/aH«.s.— Nearly the whole of the year the de- 

 mand has been far above the supply of this fruit, 

 The price fpr a long time vemaminj at Uli pec IC j 



