August i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



133 



cinchonine, and, while the efficacy of the mixture 

 seems beyond a doubt, Mr. Howard still dwells on 

 Its nauseating effects. Dr. King, our readers are 

 aware, insists upon it that nausea only occurs when, 

 under a mistaken impression as to its inferior potency, 

 over-large doses of the mixture are administered. We 

 may take it for gi'anted that Dr. King and Mr. 

 fiammie will liave something to say to results, on 

 which a recommendation is based that the extraction 

 of alkaloids in a mixed form should be abandoned 

 and expenditure on a factory in India avoided. Ex- 

 tensive experiments with Darjiling bark are recom- 

 mended, and meantime for the result of those on 

 Nilgiri bark it is claimed that, after payment of 

 freight, charges and the cost of extraction by a com- 

 petent chemist like Mr. Whiffen, the gain to Govern- 

 ment as compared with selling the bark in the open 

 market is 2.3 per cent in the case of the crown barks 

 and lOf per cent in that of the red barks. We be- 

 lieve it is admitted even by Dr. King aud Mr. 

 Ganunie that about 2 per cent of the alkaloids in 

 the red bark are lost in the process of precipitation 

 and purification in use in British Sikkim. Taking the 

 average of alkaloids in red bark at 6 per cent, this 

 would represent a loss of 334 P^r cent, or oue-tliird, 

 instead of Mr. Moens' 50 per cent, or one-half. Still 

 the loss of one-third of substances so valuable is a 

 loss not only to GoveiTiment but to the world, and 

 we cannot wonder that, after adverting to the alleged 

 ancient and imperfect method of extractmg quinine 

 adopted by Mr. Gammie, the final conclusion should be 

 that it may be cheaper to send the bark to England, 

 where not only can the quiiiine be better made but 

 " the full amount of the alkaloids obtained."- 



We have thus indicated the mam results of the 

 experiments to which this official paper (which will 

 be given in full iu the Tropical Aijnmdturht) refers. 

 But incidentally we obtain some curioiis and inter- 

 esting information as to the relative values of cin- 

 chona barks in their natural state, mossed and 

 renewed. "We see that of sulpliate of quinine, 

 crown bark renewed yielded from 5 "57 to 5 '73 

 per cent, against 4 '38 to 5 '06 in the case of mossed 

 bark and only 3-30 to 3-87 for natural bark. The 

 best result of natural bark, therefore, m this the most 

 valuable constituent, was 1'86 per cent under the 

 best for renewed and 1 '19 worse than the best result 

 of mossed bark. In the renewed bark sulphate of 

 quinine largely displaces the inferior alkaloids, for the 

 renewed bark which gave 5 '73 of <£uinine sulphate gave 

 only 0-66 of cinchouidine sulphate and 0'21 of cin- 

 chonine alkaloid. The eft'ect of mossing, as seen here, 

 is different ; it increases the amount not only of quin- 

 ine but also of the other alkaloids : for the best re 

 suit in the case of mossed bark shews not only 5 "06 

 of quinine but I '52 of cinchonidine, the next best 

 alkaloid. All this as regards crown bark (C offidwdit). 

 In the case of red bark, we have no renewed, but it 

 wia be seen tlmt the etfcct of mossing was verj' 

 largely to increase all the alkaloids : 1 '74 in;,tead of 

 r23 quinine, o'24 instead of 2'&7 cinchouiiline, and 

 2 20 uistead of I 24 cinchonine. If, therefore, the bark 

 in its natural state (its cultivated state, rather) is 

 good, we have a right to characterize mossed bai'k as 



better and renewed bark as best. Altogether we may 

 regard the paper under notice as not the least important 

 of the contributions to the literature and science of the 

 cinchonas, which we owe to the Government of Madras. 



QUININE. 



The following is from the New York O'd awl Drug 

 Neios, and allowance must therefore be made for the 

 point of view of manufacturers in saying that the 

 demand for quinine and bark is not at present likely 

 to increase : — 



THE POSITION OP QUININE. 



The bark .syndicate in .I^ondon have now had virtual 

 control of the bark market there for the past six 

 months, and, although speculative operators in quinine 

 at first made the luo-st of the position, and speculated 

 on the probability of a permanent control by the 

 London syndicate of the world's supply, tbei-e has been 

 a gradual falling-ofF iu the price of quinine, even the 

 recent attempt to bolster up the price by shipping a 

 part of our .-Jurplus back to England failing to brTng 

 about the reaction expected. It is true the market 

 for German advanced about ten ci'nts per ounce fol- 

 lowing this exportation, but this is entirely due to 

 speculative operations, the supply hei-e being considerably 

 rediicfd and giving hohlers an opportunity to control 

 it. But the actual position is not materially changed, 

 the actual demand for consumption not warranting the 

 large qnantitifs held here prior to the return of the 

 45,000 ounces to England, (he efforts of the London 

 syndicate to advance the price of quinine and to keep 

 it up have bceu persistent, but they have met with 

 determined opposition by the mpnufactuiers in this 

 country at least, and the .sales of bark at London 

 show tliat the earlier reports that the mniuifaeturHrs of 

 quinine in England and on the Continent were in league 

 with the bark syndicate had no foundation in fact it 

 being evident that the manufacturers are and have been 

 purchasing only as their more urgent needs made imperat- 

 tively necessary. Furthermore, it is evident from the 

 small quantities reuently sold, being only about twelve 

 per cent of the wbola lot offered, that the European 

 manufacturers have b-en able tn diaw a large part of 

 their supplies from other sourcis, probably direct from 

 the placc-s of production. This is exactly the contingency 

 that we pointed out the hark synriicate would h.ave to 

 meet, when writing on this subjVft last December. At 

 that time the total visible supply of bark waa estimatfd 

 at 100,000 bales, equivalent to abou' two and a quarter 

 million ounces of quinine, aud if, as i>! now asserted, 

 the sup|ply has diniinish'-d, there is still suffioiont on 

 hand f.r a year's consumption. Add to this the large 

 surplus of the manufactured product, aud w.' cannot see 

 how the position is any more favorable to the syndicate 

 than it was six mnn' lis ago. 



An increiLsed consumption of quinine had been booked 

 for this spring as oompa'ed with any preceding corre- 

 spou'liug season, but the fact is the demand for 

 consumption is not so largo as it was a ytar at'o, 

 and there are now no indications that any important 

 increase in tho consumption will set in, altliough the 

 spring has been rather unreasonable and not conducive 

 to robust health. The iuumlations caused by the rise 

 of the Mississippi river were counted on later as creat- 

 ing an increased need for this article, but as the 

 waters subsided there was no such increase developed, 

 and even this source of dem.iiid was not realized. In 

 fact, every point predica'ed as calculat,'>d to improve 

 the position of the syndicate and the i.pccnlativa 

 holders has failed them, and now that, by ship- 

 piufi a part cf our surplus bank to England, and 

 the conqjarative lirmuess of the markets ibeie, :)n 

 advance has been gained, there is still nothing in 

 the conditiou of the article aX present to warraat 



