June i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



997 



decreased the rainfall, he simply stated that droughts 

 were knowu. He hatl heard from oue old settler that there 

 was one before that, and tradition said that there were 

 droughts before they came to the country greater than 

 any which had been seen since. — XaUil Jlercuri/. 



CULTIVATION OF CINCHONAS. 



The very interestmg series of Jamaica cinchona barks, 

 accompanied by leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of the 

 plants from which they had been taken, which attracted 

 the attention of visitors to the last Kveniug Meeting of the 

 Pharmaceutical Society, supplementeil as it has since been 

 by an even more extensive series from the Indian Govern- 

 ment plantations at Ootacaraund, which will be shown on 

 AVednesday evening next, will contribute to a reahzation 

 of the great importance that the experiments in cinchona 

 cultivation in different parts of the world are now assum- 

 ing towards pharmacists or consumers of bark. It is indeed 

 a matter for congratiUation that the autliorities at the 

 Indian and Colonial Offices have complied so liberally with 

 the request of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, 

 that tyijical specimens grovm in the Gevernment plant- 

 ations shoidd be made accessible to the inspection of British 

 pharmacists by being placed in the Society's Museum, 

 especially as they are accompanied by useful information 

 as to their history and characters, such as has been fm'U- 

 ished by Jlr. Morris. Whilst the subject is thus 

 somewhat prominently under notice, it will be opportune 

 to quot^j from two official reports that have just been 

 issued some statements bearing upon cinchona cultivation 

 ui India and Jamaica. 



From the new Eeport on the Trade of British India we learn 

 that the exports of cinchona bark from that country dm-ing 

 the year 18Sl-t*2 showed a considerable decline as com- 

 pared with the previous year, the quantity being only 

 428,497 pounds against U99,258 poimds in the previous year, 

 the fall in value being from E7,24,705 to E4,58,340. This 

 decline, however, does not appear to be attrbutable to any 

 decrease in the production of the plantations, but to the 

 fall of price in the Em-opean market caused by the 

 enormous importati ons of cuprea bark from South America. 

 Indeed the Colllector of Customs at Calcutta expressly 

 states that, if necessary, there could have been larger 

 shipments made than in the preceding year, the trees not 

 hanng been barked in consequence of the lowness of price. 

 It must not be assumed, however, that the figm-e reached 

 was therefore one below the point at which cinchona 

 cultivation can be carried on m India profitably ; for the 

 bark was simijly withheld in expectation of a rise in the 

 market. But should the decline in value prove permanent, 

 the Report says there can be no reason to doubt that the 

 industry is one which has a very hopeful futm-e, notwith- 

 standing it may have to compete with importations from 

 South America. The bark is exported almost exclusively 

 from Calcutta and Madi'as, a very small quantity being 

 sent from British Burmah. The quantity exported from 

 Calcutta, which is said to represent almost entirely the 

 exports of one company in the Darjeehng district, amounted 

 in 1881-82 to24!),C)91 pounds, valued at Rl,86,79.5; the ex- 

 ports from Madras amounted to 178,467 pounds, valued at 

 K2,71,195. These figures show that the average price of 

 the bark .shipped from Calcutta was very much below 

 that shipped from Madras. 



It is interesting to observe in the face of the foregoing 

 figures, suggesting an accumulation of bark in the country, 

 that the imports of quinine rose during the same time 

 enormously, basing amounted lO.GlS pounds, valued at 

 R9,9N,()ol, in X8S1-S2, against a,964 pounds, valued at 

 R4,29,515, in 1880-81. As these figures show that the large 

 increase in the quantity of quinine imported was accom- 

 panied by a considerable fall in price, it is probable tliat 

 both the decrease in exports of bark and the increase in 

 imports of quinine were to a considerable extent due to 

 the disturbing; influence of the enormous supply of cuprea 

 bark thrown upon the market as raw material. The figures, 

 however, have a further significance, since they show that 

 a low-priced quinine is capable of (h-iving all its compet- 

 itor.^ out of the field. In the previous report it had been 

 remarked that the *' cinchona alkaloid " ha<l been largely 

 used in preference to quinine, and to this preference was 



attributed .some falling-off in tho imports of quinine; but 

 the larger consumption of the mixed alkaloids wovdd now 

 appear to have .been based rather upon economical con- 

 siderations. The increased demand for quinine may, how- 

 ever, liave been due to some extent to tlie fact that al- 

 though the general health of tho countiy was fairly good 

 during the year, there were severe outbr(«ks of malarious 

 fever in ceitain districts in Bengal; whilst in parts of 

 Northern India also fever was more than usually prevalent. 

 A Supplement to the Jamaica GazclU: of the 22nd ult. 

 contains the report of the Director of Public Gardens and 

 Plantations in Jamaica tor the year ending September 30, 

 1882. In this report Jlr. Morris states definitely that the 

 pm'pose of the Government in establishingcinchona plant- 

 ations in Jamaica, — namely, to show that cinchona barks 

 of good quality could be produced in the island, and that 

 cinchona planting, as an enterjirise in private hands, pos- 

 sesses all the elements of a remunerative industry, — has 

 been attained, these points having been demonstrated by 

 the returns from the sale of Jamaica-grown barks during 

 the last three years. It is therefore propo.sed henceforth 

 to devote the chief attention in the Government plantations 

 to the introduction and cultivation, on a small scale, of 

 all new and rich kinds of cinchonas, with a view to establish- 

 ing them as far as possible in the island, and to carrying 

 on experimental and scientific work in connection with the 

 industry, such as is not likely at present to be undertaken 

 by i)rivate individuals. The extent to which Jlr. Morris 

 has .succeeded in impressing upon others his conviction as 

 to the remunerativeness of cinchona cultivation is shown 

 by the fact that dining the year the sales from the 

 Government mu-series to private planters amounted to 

 372 ounces of seeds, 77,961 plants and 362,250 seedlings of 

 various species of cinchona, C. ojjicinalis appearing to be 

 the one most ui demand. One shipment only of bark to 

 Em-ope was made during the year, and this consisted for 

 the most part of " thinnings " or " pruniugs " from two 

 plantations, rendered necessary by the too abundant growth 

 of estabhshed trees and self-sown seedlings. Notwithstand- 

 ing, however, that the consignment, amounting to 21,.512 

 pounds, consisted consequently principally of twng and 

 broken bark, and the somewhat unfavomable condition of 

 the market, tho residts were very satisfactory, the net 

 amount realized being £2,419 6«. Id., the prospective 

 estimate having only been £2,000. As compared with con- 

 signments from other countries the prices obtained for this 

 Jamaica-grown bark were very encouraging. The highest 

 price, 8s. per pound, was paid for 248 poimds of root bark 

 of C. offcinalis, taken from trees eight or nine years olil, 

 whilst a large package of stem bark reaUzed 4j. II r/. per 

 pound. The largest parcels were 7,844 pounds of " small 

 branch" bark which fetched 3,<. per poimd.aml 6,151 pounds 

 of twig bark, derived from young shoots aud saplings, prob- 

 ably not more than a year and a half old, which reaHzed 

 Is 5(1. per pound. Since the actual cost of barking, curing 

 and shipiiiug amounted to only about 751/. per pound, it 

 is evident that even these young growttis yielded a fair 

 margin of. profit. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



CULTIVATION OF CINCHONA IN JAMAICA.* 



Notes on Specimens of Cinchona sent to the Phabma- 



CEcri'iCAL Society op Gkeat Britain fhom the 



Government Plantations. 



by d. morris, ji.a., 



Director of Puldic Gardens and Plantation.s in Jamaica. 



No. 1. — Cinchona o^cinulis, of the ordinary type of the 



Government plantations, Jamaica. Specimens of leaves, 



flowers, fruit and seed. Three kinds of bark, viz., root, 



stem and twigs. All the specimens with the exception of 



(in a separate packet) have been biken from 



well as 



the 



seeds 

 the same tree, so that botanical specimens as 

 samples of bark, arc exactly identical. 



With reference to this species of cinchona in .Taraaica 

 the following extract from official reports and letters from 

 Mr. John Eliot Howard, F.K.S., on similar specimens will 

 be of interest. 



" Cinchunu officinalis of tlie Jamaica plantations. — Thf 

 average price per pound on all qualities, viz., root, stem 



» Kcad at an Evening Meeting of the Fhatmaceutieal 

 Society, March 7, 1883. 



