June i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



941 



lishing them in the island ; and, also, to such necess- 

 ary experimental and scientific work relating to the industry 

 which, for lack of means or of scientific knowledge, 

 cannot be conveniently undertaken by private enterprise. 



As already mentioned much remains to be done in this 

 repect ; and as the plantations as a whole do not contain 

 more than about 180 acres, this will not allow on the 

 average more than about five acres for each of the twenty- 

 five or thirty species, varieties and forms of cinchona 

 barks now the subject of careful experiment and investig- 

 ation on these plantations. 



In order to test the commercial value of Jamaica- 

 grown bark, no better plan could be followed than to 

 send it in lots to the open market and place it in com- 

 petition with barks from other countries. That it has 

 so satisfactorily stood this test and brought in a large 

 return on the outlay, and, moreover, that the results of 

 the sales have induced cinchona planting to be under- 

 taken in the island by private enterprise with energy and 

 success, are matters for which the Government no less 

 than the general public are to be congratulated. 



Three years ago the kinds of cinchona barks under 

 cidtivation here were only three : — viz., cinchona succiru- 

 bra, cinchona officinalis, and the so-called cinchona c.alisaya, 

 now proved to be indentical with cinchona liybrid or 

 vohusta of Ceylon and India. 



Since that time, numerous kinds have been introduced 

 which are now the subject of careful experiment to de- 

 termine the most favourable circumstances of soil, elev- 

 ation, rainfall and aspect suitable for their successful 

 cultivation : the best methods for harvesting the bark and 

 inducing the large.st formation of alkaloids, as well as 

 determining the simplest and most economical methods for 

 their general treatment and management. 



Among the kinds of bark now under experimental 

 cultivation at the Government Plantations are: — 



Red Barks. — Cinchona succirubra ; cinchona succirubra, 

 var. sub. pubescens. 



Crown Barks. — Cinchona officinalis ; cinchona officinalis, 

 v.ar. uritnsinga ; cinchona officinalis, var. lionpiandiana ; 

 cinchona officmalis, var. crispa ; cinchona officinalis, magui- 

 folia ; cinchona ofBciualis, pubescens. 



Hi/hrid Jiark. — Cinchona hybrid or robusta. 



Leclgeriana Bark. — Cinchona ledgeriana. 



Yell 010 barks. — Cinchona caiisaya ; cinchona calisaya vera; 

 cinchona calisaya, var. Josephiana ; cinchona calisaya, var. 

 Javanica ; cinchona calisaya, verde ; cinchona calisaya, 

 morada form. 



Grt'i/ Barks. — Cinchona peruviana ; cinchona nitida ; cin- 

 chona micrantha. 



Carthagena Bark. — Cinchona lancifolia. 



Ctq»'ea Bark. — Remija peduncidata ? 



There is, I fear, some confusion re.specting the classific- 

 ation of more than one of 'the cinchonas now under cultiv- 

 ation in the East and AVest Indies. Many names, es- 

 pecially of the varieties or forms of the large class of 

 Crown barks, require to be carefully revised, and, on 

 that account, the above enumeration is only intended to 

 indicate the names under which certain kinds have been re- 

 ceived here. 



During the past year chief attention has been given to 

 the successful introduction of cinchona ledgeriana and its 

 establishment as a cultivated plant in Jamaica. In 

 addition to the plants established on the Govern- 

 ment Plantations several thousands have been distrib- 

 uted amongst private planters, and each lot of 

 these will doubtless form a nucleus from whence seeds and 

 cuttings may hereafter be obtained and tlms prove most 

 valuable act-juisitions to private plantations. 



In connection with the general working of the Cinchona 

 Plantation, I would mention that Mr. Hart, who was lately 

 appointed superintendent in succession to Mr. Nock, has 

 devoted himself with commendable energy to the duties 

 entrusted to his care, and I have confidence that he will 

 prove a capable and valuable officer. 

 It will be seen that no fewer than thirty-five species, 

 varieties and forms of cinchona were the subjects of 

 investigation in the area of 180 acres, against only 

 the three leading species when Mr. Morris took charge, 

 what was called calisaya, however, turning out to 

 lie identical with the hybrid or robusta of Ceylon 

 and India. It will be noticed that Mr. Morris 



classes puhencens not as a hybrid, but as a variety 

 of succirubra. His list includes also a jnibescent 

 ofBcinalis. Amongst the yellow barks we find 

 calisaya verde and the morada form. The classific- 

 ation requires revision, however, and we have little 

 doubt that Mr. Morris's list of thirty five will be 

 considerably reduced. 



Then follow details regarding nurseries, &c., and 

 we find that from the plantation were distributed 

 3>2 ounces of seed, 77,901 plants, and SO" •>.'-iO 

 seedhngs. The plants included 4,108 Ledgeriana.s 

 and of the valuable and hardy hybrids the di.s- 

 tribution was 52$ ounces seed, 7oO plants and 91,800 

 seedlings. We quote again :— 



Seed of cinchona ledgeriana continues to be received in 

 small quantities both from Java and India and a propor- 

 tionate number of seedlings are raised to supply the demands 

 ot privats planters. Seed of an apparently new kind of 

 Cinchona belong to the Calisaya or Yellow bark— Calisaya 

 m-de [Cinchona Calisaya oblonyifolia) introduced by Mr 

 Christy, has also been received and the plants, though few iii 

 number, are doing well. A small quantity of seed ofCalisava 

 morada yeluta (Cinchona Bnliviana) was receivcl from 

 Kew, which I trust will also be suecessfidly raised.* 



A fe* plants of the Cuprea Bark, Semija pedunculata? 

 raisecl from seed received from Bogota, are also being tried 

 in order to test the value of this bark under cultivation 



After details on conifers and other ornamental and 

 useful trees grown on the plantation, we are told 

 that : — 



Numerous cuttings from the three Ledgeriana trees re- 

 ceived from Kew in 1S80, have been rooted in the propa- 

 gatmg houses and after being hardened, they were planted 

 in a well-prepared and sheltered spot near the nurseries 

 They are 50 in number and are growing well. 



* Referring to these barks the following note has been 

 made upon them by Mr. E. M. Holmes, F. L. S., Curator 

 ot the Museum ot the Pharmaceutical Society of CJreat 

 Britain : — 



" With respect to the leaves and fruit, so far as I can 

 judge, the ' Calisa,/a morada vdiita,' is the Cinchona Calisam 

 Bo'iriana sah\!<.T. jjuhescens of Weddel's Notes (Transl. p. 

 44), and the Galisa.ya verde is, so far as I can ascertain, 

 Weddel's Cinchona Calisaya oblonr/ifolia, and the tree con 

 eerning whiffh Markham' (' Travels in India and Peru,' p 

 270) gives the following account:— 'I have been a>.sured' 

 by Gironda and Martinez that there are three sorts ot 

 Calisaya; Cidi.iaya fina (0. Calisaya a vera, Wedd.), the 

 Calisaya morada (C. lioliviana, AVedd.), and the Calisaya 

 verde. They also told me that the last-named tree wa.s a 

 verylargeone, with leaves whole devoid of any red colour on 

 the nerves, and habitually growing very far down the valleys 

 and even in the plains. A tree of this variety supplies 

 600 to 700 lb. weight of hark, whereas the Calisaya fina 

 yields only aOO to 400. Gironda declares that in the pro- 

 vince of Munecas, Bolivisi, he saw one that furnished l.OOOlh 

 of tabia, that is to say, of the bark, of the trunk, and 

 lower branches.' 



'• These remarks confirm the statement made in the copy 

 of the letter forwarded with the barks, viz., that it pays 

 better to cultivate the Calisaya verde than the Calisaya 

 fina, or, in other words, that although the Calisaya verde 

 yields only Gi to 9 per cent, of pure sulphate of quinine 

 (while the very best Ledgeriana yields 13 per cent., and 

 other specimens not more than 6 per cent.) yet as the 

 Calisaya verde yields twice the amount of bark that the 

 fina or Ledgeriana does, this equivalent to from 13 to 18 

 per cent, of quinine in the Cali.-:aya rez-rfe ; niori'over, from 

 the fact that the Cali.fayn verde is a more vigorous tree 

 than the delicate Ledgeriana, and will grow at a lower 

 elevation, it is obvious that it can be cultivated to a much 

 greater extent and may be extremely valuable for graftin" 

 the Ledgeriana upon, more especially since the attempt 

 to graft the Lfdgeriana upon C. surciriih-u has proved 

 unsuccessful. 



" lam not aware that the Caiisaya i-crde {Cinchona Calisaya 

 ohlouiiifoliii) lias yet bcrn introflueed into India, anil I think 

 you are to be congratulateii on having succeeded in obtain- 

 ing seeds of so valuable a Calisaya.' 



