5 6 4 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[January i, 1885. 



carefully managed, and every acre is taken up, except 

 patches in lowlying places, or marshes, where grass is 

 grown. The most common indigenous trees are black wood, 

 Indian walnut and jack fruit, with the smaller wild fig, 

 orange and lime. The fig is often planted on estates to 

 tdvemorc effectual shade to coffee. Oranges are produced 

 in great quantity, and with care apples and peaches also 

 ,lo well. In fact for orchards and market gardens the 

 district is admirably suited. The residents would rejoice 

 to have the railway to connect them on the one hand 

 with Mysore and Madras, and on the other with Tellicherry 

 and the Western Ooast. Then the district would be easily 

 accessible, and would have an outlet, not only for coffee, 

 but for fruit, vegetables, wood and other produce. Coorg 

 is celebrated for its wild honey, which is brought to Euro- 

 peans by the natives, who collect it in hollow bamboos, 

 "and sell it along with the wax for very little. It is much 

 improved when the bees are kept near a bungalow. Large 

 earthen chatties are smeared with wax, and have small 

 holes drilled in them, and are then placed in a quiet cor- 

 ner not far from the house. After the bees have taken 

 possession of the chatties they are covered by a shed, and 

 suspended from a beam in the roof. Formerly agricultural 

 work was done by sorfs, the original inhabitants whom 

 the Coorgs had dispossessed. Now, owing to emancipation 

 and free trade in labour these hereditary bondsmen have, 

 to a great extent, deserted the service of their old masters 

 who have learned to plough and reap their fields, and 

 tend their cattle themselves, and teach their sons to do 

 the same. .They are said to number between 30,000 and 

 40,000. They are a loyal and intelligent race. 



The coffee industry has not been very remunerative of 

 late, owing to over-production in other parts of the world, 

 but it is looking up notwithstanding. This year the crou 

 in Ooorg will be below the average, and from a month 

 to six weeks late. The planters have a good life of it in 

 many ways, with a delicious climate, attractive scenery, 

 healthy occupation, capital bungalows, and a pleasant 

 society. The houses, with their polished timber floors 

 and ceilings and other appointments, comare most favour- 

 ably with the average bungalow in large military stations 

 in the plains. The district is not a jungle, but a care- 

 fully kept garden. The presence of many charming ladies 

 makes society very much what it is in more accessible 

 places in India, while of tennis parties, occasional con- 

 certs and other gatherings there is no lack. Owing to 

 the proximity of unlimited jungle good sport is to be 

 had. The wild animals are deer, jungle sheep, wild pig, 

 with the more formidable panther, leopard, cheeta, and 

 an occasional tiger; and plenty of hares, snipe, teal, 

 etcetera; and for a sensation, herds of wild elephants, 

 which, however, are the sacred property of Government. 

 — Madras Mai!. 



CINCHONA ALKALOIDS. 



A. Lawson, Esq., Director of Government Cinchona 

 ations, &c, Nilgins, reports to the Secretary to Goveru- 



M. 

 Plantati 



ment, Revenue Department, dated Ootacamund, 25th Nov. 

 1884, No. 36: — In accordance with the promise which I 

 made in my letter, dated 15th November 1884, No. 33, I 

 have the honor to inform you that I have despatched to 

 your address one gallon of De Vrij's extract of the cin- 

 chona alkaloids, which has been prepared at my request 

 by Mr. Hooper. 2. Each fluid ounce contains twenty-four 

 graius of the mixed alkaloids, or three grains in every tea- 

 spoonful of the mixture. The preparation may be diluted to 

 any extent with water, acid fluids or with alcohol. 3. I shall 

 be much obliged if you will kindly forward the bottles con- 

 taining the preparation to Surgeon-General Dr. Cornish in 

 order that he may, after due trial, give an opinion re- 

 specting its value. 4. I am unable to give you much inform- 

 ation as to what the cost of Mr. Hooper's preparation would 

 be if made upon a large scale, but I can give you the cost of 

 all the ingredients which have been required to make the 

 10 lb. contained in the bottles which I have sent — 



£ s. (7. 

 10 lb. bark (Natural Ked) at Wd. per pound 



(Madras rate, 17th November 1884) 8 4 



Other ingredients 1 8 



Total ... 10 



or one shilling per pound, each pound containing 384 grains 

 of the solid mixed alkaloids. 5. The other expenses connected 

 with the manufacture of the extract which would have to 

 be incurred I am not able to estimate with any accuracy, 

 but they would be distributed over the following heads : 



* 1. Evaporating pans; 2. Fuel; 3. Labor; 4. Skilled 

 supervision; 5. Sheds or houses for manufacturing the 

 febrifuge under. 



The two bottles containing the extract referred to will 

 be forwarded direct to the Surgeon-General. 



CINCHONA CRUDE BARK. 

 On the 15th ultimo, Mr. M. A Lawson, Director of 

 Government Cinchona Plantations, Botanical Gardens and 

 Parks, Nilgiris, wrote to Government, with reference to 

 G. O., dated 4th idem, enclosing a letter from Dr. Cornish, 

 the Surgeon-General, dated the 20th October, which has 

 advertence to certain remarks which Mr. Lawson made 

 in paragraph 62 of his Administration Report to Govern- 

 ment on the Cinchona Plantations. The Surgeon-General 

 says in his letter "that the use of crude bark is very 

 wasteful and expensive, owing to the fact that infusions 

 and decoctions soon ferment in this country." With re- 

 ference to this remark Mr. Lawson observes that in his 

 report he made no mention of either an infusion or decoc- 

 tion being attempted. " Such a mode of administrating 

 the febrifuge might undoubtedly be adopted, but the in- 

 fusion or decoction would of course have to be made at 

 the time it was required to be given to the patient; just 

 as in England an infusion of senna is now made by the 

 poorer classes. But even if this was done there would 

 still result a considerable waste, inasmuch as a portion 

 only of the cinchona alkaloids is removed by either of these 

 processes. If, however, instead of the bark being infused 

 or boiled it was to be steeped in some weak spirit, such 

 as arrack, the loss of alkaloids would be extremely trifling, 

 for a weak spirit dissolves out nearly the whole. If then 

 a powder of a fairly constant value was made (and this 

 could be easily done), I see no reason why it should not 

 be sold in every country village, and the natives be allowed 

 to obtain, either by instructions or by experiment, the 

 amount of powder necessary for a dose. With respect to 

 the suggestion of the Sergeort-Geueral, that the Govern- 

 ment Quinologist should give his attention to the prepar- 

 ation of a fluid extract of cinchona, I am happy in being 

 able to state that this is already being done by Mr. Hooper, 

 and I forward by today's or Monday's post a small quantity 

 of Dr. Oe Vrij's extract which he has made ; and before the 

 end of next week I hope that this gentleman will be in a posi- 

 tion to furnish you with a further much larger supply for 

 experimental purposes. The preparation which Mr. Hooper 

 will send you will coutain a definite amount of the cinchona 

 alkaloids in every ounce of the fluid. I believe he intends to 

 make the amount 24 grains to the ounce. This preparation, 

 or any other, which the medical profession may determine 

 te be the most convenient, can always be maintained with- 

 out difficulty. Mr. Hooper's extract is not more unpalatable 

 than the sulphate of quinine itself, and it possesses more- 

 over this advantage, viz., that it may be diluted to any ex- 

 tent with water. The keeping properties of the extract will 

 probably be great, but this is a matter which must be tested 

 by experiment. The manufacture of the extract would be 

 inconceivably economical, and could be carried on equally 

 well on these hills or in Madras." — Madras Mail. 



Kotagherkv. — Since I last wrote we have had really good 

 rain, many estates registering as much as 35 inches in 

 October, and today, as I am writing, we are enjoying a 

 glorious burst of sun. Last mouth very little tea was 

 manuiactured, but this month so far has been a good one, 

 and a good deal of lost ground will be made up. Prom in- 

 voices to hand all the hill teas had suffered a good deal from 

 the prolonged drought, " want of flavor and weakness " being 

 generally referred to by the brokers. Pruning has begun on 

 most properties, and I fancy those men who began early 

 will be fortutiate, as there is every appearance of there being 

 less frost than usual. — Indian Planters' Gazette. 



* Out of every ten parts of the original liquor nine parts 

 have to be evaporated off at 9S° O. A great deal of the 

 evaporation might be carried on in the open air without fire. 



