ggS 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Jthte I, 1883. 



Quinine alkaloid 

 Oinchouidiiic . . . 

 Oiuchouine . . . 

 Quinidine .... 

 Mr. Howard adds:- 



and branch bark, 6s. Id.; highest price realized, 10s. Id. 

 per pound for root bark ; lowest price realized, 2^ dd. per 

 pound for twig bark." 



The tree from which the specimens were taken was 

 about nine yeai-s old, and growing at an elevation of 

 5,500 feet. Mr. Howard's analysis of the trunk bark is as 

 follows :— 



5'18=Quiuine Sulphate . . 6"95 

 0-22 

 0-01 

 0-15 



* This bark does not require many 

 observations, as the price per pound agrees with the 

 appearance of the bark and with the analysis in showing 

 that it is good Ginchona officinalis, perhaps of sUghtly 

 varying forms." 



No. 2. — Cinchona Succiruhra.. of the ordinary tyjie of the 

 Government plantations, Jamaica. Specimens of leaves, 

 flowers, fruit, seed and three kinds of bark, viz., root, stem 

 and twigs; all the specimens have been taken from the 

 same tree. 



" Cinchona sncciriihra of Jamaica plantations. Average 

 price per x>ound on all qualities, viz., root, stem, and 

 branch bark, 4.^. ; highest price realized 5,s'. Id. per pound 

 for root bark ; lowest price realized I5. 3d. per pound for 

 twig bark." Specimens sent from trees nine years old, 

 growing at an elevation of 5,000 feet. Mr. Howard reports 

 on this bark as follows : — *' Very good and true Cinchona 

 siicciiubia, agreeing well with my specimens from South 

 America. It is a .sub-pubesceni form." 



No. 3. — Cinchona hybrid of the Government plantations, 

 Jamaica. Specimens of leaves, flowers, fruit, seed and three 

 kinds of bark, viz., root, stem and twigs. All the specimens 

 have been taken from the same tree. Supposed to be a 

 hybrid from between Cinchona t>uccirvbra and Cinchona 

 officinalis. Up to 1879 it was considered by Mr. Thompson 

 to be Cinchona Calisaya. Average price per pound ou all 

 qualities, viz., root, stem and branch bark, Qs. \^d. ; highest 

 price realized 7s. 9c/. per pound for trunk bark ; lowest 

 price realized As. 6d. per pomid also for trmdi bark. The 

 specimens taken from a tree nine years old, growing at 

 an elevation of 5,300 feet. Mr. Howard's analysis of trunk 

 bark is as follows: — 



Quinine alkaloid . . 600^Quinine sulphate . . S'OO 

 Oinchonidine . . . . 073 



Oinchoniue 010 



Quinidme 003 



Mr. Howard adds " "What proof is there that this is a 

 hybrid ? "What connection with Calisaya ? It is an excellent 

 bark, resembles true Cinchona oipcinatis^ var. Uritvsinga." 

 In another communication Mr. Howard remarks, " It is 

 evident that the so-caUed ' hybrid ' No. 4, if only it is a 

 free grower, must be about the most valuable of all the 

 sorts. The price obtained in commerce does not seem pro- 

 portional to its value ; but possibly, as remarked before, 

 it may be an exceptionally fine specimen. So fai- as I cau 

 judge by the botauical sijecimens it is a true form of 

 Cinchona ojjicinalis.'^ 



With regard to the above remarks on this " hybrid " 

 form, I would mention that although in single specimens 

 of leaves, flowers, etc., it is almost impossible to decide its 

 hybridity, yet on the plantations, where all gradations 

 may be distinguished from among these trees, from almost 

 the pure succirnbra type to almost the pm-e officinfdis, 

 there can' be no doubt of their origin. Again, when seed 

 of this kind was sent to Kew the seetUings and plants were 

 pronoimced of a decidedly '' hybrid " character ; and, lastly, 

 although following Mr. Thompson's classification, I shijjped 

 the bark at fu'st to the London market as " Calisaya ?", the 

 brokers in their report drew my attention to it and re- 

 marked, *' It is not pure yeUow bark, but supposed to be 

 a hybrid with :iucciryb)-a.^^ It is nevertheless gratifying to 

 find that this bark is of so valuable a character, and as 

 it is a free grower at lower elevations, steps are being 

 taken to propagate it for general distribution. According 

 to the analysis of the specimen bark sent to Mr. Howaid 

 its market value would not fall far short of 14s. per 

 pound. 



No. 4. — Cinchoyia Calisaya of the Government Plantations, 

 Jamaica. Specimens of leaves, flowers, fruit, seed and three 

 Jsinds of bark, viz., root, stem and tvvigs. All the speci- 



mens have been taken from the same tree. These trees 

 are about 9 or 10 feet high at five or six years old ; they 

 were formerly included under Cinchonu oficinalis. Their 

 compact hardy habit and early maturing render them very 

 suitable for steep slopes. Mr. Howard's analysis of trimk 

 bark is as follows: — 



Quinine alkaloid . . . 3-70=Quinine sulphate . . 4-93 

 Ohinchonidine .... O'OO 



Cinchonine "35 



Quinidine '05 



Mr. Howard adds " these trees appear to me to be true 

 to the Cahsaya type and form a valuable portion of the 

 plantations. I should not think they belong to either the 

 Josephiana or the Ledgeriana form, but that the exact 

 variety is perhaps not yet publisheil. In the meantime it 

 might be well to call them Cinchona Calisaya simply. 

 There is no appearance of ' hybridity ' nor any resemblance 

 to the Loxa (officinalis) barks." 



No. 5. — Cinchoyia Ledyeriana. Specimens of the leaves 

 and flowers from one of three plants (the broad-leaved 

 form) of this species sent out by Mr. Johu Eliot Howard, 

 F.R.S., through the Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1880. For 

 description and plate of the original of these plants, see 

 Gardeners' Chornicle^ IS80, vol. 12, p. 457. The plant from 

 which the specimens were taken was 6 feet high: some 

 trunk bark is sent here\vith. 



No. 6. — Specimens of leaves and flowers of a tree sup- 

 posed to he Cinchona Micrantha, not determined. — Fharnia' 

 ceutical Journal. 



ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF FORESTS IN INDIA.* 



BY DIETRICH BRASDIS, PH. D. 



From an able jDaj^er by the late head of the Indian 

 Forest Department repubhshed in the Indian Forester, we 

 quote a few important passages: — 



In all countries the character of forest vegetation mainly 

 depends on soil, climate, and the action of man. In 

 luiha the greater or less degree of moistm-e is perhaps 

 the most important element in this respect. Moisture 

 and rainfall are not identical terms. Dew and the aqueous 

 vapovu*, dissolved in the atmosphere, or the water derived 

 from the overflow of rivers and from percolation, are 

 soiu'ces of moisture as important for the maintenance of 

 arborescent vegetation as the fall of rain and snow. It 

 would greatly facilitate the labours of the forester, and 

 of the botanist who inquires after the geographical dis- 

 tribution of forest trees, if the amount of atmospheric 

 moisture and the formation of dew dm-ing the seasons of 

 the year in different parts of India had been sufficiently 

 studied ; but, in the present state of our knowledge, we 

 must be satisfied with di%'iduig India into regions and 

 zones according to the more or less hea^'y rainfall during 

 the year. 



ReaUy thi-iving forests are only found where the fall 

 exceeds 40 inches, and rich luxuriant vegetation is limited 

 to those belts which have a much higher rainfall. It must 

 be home in mind that the aniuial mean temperature of 

 Central Em-ope ranges between 45 ° and GO "^ , while that 

 of India is as high as 75 '^ to 85 ° . Under a highur 

 temperature a larger amoimt of moisture is required to 

 procluce rich vegetation. At the same time, in India, tiie 

 supply of moisture in imequally distributed over the sea- 

 sons of the year. In most districts the year divides itself 

 into two unequal parts, — a long th-y season, and a short 

 rainy season. In most provinces of India the priucijjal rains 

 are summer rains, due to the prevalence during that season of 

 the south-west monsoon, and the most humid regions are those 

 tracts which are fully exposed to the influence of these 

 moist south-westerly winds. In addition to tliesc, there 

 are Christmas or ■winter raius in Northern India, but they 

 only last a few days, or at the outside a week or two, 



* The above hns been reprinted from the Transartions of the 

 Scottish Arboriciiltiu'ul Society, 187;^, antl was sent to us l)y Mr. 

 Brantlis, who st.atoil that he saw no reason to make any alterations 

 at the present time, and we have therefore reproduced it for the 

 benefit of the readers of the Indian Foi-e.^ttcr^ few of whom 

 may have had access to the original. 



The map has been prepared thi-ou^li the kindness of >Ir. G. B. 

 Hennessy, l)eput>' Sm-veyor-tlencral, from the one accompanjTng 

 the oiigiual pamphlet, and is an improvement ou the latter in 

 many respects. 



