414 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1882. 



Coffee and Rubber in Mexico. — This mail brings 

 us an eufuii-y for information respecting coffee and 

 rubber planting from Agua Zarca, Mexico, where 

 the " Colima Coffee Company, organized under the 

 laws of the State of New York, "has its he adquarters. 

 The Oop Blight. — A corresponHeut, formerlj' re- 

 sident in Ceylon, who is recognized ai an authority 

 uijou high cultiva'ion, writes as follows: — "I have 

 just returned from Worcestershire, where I have been 

 visiting some of the hop 'yards.' The majority have 

 suffered most severely from l:ilight this season, some 

 of the best managed and best manured equally with 

 those of inferior quality. I have seen several acres 

 temporarily abandoned for remainder of season, the 

 ■weeds beini; allowed to grow up to any extent. Here 

 and there we oume on some good 'yards,' and others 

 th.it have recovered, and in the latter the farmers are 

 a|jplying rr:ulily available mannres to help the matur- 

 ing of crop. This is what coffee planters might do 

 when they get a good blossom and all set." — Planters' 

 Gazette. 



" Forests " or Cinchonas in Ecp.4bor? — A consular 

 report quoted by the Britinh Trade Journal stated : — 

 "Commercial prospects in Ecuador are not encouraging. 

 Three out of four of the principal articles of export, 

 viz., coona. ivory-nnts, and Peruvian bark, show a 

 large decli le in exportation, while the export of the 

 fourth — indiarubber — has increased. Up to the present, 

 hovvrver, no measures have been taken by the Govern- 

 ment to prevent the cutting down of the trees jitoducing 

 this article, and th'' resources of the country in this 

 resptct are being gradually destroyed. As regards the 

 Bup(jly of Peruvian bark, it is satisfactory to know 

 that largi' forests of the best quality of bark-trees have 

 recently been discovered in theinterior. The low price 

 prei-ailing in Europe has curtailed the exportation of this 

 article, hut bup|jlies are ample. As is the case in Costa 

 Kica, great things are expected from the development 

 of the mining industry." 



Tea Cultivatio.n in America. — The Americans are 

 nol yet convinced tliat their climate will not do for tea 

 cultivation, and are now and again enlivening U") with 

 short parag aphs regarding the growth of their experi- 

 mental plants. The latest information we have come 

 across is the following: — "Tea culture in South 

 Carolina bids fair to become an important industry. A 

 reporter of the Georgetown Enquirer says : — ' The tea 

 plants of Friendtield Plantation, the residence of Ur. 

 Forster's family, have been submitted for inspection to 

 a 1 ading importing bouse in Baltimore, and the tea 

 produced therefrom is prooounoed by them to be equal, 

 if not superior, in pungency, and in strength and 

 richness of flivour, to the finest imported article." 

 It would be strange if the flavour were not good, but 

 this is not the point. Xo man in his senses doubts 

 that tea will grow in America, for the matter of that 

 it would grow in Great Britain, but the point to be 

 considered is, will it produce sufficient leaf to make its 

 cultivation and manufacture profitable. Now, the 

 climate of the Southern States, Louisiana, Mississippi, 

 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina is 

 admirably adapted for the growth of the plant. There 

 rice grn«s, and there also, flourish other tropical pl.auts 

 as sugarcane, stn^hum, and tobacco. Where these 

 come to fruition, tea should grow. Thus it appears, 

 have the Americans argued, but while the plant will 

 grow, to make it pay, it is necessary that the growth of 

 leaf should be very greai, and heat ahme will not effect 

 this, a rainfall being also required. The rainfall of 

 those States does not exceed 29 inches per animm, and 

 with such a mild climate as is developed in those Slates, 

 by the proximity of the Oulf Stream, 29 inches of 

 rain are utterly insufficient to enable the bushes to 

 flush profitably. There are many cro|)s which can be 

 cultivated to perfection in that great country, but tea 

 js not one of them, — Indigo Planters' Qazetk, 



A New Oil Factory. — Messrs. Parry and Co., 

 Madras, are now constructing a factory at Bandepalleum, 

 for the purpose of manufactnrmg oils of different 

 kinds. The works are pushed on vigorously. — Madras 

 Mail. 



ScGAE FnoM Toddy. — The success of Dr. J. N. Fon- 

 seca, author of the History of Goa, in converting 

 toddy of the coconut tree inio chrystallized sugar, 

 has been hailed with satisfaction by the press at (ioa, 

 aud flattering calculations are made of the adv.antages- 

 that will accrue to tht country from the development 

 of this new industry. — Bombay Gazette. 



CombinationofQuinine .Makers. — An auuounoement 

 has been published that the houses of C, F. Biihringer 

 & S'ins, of .Mannheim, Biihringer and Geyer, of Stutt- 

 gart, and the Fabhrica Lombarda di Prodotti Cliunica, 

 of Milan, have amalgamated their busmesses. Arrange- 

 ments have been long peuding. and, in consequence 

 of the recent sudden decease of Mr. C. H. Biihringer, 

 of Mannheim, have been concluded. Mr. B. Kiihn, 

 who has been the Loudon re])resentative of the Milan 

 house, will henceforth represent the combined lirms.^ 

 Chemist and Driir/fiist. 



RcTBBBR. — In I he annual report of the Forest Board of 

 South Australia for 1S80-S1, there is much from which we 

 iu India might leain. Perhaps the must instructive 

 item in the report — at least to us, is the fact that the 

 department confined itself very largely to the propagation 

 of indigenous varieties of trees. In India we have a 

 hankering after exntics, and even where we have a 

 superior indigenous variety, we spend years aud large 

 sums of" money uver efforts — often fruitless — to introduce 

 exotic varieties. The India-rubber tree is an example 

 of thi.-i. We have the Iiictis elastica which flourishes 

 and grows well, but our experimenters prefer making 

 expensive efforts to introriuce the Ctara and the Hevea 

 from South America. — Frii^nd of India and Statesman. 



For Cinchona Punters : Fstimation of Alka- 

 loids IN Cinchona B.\rk.— Prollius observed that if 

 a mixture of .33 grains alcnhol, 10 grams chloroform, 

 2 grams ammonia water, and 5 grams cinchona bark, 

 is agitated iu a stoppered bottle, a wine-red liquid is 

 obtained, containing all the cinchona alkaloids. On 

 mixing the clear decanted liquid with 5 grams finely 

 levigated calcium hydrate, it is at once decolorized, 

 aud on slow evaporation the quinine ia left of a resin- 

 ous appearance, while the other alkaloids are crystalline. 

 From the weight of the decanted liquid the weight 

 of the cinchona bark represented therein is easily 

 calculated, and the percentage of alkaloids from the 

 weight of the residue obtained on evaporation. A 

 simpler process for ascertaining the percentage of qui- 

 nine aud of the other alkaloids soluble in eiher is as 

 follows : A mixture is made of 88 ether, 4 ammonia 

 water and 8 alcohol, the latter serving merely for 

 uniting the ammonia with the ether. Thirty grams 

 of this mixture are well agitated during several hours 

 with 3 grama powdered ciuchoua bark. 20 grams of 

 the clear solution, containing the alkaloids in question, 

 and being mixed with a slight excess — 5 or drops 

 — of dilute sulphuric acid, separate a thick solution 

 of the alkaloidal salts, Irom which the ether may be 

 readily decanted ; the latter should be well agitated 

 with 2 grams and then with I gram of water, in 

 order to obtain all the alkaloids. The mixed aqueous 

 solutions are heated to expel all the alcohol, and, 

 wl ile frtill warm, precipitated with ammonia. The 

 weight of the precipitate, after washing and drying, 

 multiplied with 50, indicates the percentage of the 

 alkaloids soluble in ether. The alkaloids may also, 

 though less correctly, be weighed as sulphates, if the 

 etherial tincture is freed from nn,monia by agitation 

 with water, and then very carefully neutralized with 

 dilute sulphuric acid, v. hen ihe sulphates will at once 

 crystallize out ; a slight excess of acid will readily 

 dissolve these salts, — Ardiiv d, PImr, 



