57.6 



THE TROPI'CAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 1BS7, 



The value of succirubra barks is not determined by 

 the proportion of alkaloids they contain, but ex- 

 clusively by their outward appearance. Undamaged 

 thick quill barks, doubly rolled, if possible 1 meter in 

 length, of a silver-white colour and covered with all kinds 

 of moss and inside of a dark-red colour deemed the 

 best. It requires from 15 to 20 years to obtain such 

 barks and tliis leads to the conclusion that they will 

 always cemmand good prices on the European mar- 

 kets. It is true that their quill-barks of less length 

 and also root-bark of 0. Succirubra yield an article 

 still highly valued by druggists, but it is obvious that 

 owing to the rapid growth of the 0. Succirubra the 

 market will soon get overstocked with inferior bark 

 of this kind. 



(C) Hybrids of O. Ledgeriana and C. Succirubra. — 

 These hybrids differ from 0. Ledgeriaua by their 

 growth, which, if not fully equal to that of 0. Succi- 

 rubra, at least comes very near to it. Among these 

 hybrids, some specimens may be found containing 

 10 per cent quinine with more or less cinchonidine. 

 Great extension is given to the cultivation of these 

 hybrids and there is good reason for it as they yield 

 an important quantity of bark for the manufacturers' 

 market within a comparatively short time. And if it 

 might appear that owing to their composition they were 

 less fit for manufacturing purposes, they will always 

 prove valuable to chemists. 



II. What is the area under cinchona cultiva- 

 tion and the average production of bark per acre r* 

 — No accurate information is to be obtained 

 as to the acreage of cinchona. At all events the 

 number of cinchona plantations is not likely to 

 increase, confidence in cinchona cultivation being 

 shaken by the constant fall in prices. Existing plant- 

 ations, however, will scarcely fail to bring all the 

 land granted in hereditary lease under cultivation. 

 According to incomplete and rather untrustworthy 

 information supplied by planters the yield of private 

 plantations in Java for 1883, 1884 and 1885 is set 

 down at 379,728, 667,894 and 659,492 Amsterdam 

 pounds respectively. (125 Amsterdam lb. equal to 136 lb. 

 English.) The Government plantations extend over 

 about IjOuO Bahoes or about 1,750 acres, and now 

 yield a| product of nearly 500,000 Amsterdam lb,, 

 which may be gradually increased to about one 

 million, without any noteworthy extension of the present 

 acreage but merely by the high culture being resorted 

 to. As to the yield per bahoe or per acre the follow- 

 ing remarks in regard to the cultivation of both 

 C. Ledgeriana and 0. Succiruba may prove of use: — 

 The price of manufacturer's baiks is determined 

 by the yield in quinine. Barks containing 1 per cent 

 quinine (calculated for air dried bark) yield 

 1'346 per cent sulphate of quinine. The accessory 

 alkaloids being of but little value are left out of ac- 

 count. In the trade the price of manufacturers' bark is 

 calculated per unit viz., per pound and per cent of 

 sulphate of quinine, which may be extracted there- 

 from. If that unit (as according to the latest market 

 reports) be c. 0'15, barks with I per cent quinine will 

 realize 1x1, 346 x 0,15 c 020 per pound or half kilogram. 

 Now c 0'20 per half kilogram is already very near 

 to the limit at which bark can be supplied to home 

 markets as it covers the coat of harvesting, drying, 

 packing, shipping and sale in Eurojie, or in one word, 

 the expenses of laying out plantation, however, of man- 

 agement, taxes and keeping up the estate in general, are 

 left out of account. It is evident that with a rising 

 market inferior barks may cover the collecting expen- 

 ses, whereas they will be left on the plantations on 

 prices falling, and this will make it clear that the 

 production per bahoe or per acre is chiefly gov- 

 erned by the market value or the price per unit 

 assumed. If it falls, the yield decreases, whereas 

 on its rising crops at once become more plentiful. 

 This also shows that there is no very marked differ- 

 ence between barks for the manufacture of sulphate of 

 quinine and those for chemists' use. For if the latter 

 are no more up to the mark owing to superabundant 

 production, they may still be perfectly suited for whole- 

 sale manufacture of sulphate of quinine, as for instance 

 damaged succirubra quill barks of unequal lengths with- 



out lichens and without silver white colour containing 

 about 1^ to 2 per cent, quinine and succirubra root, 

 bark yielding 1 per cent quinine. As to barks for the 

 druggists' market. their production per bahoe or per acre 

 is determined by constantly increasing requirements. 

 With a falling market the collection of branches, twigs 

 and of the upper parts of the stem does not cover cost. 

 These] will, therefore, he abandoned on the plantations 

 and only the finer barks selected for shipment. The 

 following figures may be considered as minima 

 of production : — Virgin soils subjected to high 

 culture may yield per bahoe in Ledgeriaua bark, 

 after 3 years 300 lb. averaging ^ per cent in Quinine 



yield, 

 „ 4 400 „ „ 2 



„ 5 500 „ „ 2i 



,, 6 600 „ „ 3 „ „ 



» 7 703 „ „ 3| „ „ 



„ 8 800 „ „ 4 „ „ 



„ 9 900 „ „ 4^ „ „ 



„ 1000 „ „ 5 



per acre (taking the acre at 6-lOths of a bahoe) after 

 from 3 to 10 years 180 to 600 lb, averaging from IJ 

 to 5 per cent quinine, such productions may be ob- 

 tained merely by clearing and thinning out no more 

 than absolutely necessary without injury to the den- 

 sity of the plantations which, after felling and up- 

 rooting still may yield a return of at least 4,000 lb. 

 pe r bahoe or 2,400 per acre containing 5 per cent 

 quinine after ten years. It is to be observed that no 

 accurate information is to be obtained as to the pro- 

 duction of Ledgeriana bark, the collection of twig barks 

 having considerably decreased under the influence of 

 low prices, whereas fulling type Ledgeriana plantations 

 on the Government estate is still out of the question. 

 It is even more diifi.cult to procure information as 

 to the return per bahoe or per acre of succirubra 

 barks. Production is entirely ruled by the magnitude 

 of supplies to home markets and in connection 

 herewith by the increasing difficulty in meeting 

 requirements. In addition to this the jn-ice of the 

 unit for manufacturers bark has also to be taken into 

 consideration, because as stated above, in certain cases, 

 also a portion of succirubra barks is also taken for 

 making sulphate of quinine. A couple of years ago 

 the yield of succirubra plantations after the third 

 year already was not an unimportant one. Actually 

 harvesting has been postponed till the 5th or 6th year 

 and even then the crop is a small one. Under favour- 

 able circumstances the following figures may be 

 assumed as minima of succirubra production : — 

 After the 5th year 300 Amsterdamlb. per bahoe 

 „ 6th „ 400 „ „ „ 



„ 7th „ 500 „ „ „ 



8th „ 600 

 9th „ 700 „ 



10th „ 800 



or after from 5 to 10 years from 180 to 480 lb. per 

 acre and this result may be secured merely by uproot- 

 ing stiled and not suiBciently developed trees. The 

 object is to retain robust trees in order to obtain 

 those thick and long quill barks of a fine appearance 

 which are always in such good request. The production 

 to be obtained by felling plantation from 15 to 20 years 

 old is not to be stated with accuracy but may be 

 safely set down at 5,000 lb. per bahoe or 3,000 per 

 acre. Planting hybrids of C. Ledgeriana and C. Sue 

 cirubra has only been recently introduced and there- 

 fore no figures of production can be given. 



III. — Is the yearly product regularly exported or 

 stored in anticipation of an improved demand ? — 

 As far as known it is customary in Java immediately 

 to ship oif the bark to Europe and have it sold as 

 quickly as uossible. 



IV. What will be the quantities for export dur- 

 ing the next years ?— The crop at the Government 

 plantation is estimated at fully 450,000 lb. in 1886, 

 500,0001b. in 1887 and 550,000 in 1888. It is very 

 difficult to frame an estimate of private produc- 

 tion, but it may be sately assumed as constantly 

 increasing. The course adopted at the Government 

 estate of promoting as much as possible the growth 

 of robust cinchona trees, by the application of 



