■64 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[August ?, it 



Total expenditure for year 1883-84 

 Capital Expenditure. 



K. A. p. 

 On Eungjung (new plantation) 10,527 1 9 

 Froportisn of. European estab- 

 lishment ... ... 2,000 



Working Expenses. 

 On upkeep of plantations of 

 Euugbee, Muugpoo, and Sit- 

 tong, and in the production 

 of 305,100 pounds of bark... 66,133 2 11 



R. A. P. 



78,660 4 8 



78,660 4 8 



If the total cost of the crop be divided by the number 

 of pouuds of bark of which it consisted, the price of the 

 latter per pound is thus seen to be annas 3 pies 5'61 . This 

 is higher than the rate per pound for the crop of the pre- 

 vious year, which was only annas 2 pies 9'88 per pound and 

 the. difference is due to the smaller crop harvested, viz. 

 305.100 pouuds as against 358,100 pounds for 1882-83. These 

 fluctuations are inevitable as long as the crop continues to 

 be limited, not by the capacity of the plantation to produce, 

 but by the demand for the product into which the crop is to 

 be manufactured. The lowest price of production per pound 

 can of course only be reached when the plantation is cropped 

 to its full capacity .to yield. The capital of the old plantations 

 of Rungbee, and Mungpoo stands at ten lakhs of rupees 

 To this has now to be added the expenditure on Sittong 

 from its commencement in 1875-76 to the 31st March 1883. 

 This, with compound interest at 4 per cent, but with a deduc- 

 tion ou account of the bark yielded by the plantation dur- 

 ing the past few years, amounts to R71,722. This sum, 

 added to ibe teu lakhs for Rungbee and Mungpoo, brings 

 the capital of the united plantation up to R10,71,722. 



4. Carihagena Bark. — At the end of the previous year, 

 three plants remained of the species yielding the hard 

 Oarthagena bark of commerce. These were planted out in 

 what was considered a very favourable spot I regreti 

 however, to say that two died during the year, and that we 

 are now thus reduced to a single plant. This Oarthagena 

 bark has been a cause of disapp>>iutment for several years 

 past, which is all the more provoking as, when first received 

 from Kew, the plants promised to do well. It is now pretty 

 clear that the climate of Sikkim is unsuitable for it; but 

 this is less to be regretted as the bark is not a very valu- 

 able one, and is not to be compared for a moment to that 

 of Ledgeriana or of our hybrids. 



5. Cuprea Bark. — This bark which, although it yields 

 quinine, is not the produce of any Cinchona, but of the 

 allied genus Remija, continues to be poured into the London 

 market in large quantities. Little is known of the conditions 

 uuder which Remija grows, but from the low rate at which 

 it can be shipped from South America, it is probable that 

 it is the product of a quickly growing or very hardy plant. 

 I have therefore for some time been anxious to get seed 

 of it for trial on the plantation. As yet I have succeeded 

 in getting only two packets of seed. From the first of 

 these only a single plant resulted, and that speedily died. 

 A second packet more recently received was sown towards 



' the end of the year, but the results are not yet known. 



6. Distribution of plant* and seeds.— As it is the desire of 

 Government to spread the cultivation of the best kinds of 

 Cinchona as widely as possible, all the spare seed of our 

 Ledgeriana trees is distributed gratuitously as soon as it. 

 ripens. During the past year about 200 packets were sent 

 out to as many planters mostly in Southern India and 

 Ceylon. The seed-bearing trees, both of Ledgeriana and the 

 hybrids, have now been well isolated, so that cross 

 fertilization by insects visiting inferior species is prevented, 

 and the high quality of the offspring is, to a certain ex- 

 tent, ensured. During the year, 84,000 seedling trees were 

 sold to planters in the district, and the proceeds were 

 credited to Government. 



7. Land rent and grazing dues. — The sum collected for 

 rent and grazing from settlers within the reserve amounted 

 to Rl,749-5. This was paid into the Darjeeling Treasury 

 and does uotappear amongst the plantation receipts. 



8. Estimated crop of 1884-85. — The crop to be taken for 

 the current year will depend as usual ou the requirements 

 of the Factory. A6 quinine is very cheap at present, and 

 as it appears likely to remain so for sometime, the demand 



for febrifuge will probably fall off to some extent, and 

 the crop for the current year will be correspondingly 

 diminished. 



9. The fuel plantation continues to receive attention and 

 to be extended as circumstances admit. 



10. During the year Mr. Gammie has been in executive 

 charge of the plantation, and has worked with his usual 

 ability and energy, Mr. Pantling, the Senior Assistant, Mr. 

 Parkes, the Assistant in charge of Rungjung, and Messrs. 

 Crofton, Kennedy and Gammie, junior, have all worked 

 heartily and well. 



QUINOLOGIST'S REPORT FOR 1883-84. 



No. 5, dated Royal Botanic Garden, Seebpore, near Calcutta, 



the 19th April 1S84. 



From— Surgeon-Major G. King, m. b., Superintendent, 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, and of Cinchona Cultiv- 

 ation in Bengal, and Offg. Government Quinologist, 



To — The Secretary to the Government of Bengal, Financial 

 Department. 



I have the honor herewith to submit the annual report 

 of theQuiuologist for the year ending 31st March 1884. 



At the Factory, which is still located ou the plant- 

 ation, work went on as usual, Mr. Gammie being in im- 

 mediate charge. The total outturn for the year was 8,714 

 pounds of febrifuge, of which 250 pounds were of the new 

 crystalline preparation. This new drug in appearance 

 closely resembles the ordinary febrifuge, but on examination 

 the grains are seen to be small crystals. In constitution 

 it differs, however, materially from the old tfebrifuge, in- 

 asmuch as it contains none of the amorphous alkaloid 

 which is the ingredient in the old febrifuge which causes 

 the nausea that sometimes follows its administration. The 

 percentage of febrifuge obtained from the bark used in 

 the manufacture was almost exactly the same as in the pre- 

 vious year, viz. 2'728 per cent. 



The cost price of the febrifuge comes out at R10-4-8 

 per pound, which is in excess of the cost of the outturn 

 of last year. The increase in price depends mainly on 

 the higher rate per pound of the bark collected during' the 

 past year, which, as is explained in the plantation report, 

 is due to the full crop for the year not having been 

 gathered. 



The distribution of febrifuge for the year was 9,144j 

 pounds, being 1175 pounds in excess of the issue for 1882-83. 



Including the issues for the year under review, the 

 total distribution of febrifuge from the Factory since the 

 beginning (eight years ago) now reaches the high figure 

 of 61,321 pounds 5 ounces, and the manufacture during 

 the same period amounts to 64,026 pounds 13 ounces. 



From these figures it appears that the financial result 

 for the year is a net profit of R59.700-7-7 which (the capital 

 being R10,71,722) is equal to a dividend of about 5j per cent. 

 But it must be remembered that the capital has already 

 been returned to Government more than twice over in the 

 shape of the savings effected during the past eight years by 

 the substitution of cinchona febrifuge for quinine. This 

 saving has been added to in the past year, during which 

 4,850J pouuds of febrifuge have been used in Government 

 institutions at a cost of 1180,045, whireas an equal quantity 

 of quinine would, even at the present low price of quinine, 

 have cost at least three times as much. 



Mr. Gammie has been in charge of the Factory during 

 the year, and his services as in former years demand my best 

 acknowledgments. The head of my office, Baboo Copal 

 Chundia Dutta, has conducted his duties to my satisfaction. 



As usual I append in a tabular form the details of 

 the cash receipts and credits lor sales of bark and febrifuge. 

 In this statement credit is taken for all the febrifuge 

 supplied to the Surgeon. General and Inspector-General of 

 Jails, Bengal, although as a matter of fact the final adjust- 

 ments of all the quantities supplied on the indents of these 

 officers has not yet been actually made in the Accountant- 

 General's office. 



FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT. 

 Ageicdltuke. 



Darjeeling, 30th May 1884. 

 Resolution. 



Read — The annual report of the Government Cinchona 

 Plantation in Bengal for the year 1883-84, and the an- 

 nual report of the Quinologist for the same year. 



