April 2, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



789 



CINCHONA CULTIVATION IN JAVA. 



The Mutual Influence of Stock and Scion 

 in the case of grafted tp.ees. 

 The repoi-ts of the able and keenly observant 

 cientist who is at the head of the Government ciu- 

 chona enterprize in Java are always interesting, but 

 tliat for the closing quarter of 18S2, a translation of 

 which we give today, contains facts and suggests in- 

 ferences of more than usual importance. It will be ob- 

 served that in " planting ont," Mr. Moens, whUe giv- 

 ing, as is natural, the preference to Ledgerianas. does 

 not neglect the stout-growing succirnbra or c\'en tlie 

 slender officinalis. It was the tliin-stemmed habit 

 of this species as well as the difticulty of growing 

 it in West Java — the " Preauger Regency" (wheie 

 all the Government plantations are situated) — which 

 led to a strong prejudice against it on the part of 

 private planters, and we came away with the belief 

 that tills prejudice was insuperable. But liesides the 

 fact recorded by Mr. Moens of the abundance of 

 quinine in the root-bark of C. officinale, the result 

 of an official visit to Mid-Java by this gentleman has 

 brought to light the hitherto unsuspected existence 

 of soil and climate, so specially suited for this species, 

 that a plantation only four years old shews gi'owth 

 and vegetation beyond what Dodabetta can display. 

 As the altitude of the .Java plantation is only 4,000 

 to 4,500 against between 6,000 and 8,000 on the 

 Nilgii'is, we can well imagine superior vegetation. 

 As the soil and climate which suit P. officinalis well 

 are sure also to be favourable to O. Ledrjeriana, we 

 may now anticipate a considerable spread of culture 

 of the latter in Middle Java. Whatever may be 

 the other merits of C. officinalis, it does not seem 

 to be suited to .supply stocks for the gi-afting of 

 Ledgerianas. The want of affinity is such that suc- 

 cess has not been obtained in a single instance. We 

 are now very curious to learn, on reliable data, 

 whether this absence of affinity extends to the re- 

 fusal of the two kinds to hybridize ? It is at least 

 curious that while Mr. Moens mentions hybrids be- 

 tween succirnbra and Ledgeriana he says nothing 

 of hybrids between the two superior kinds. Can it 

 be that there is a closer relationship between the 

 robust-stemmed and large-leaved succu-ubra and the 

 kingly Ledgeriana. than between the latter and the 

 crown bark trees ? It looks like it, for not only do 

 grafts of Ledgeriana succeed exclusively on red bark 

 stocks, but now Mr. Moens is startled himself while 

 he startles us by facts obtained in analyses which 

 seem to shew that stock and graft mutually influ- 

 ence each other, so as to modify the quality of tlie 

 bark of each ! Now, apart from the almost universal 

 opinion of liorticulturists, that there is no transfusion 

 of quality from stock to graft, or rice versa, there 

 was Mr. Moens' own experience of the first succii-ubra 

 tree on which he tried the process of gi-afting 

 Ledgeriana. The graft in that case preserved per- 

 fectly intact, and uncorrupted by the feeding juices 

 derived from the red bark stock, its inherent quality 

 of a bark rich in quinine. It was this fact and the 

 fear of deterioration from hybridizing that led Mr. 

 Moens so largely to extend the experiment of gi-aft- 

 ing his best Ledgerianas on to red bark stocks. 

 Pursuing the process under double glass, Mr. Moens 

 was largely successful, but no«- that his plantations 

 of gi-afted plants are four years old, he is troubled 

 by the results of analyses of barks of graft and 

 stock, which seem to prove that while the bark 



100 



of the supporting plant is rendered abnormally rich 

 in quinine by its junction with the Ledgeriana graft 

 the bark of the latter is deteriorated by the influ- 

 ence of the stock into a yielder of cinchonidine and 

 cinchonine ! As the stock bears but the smallest 

 proportion to the tree growing on it, of course the 

 improvement in the bark of the stock plant as a 

 quinine yielder is no compensation for tlie deterior- 

 ation of the Ledgeriana bark. If further experience 

 confirms the extraordinary and unexpected results now 

 obtained, the inference to be drawn seems to be 

 that it would be well to direct attention to ex- 

 periments in grafting pieces of Ledgeriana trees on 

 to succirubras, in order to improve the bark of the 

 vigorous growing trees. Mr. Moens' experiments 

 with open-air grafting, especially in the case of 

 more mature stocks, have not, however, been encourag- 

 ing. We should like to hear Mr. Wm. .Smith and 

 others on their further experience in this direction. 

 Our strong inclination is to believe that as Mr. 

 Moens' grafted trees progress in age the Ledgerianas 

 will assert and preserve tlieir superiority. The twigs 

 pruned away, even now, are mentioned as yieldnig 

 very valuable results. But Mr. Moens, like a true and 

 honest man of science, records facts as he obtains them, 

 no matter whether they accord with or go counter to 

 theories formed by himself or others. Years ago we 

 rather shocked our good friend Mr. Gammie by saying : 

 " Let us have seed from Ledgeriana trees and we '11 take 

 our chance of sporting and even of hybridizing." 

 Mr. Gammie came subsequently to admit that we 

 pretty well hit the mark, and now here is Mr. Moens 

 admitting that the difference in bark of carefully se- 

 lected and indiscriminately gathered seed of Ledger 

 ianas is only 25 per cent in favour of the selected : 

 the latter yields 12 per cent of quinine, while the 

 unselected but unhybridized yields 9 : averages in 

 both cases. Now, considering the delay and expense 

 which are saved, is it not preferable to propagate 

 from unselected seed ? Poor and sickly-looking plants 

 can always be rejected, and, with close planting, those 

 which give the worst results on analysis of bark can 

 be gradually uprooted. But what if the once much- 

 dreaded hybridization occurs ? Just what has occurred 

 in Ceylon by the intermixture of succirnbra and 

 officinalis ; the production of trees which by their 

 vigorous growth and robust habit make up for a 

 lessened percentage of valuable alkaloids in the bark. 

 Mr. Moens thinks well of the succirubra-Ledgeriana 

 hybrids if only the seeds will come true to type. 

 There is reason to believe they will — that the hybrids 

 are not transitory productions but permanent types ; 

 and, if not, then we must resort to propagation by 

 cuttings. Clearly those who have soil and climate 

 suitable for Ledgerianas will do wisely in getting as 

 much seed as they can from trees, the barks of which 

 analyze from 7 to 12 per cent quinine, and from their 

 nurseries to plant out closely all save puny or sickly 

 plants. An averaf/e of 9 per cent quinine would pay 

 amply. But, hold ! Mr. Moens' experience is tliat, if 

 you shave Ledgeriana trees, the natural bark of which 

 gives, say, 9 per cent of quinine, the renewed bark 

 at one year old will give only 7 per cent, and that 

 it is only when left on the tree to the third year 

 that the renewed bark recovers its normal position 

 as a quinine bearer. This, if a universal result, which 

 remains to be proved, is disappointing ; but, if, by 

 shaving each year, a renewed bark containing 7 per 

 cent can be obtained, the wise thing will be to gather 

 the bark year by year, rather than wait three years 

 for 9 per cent or four years for 12 per cent. Of 

 course, further reports may modify conclusions, but 

 we very decidedly feel, at present, that ciuihona 

 planters who have soil and climate suited for Ledger- 

 ianas would act wisely in propagating and planting 

 largely from seed as pure as can be obtained. And, 



