436 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [December i, 1884. 



therefore not carried out so speedily as could be wished. 

 Although the trees have to a large exteut recovered 

 from the injury done, yet the loss is very considerable. 

 The gardens which were intended to be uprooted and re- 

 planted with succirubra gave, on account of the difficulty 

 in loosening the bark, caused by the disturbance in their 

 growth, a disproportionately large quantity of broken quill 

 and dust. The value of the product, which in the case 

 of pharmaceutical barks is largely fixed by the appearance, 

 is therefore considerably less. 



4. Harvesting of Bark.— The crop of 1883 amounted to 

 208,370 kilograms, of which 207,170 kilos were taken for 

 sale in the Netherlands and 1,200 kilos for the military 

 medical service in [Netherlands] India. On most of the 

 estates bark was gathered during the whole year ; only 

 during continuous wet weather gathering was stopped for 

 some days, on account of abundance of bark. At Nagrak 

 the existing drying oven appeared to render good service, 

 and in spite of the long-continued drought this building 

 was of very great use. During the year a second drying 

 oven of larger dimensions was completed, and the building 

 of a third has beeu commenced. The three ovens will be 

 used continuously during a wet east monsoon, and even 

 in favourable weather may render continual service, as 

 the intention is to gather large quantities of bark of in- 

 ferior varieties during 1884. At Tjinjiroean also a drying 

 oven was finished, which was set to work at the com- 

 mencement of the wet monsoon. At Eioeng-goenoeng and 

 Tjibeureum buildings for the artificial drying of the bark will 

 be erected during 1884. At Nagrak a plantation of 13 bouws 

 of O. Odlisaya was entirely rooted out. The trees began to 

 get sickly in parts and to die off successively, which 

 rendered a speedy harvesting needful. At Lembang also 

 a plantation of 11 bouws of C. Josephiana was rooted out and 

 prepared for replanting with succirubra. On the other 

 estates also some smaller plantations of G. Josephiana and 

 C. Galisaya were uprooted. The harvest was otherwise 

 ehietly confined to the thinning out of old gardens, to 

 the opening out of Ledgeriana and succirubra plantations, 

 the purifying of the young Ledger plantations by the 

 removal of hybrids, and the shaving of the old 

 original Ledgerianas. The harvested bark of these trees 

 was now three years old, an age when the quin- 

 ine yield exceeds that of the original bark. Some 

 trees which in former years were too small for the oper- 

 ation were for the first timo subjected to it. The 

 trees were not covered, but were also only shaved over 

 the half of their circumference. The results showed 

 that the trees bear the operation without suffering. Young 

 Ledgeriana gardens, plantations of seedlings, have not 

 hitherto been shaved, as it was not considered advisable 

 to check these in their early growth. During 1884 a 

 commencement can be made with the shaving of the 6 to 

 7 year old trees. As the shaving of trees to any consider- 

 able height from the ground, especially on very steep 

 places, is attended with great difficulties, an experiment 

 was tried with the cutting off of the top at a height of 

 12 feet above the ground. The experiment, was tried with 

 an officinalis plantation at Nagrak, and will be carried out 

 on a large scale during 1884 on Ledgeriana plantations as 

 well. Experiments must decide as to the manner of top- 

 ping, the age at which it should take place, as well as 

 the height above ground at which the trees should be 

 topped. The product of the harvest of 1882 was sold by 

 public auction at Amsterdam on 13th July 1883. The 

 following prices per half kilogram were obtained : — 



The mean price of the whole parcel was _/T44 per half kilo- 

 gram. The whole crop of 1882 realized /336,433'G3 gross, 

 /303,03111 net. The dispatch of the product to Tjikao 

 did not meet with the slightest hindrance. In former 

 years difficulties were continually experienced, on account 

 of the cattle disease then prevalent, but since the use of 

 horses in place of buffaloes as beasts of draft has become 



more common, not only has the dispatch been speedier 

 but, besides, the cost of transport has twice been reduced 

 10 per cent, thereby causing a great saving in expense. 



5. Ataff: Expenses.— At the beginning of March the 

 Director of the Government Cinchona Enterprize was 

 granted two years' leave to Europe on account of ill-health 

 the Assistant Director, R. van Romunde, was appointed 

 in lus place. The vacancy consequent was filled up bv 

 the appointment of Hr. A. A. Maas-Geesteranus as acting 

 Assistant Director. The second class overseer, J Zijmers 

 was dismissed from his office. The acting third ciass over- 

 seer was, after being first definitely appointed third class 

 overseer, raised during 18S3 to second class overseer while 

 O. Orietee was made third elass overseer. The fixed 'native 

 start consisted on 31st December of 1 carpenter, 1 pack- 

 ing-house mandoer (also postman), 19 mandoers and 313 

 boedjangs. The supply of labor was nearly the whole year 

 very large. In spite of the great demand for labor on 

 the private estates, a sufficient supply of coolies was always 

 to be had, which is principally due to the small coffee 

 crop and the long-continued east monsoon, which is not 

 favorable for the production of second crops. But other 

 causes also must have excercised an influence on the lar-'e 

 number of laborers. Fixed boedjangs were always to be 

 had it only work could be given to the women and 

 children, which was done so far as practicable, by utiliz- 

 ing them for the upkeep of the plantations, harvesting 

 and the catching of Mclopehis. In the drying and sorting of 

 bark and m the nurseries also the women did good serv- 

 ice. Although it is an accepted rule, that the fixed staff 

 shall be paid their wages only at the end of the mouth 

 no difficulties were placed in the way of discharge when 

 request was made therefor. Day laborers were, as soon 

 as they desired it, paid and discharged. And the convic- 

 tion becoming stronger and stronger, that no difficulties 

 could arise from free departure, it is felt that the re- 

 peal of Art. 2 No. 27 of the police penal regulations for 

 natives will exercise a good influence on the supply of 



labor. The cost of the enterprise amounted to : 



Salaries of the European staff ... /27,675-00 



Stationery 35o ., 10 



Travelling and halting expenses ... 2,526-00 



Wages of the native staff, construction 

 and repair of propagating-houses, 

 purchase and repair of tools, &c... 77,047-74 



, . „ Total... ^07,599-34 



being /33,138-34 more than was estimated' in the budget 

 for 1883. The much higher expenditure was caused by 

 the harvest being far above expectations, the erection of 

 buildings, and the more general adoption of a thorough 

 system of cultivation, the results of which will be felt 

 in future years in higher production. How far the ad- 

 ditional expense incurred in cultivation is justified, may be 

 seen from the following statement: — 



Year. 



1881... 



1882... 

 1883... 



Production in 



kilos. 



82,697-5 

 126,595-0 

 208,370-0 



Expense includ- 

 ing trausport to 

 Tjikao. 



f 74,500-75 

 „ 79.910-44 5 

 „ 104,238-34 



Average per 

 kilo. 



/0-90 

 „ 0-63 5 

 „ 050 



The increased expenditure on cultivation over that estim- 

 ated for in the budget of 1883 was largely recouped by 

 the returns from the sales of seed and grafts. 



0. Distrilutian of Cinchona. — There was no end to the 

 applications for land for cinchona culture, especially in the 

 Residency of the Preanger Regencies. Thousands upon 

 thousands of bouws were taken up for the cultivation of 

 cinchona. The difficulties of obtaining the necessary 

 capital for carrying on, however, became greater and 

 greater, so that the culture of cinchona did not in- 

 crease to such an extent as would have been the case with 

 a free supply of capital. Banks and commercial establish- 

 ments appear unwilling to supply money for the growth of 

 cinchona. Nothing more has been learnt of any desire 

 among the natives to plant cinchona. Since cinchona has 

 been planted everywhere by private persons, the experi- 

 mental plautatious in the various Residencies have lost 

 their value. The profits to be got from the culture are 

 not appreciated by the natives. 



