June i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



983 



TEA IN AMBAGAMDWA, CEYLON. 

 Imbnlpitiya tea lias topped the Loudon market in 

 Die sales reported by last mail, thus maintaining the 

 high reputation of Ambagamuwa for tea. Although 

 less than three years old thia tea plantation has 

 already given crop at the rate of 400 lb. per acre, 

 while we are credilily informed that Galbodde tea in 

 full bearing will have yielded for the year ending 

 30th .Tune next at the rate of 8U0 lb. per acre !— 

 about 700 lb. having been gatliered up to date. 



GRAPES GROWN IN COLOMBO. 



We have received the following : — 



Colombo, May 14th, 1883. 

 The Editors, " Ceylon Observer," 



" My DEAR SiR.s, — I send you per bearer a small 

 parcel of grapes from a vine growing in Hillebrandt 

 garden at Wolfendahl, and shallbe glad to have your 

 opinion on the same. There were about 500 bunches but 

 I am sorry to say nearly four-fifths were destroyed 

 by the raiu and black ants. Is there any remedy for 

 thelatter?— Yours truly, C. H. De SOYSA." 



The bunches of grapes sent to us are simply raag- 

 nificent : the fruit being large, fully formed and of 

 line flavour : Mr. de Soyza ought to ha?e had his 

 tree with 500 bunches photographed from different 

 points of view, and as to the ants the vine well 

 deserves to be thoroughly protected with a glass 

 house, tar and other means being used to 

 the ants getting in. We have to thank 

 Soysa for thia very acceptable gift. 



prevent 

 Mr. de 



RESUME OF 

 INING THE 



VARIOUS METHODS; FOR DETERM- 



TOTAL ALKALOIDS IN CINCHONA 



BARKS. 



H. Meyer, of the Pharmaceutical Laboratory at Groniugen 

 has carefully examined and compared the various methods 

 in vogue for determuiing the total aSaloids in cinchona 

 barks, and has further worked out a new method of his own. 

 In the Archiva del- Pharmacie, November 27, 1883, he gives 

 tlie following riswne of his investigations : — 



1. When finely-powdered cinchona bark is boiled for an 

 hour with freshly-prepared milk of lime and 90 per eeut. 

 alcohol, the whole of the alkaloids present in the bark is 

 brought into solution. 



2. Previous maceration with dilute sulphuric acid or 

 alcohol acidulated with this acid is only useful in cases of im- 

 perfect extraction, as in the method of Prollius (see the 

 Chemist and Druggist, 1881, page 397), and does not yield 

 better results than the extraction with milk of lime. 



3. In the separation of the alkaloids themselves, repeated 

 extraction by agitation witli the solvent is far preferable to 

 precipitation. 



4. The separation of chinovic acid, chinovine, and a cer- 

 tain wax-like fat may be effected without loss by mixing the 

 alcoholic infusion, previous to evaporation, with an excess of 

 sulphuric acid, and then evaporating griidually under const- 

 ant stirring. The above substances are then found in a state 

 of fine suspension in the liquid, and admit of being completely 

 washed out. 



5. Only by means of protracted decoction and displace- 

 ment of the cinchona lime is it possible to extract the entire 

 amount of alkaloids present in the bark operated on. 



6. According to H. Jleyer's modified lime-alcohol method 

 the total percentage of alkaloids in a given bark may be 

 ascertained in twelve hours, or with case in two days. 



7. All other methods of extracting the cinchona powder, 

 either by means of dilute adids (de Vrij, Hager), mixtures of 

 chloroform and glacial acetic aciil (Eykman), or chloroform, 

 alcohol, and ammonia (ProUins) are imperfect, a considerable 

 quantity of alkaloids alw.ays remaining iu the bark. 



8. The methods of Professor Gunuing and Prollius give 

 too high results, for impurities, such as calcium ehiuovate. 



chinovine lime, and a wax-like fat, are thereby reckoned 

 among the alkaloids, and calculated as such. 



The following table will afford a view of the results obtained 

 by the various methods. The figures represent iu part the 

 average of a number of analyses. 



Percentage of Pure Alkaloids 

 Method 



Cort.Oin. Oort.Cin. Oort. Oin. 

 Sncci., OaUsayae. Offi.(P,G.) 

 Javaneus 



Hager ... 375 2 76 — 



Prollius, non-modified ... 6'33 — 



Prollius, modified, without 



PLANTING IN BUNUABERG, QUEENSLAND. 



The recent resistance offered by the working 

 class of whites to the introduction of .Sinhalese to one 

 of the sugar districts of Queensland, and the con- 

 sequent failure of this effort to increase the labour 

 supply there, has brought into some notice the dis. 

 trict of Bundaberg, where the disturbance occurred. 

 By the kindness of a former resident there, now in 

 this Colony, we have read a pamphlet by Mr. An- 

 drew M. Goodwin, a reprint of a series of articles 

 in the ". Bundaberg Mail, " giving an account of the 

 sugar industry in the district, up to December last, 

 and as it may interest our readers to know the posi- 

 tion in which settlers there are now placed, we give 

 an abstract of the information it contains. 



Bundaberg is a thriving town on the river Burnett, 

 ten miles from its mouth, 70 miles north of Mary, 

 borough, and 272 miles north of Brisbane. Between 

 the river and the Pacific Ocean is a volcanic forma- 

 tion called the Woongara .Scrub, twelve miles long 

 by eight wide, the soil of which is said to he ot the 

 first excellence in the growth of sugar. In 1879 there 

 were two factories on the banks of the river, near 

 the town. Now besides older mills on the north bank, 

 there are eight crushing mills of varying capacities, 

 from 550 to 2,000 galls per diem, sending their juice 

 to a large refining factory, and six complete sugar 

 plants, capable of turning out from 2J to 8 or 10 

 tons sugar per diem, besides others in course of manu- 

 facture and some estates depending on their neigh- 

 bours for getting their cane crushed. Moat of these 

 are in the Woongara Scrub, * one or two only be- 

 ing on the northern bank of the river. 



The Woongara Scrub is a rolling piece of country 

 forming a sort of flattened ridge, between the sea and 

 the river of no great height, but rising sufiBcieutly 

 towards the centre to form amuonilso distinctive as 

 to be of use as a beacon to guide vessels in making 

 the mouth of the river. This elevation, known as 

 "The Hummock," is reserved from clearing -opera- 

 tions in consequence of its service in this way. The 

 Woongara Scrub is a dense jungle of vine* and trees, 



* "Scrub" in AustraUan parlance signifying forest 



Ed. 



