October i, 1885.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



303 



Altitude, Altitude, 



5,600 Feet. 1,500 Feet. 



Quinidine ... trace ... 030 



Amorphous alkaloid 66 ... I'OO 



Total alkaloids 6-SO ... S55 



The much larger yield of sulphate of quinine 

 from the bark grown at the greater altitude is uot 

 only remarkable, but agrees with a former observation 

 by Broughton respectiug Cinrhoiia officinalis (O. ptm- 

 via/ia). This species, as cultivated at Neddiwattam, 

 is notable for the large amount of cinclioninc which 

 it contains (3*84 per cent), and by the ahstnce of 

 guinine. When, however, it is grown at a greater 

 elevation — on the mo.st elevated peaks of the Dod.abetta 

 Hills— the amount of cinchouiue diminishes, and that 

 of quinine comes up to 0"67 per cent. 



It is obvious that these observations, like those re- 

 fen-ed to by Howard, De Yrij, and others, point to 

 the great influence which the altitude exerts upon 

 the yield of total alkaloids. 1 



The relative value of the different cinchona alkaloids 

 in the treatment of intermittent fever, and in that 

 of other kinds of pyrexia, has attracted considerable 

 attention of late years. Much stress has been laid 

 recently upon the advantages likely to accrue from 

 substituting cinchoniitins for quinine in cases of inter- 

 mittent or remittent fevers. The reputation of quinine 

 and its salts is well established in this respect, but 

 positive facts leave no doubt that other alkaloids of the 

 cinchona bark possess the same properties to a very 

 great extent; and when the cost of quinine com- 

 pared with that of cinchonidine, and their respective 

 therapeutic properties taken into consideration, there 

 is much to be said in favour of the latter alkaloid. 

 Oinchouidine was discovered by Pasteur in 1853. It is 

 anhydrous, and isomeric with cinchouiue. It deviates 

 the plane of polarisation to the left, and does not 

 give a green colour when treated with chlorine 

 water and ammonia, as both quinine and quinidine do. 

 According to Howard and Weddell, not only certain 

 barks yield no fji'inine at all, but the forests which 

 yield the best bark, as far as this particular alkaloid is 

 concerned, are fast failing to supply it. Moreover, the 

 Indian plantations have proved that the barks which 

 appear to be the most robust in that climate are not 

 those which contain the most quinine. It became, 

 therefore, an exceedingly interesting question to in- 

 vestigate the therapeutic proiierties of the otltei- al- 

 kaloids, and to this effect careful observations were made 

 inlndia with c/»c/io«iH«, ciHi:'/(OH(//)e and qninidine. Up- 

 wards of l,OnO patients were treated with these 

 three bases in Heu of quinine, and a report issued 

 at Madras stated that the therapeutic effects scarcely 

 differed at all from those obtained with quinine. Of 1,145 

 patients 1,111 were cured in almost equal proportions 

 which ever ol the three "other" alkaloids was given'. 

 It would ajipear, therefore, to be a matter of in- 

 difference whether patients .suffering from intermittent 

 fever are treated with quinine or with one or other 

 of the different alkaloids present in the cinchona 

 barks. This being admitted, the preference would, of 

 course, be given to that alkaloid which could be 

 obtained at the smallest cost. 



Howrttd has shown that rjnmdiae cannot be got 

 cheaper than (jitiiiinc, so that the question has to be 

 fought out commercially between cinclionine and cinchon- 

 idine, either of which can be obtained at about one- 

 third the cost of quinine. 



Cinchona accumulates in manufactories where the 

 cinchona barks are specially treated for quinine 

 (which it usually accompanies). Its price is now low, 

 but that would cease to .be the case if physicians 

 should recognise that other bases can replace quinine. 

 Then cinchouiue will accumulato no longer, and, as 

 it rises in pi ice, attention will be turned towards 

 cinchonidine. It does not appear probable that the 

 price cf the latter will rise for many years, for not 

 only the trees whose barks yield it e.xist abundantly 

 in the forests of 8outh America, but tl.c most robust 

 tree of the Indian cinchona plantations is the Cin- 

 chona sHccirubra, the bark of which is rich in 

 cinchonidine. 



The medium does of sulphate of cinchonidine for 

 adults appears to be between ih and 6 grains, and 

 M^eddell goes so far as to say that certain cases of 

 intermittent fever which quinine failed to cure were 

 immediately relieved by sulphate of cinchonidine. 



It is not very long since the Government of 

 Madras gave an order for 16,000 oz. of sulphate of 

 cinchonidine at the price of 1 rupee per oz. (about 2s.), 

 and it has been largely used of late in some of our 

 London hospitals, so that it is uot improbable we 

 may hear more about it, either one way or the 

 Other, as experience is gained.— C7ie«i Mi and Dniggist, 



Indestkuctible Fence Posts. — A farmer writes that 

 twenty-five years ago he set split white Oak posts for his 

 garden fence, putting about a peck of air-slaked 

 lime about each, and they are all good yet. He 

 attributes their good condition to the effect of the 

 lime, in which he is doubtless correct. A board that 

 has been used in a mortar bed, and thoroughly satur- 

 ated with lime, is almost indestructibly from decav. 

 — Florida Dispatch. 



The " Tropicus Agbicuiturist." — Mr. W. T. 

 Thiselton Dyer, in an article on the square bamboo 

 in Nature of Aug. 27th, refers to the T. A. as 

 ' an astonishing repertory of everything relating 

 to the economic botany of the East." To the above 

 favourable opinion we may add the foUowing from 

 a planter, who explains his reason for discontinuing 

 the Indian Tea Gazette by remarking : — " Yonr 

 Tropical A. is really ample for anyone." 

 It certainly contains every scrap about tea and 

 in the handiest form for refereno. Mr. Dowling, 

 author of the " Tea Notes," also writes to its 

 as follows : — " I am indebted to your valuable 

 paper which I receive regularly, for several hints. 

 I went over Ceylon in Dec. 1881 w^hcn tea was in 

 its infancy, and am much interested in reading in 

 your valuable paper of the strides it has made 

 since then." 



Local S.\les of Tea and London Prices.— Referring 

 to the remarks made by us on this subject in yester- 

 day's issue, a mercantile correspondent writes to us 

 as follows :— No doubt the purchaser of the break of 

 Agar's Land tea that realizeil 2/1 in London made 

 money on the transaction, but this is not always the 

 case. It is generally very difficult to trace tea bought 

 at public auction here, but here are a few which may 

 interest your readers : — 



Colombo London 

 price. average 



Theberton ... 96 hf-chs. ... 64 cts ... 1/2J- 

 >! — 56 hf-chs. ... 70 „ ... l/af 



Doranakande 12 chs. ... 68 „ ... 1 .5.1 



The buyers of the first two lots did not make much 

 on their bargains. — Local " Times. " 



HiBH Prices FOR Coffee in London, — With middl- 

 diug plantation quoted at 68s., there must be some 

 difficulty in realizing really high prices for coffee of 

 however excellent quality; it is therefore all the more 

 creditable to an estate, and particularly to the curers 

 of the coffee, when an exceptional rate is realized in 

 Mincing Lane. The m.ail just in brought what is really 

 a splendid sale of Berragalla coffee, the results of 

 which »e subjoin: — 



Sale of Berragalla Coffee (Haputale), London, August 

 26th. 

 OO ... 3 casks ... 104/6 

 O ... 5 „ ... 93/6 



No. 1. ... 2 „ ... 71/ 



P. B. ... 1 „ ... 90/ 



Triage ... 2 „ ... 5,56 



It is estimated that these prices will nett "Ss. per cwt. 

 equal to at least KSl f. 0. b. in Colombo, which is most 

 satisfactory. The coffee was cured by Messrs. Wm. 

 Law Si Co. — Ibid. 



