466 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1886. 



A LOCAL SULPHUEIC ACID FACTOET. 

 I'or some years past we have -written very freely 

 respecting tlie great advantages of a local factory 

 for the extraction of the valuable alkaloids from 

 cinchona bark, and how by selecting on the spot 

 the best qualities, we niight produce a febrifuge 

 that would compete with that prepared by the 

 best makers in Europe. The difficulties in the 

 way seeiued to us latterly to be considerable, in 

 view of local depression and scarcity of capital ; 

 but we have printed several Iclters from a cor- 

 respondent who has studied the subject, full of cun- 

 tidence in the success of the project. Whether 

 such a factory would answer or not would, we 

 are assured, depend chiefly upon the management 

 rather than upon any ijuestion of local climate; 

 and having regard to the course of the market 

 there can be little doubt that the present practice 

 of sending large tpiantities of bark at a considerable 

 cost for freight into the home market is not 

 likely to continue long, especially as the price of 

 the pure sulphate of quinine has become so very 

 much reduced during the past few years. There 

 is, however, one indispensable preliminary before 

 quinine can be extracted on a commercial scale 

 in Ceylon. It is absolutel)' necessary that sulphuric 

 acid, connnouly called oil of vitriol, should be 

 locally manufactured ; for, the high freight of this 

 article would be fatal to the profitable manufact- 

 ure of quinine. .\nd even, if hydrochloric (muri- 

 atic) acid should be found superior to sulphuric 

 for quinine manufacture, ;...;' the latter acid is 

 necessary to the manufacture of the former on 

 the spot, such local manufacture being in either 

 case deemed indispensable. 



It is therefore quite time to consider seriously 

 the establishment of a local factory for the manu- 

 facture of sulphuric acid, which shall be available 

 not simply in the interests of cinchona but also 

 for the manufacture of a cheap supjilj- of aerated 

 waters so largely required both for local consump- 

 tion and for the supply of calling stermers of the 

 different Companies. The one previous attempt to 

 establish a local Acid factory failed, because in 

 reality the project was not taken up by men hav- 

 ing a practical knowledge of the business. At 

 any rate it certainly did not fail because such a 

 factory wi'.s not reipiircd — for in good hands the 

 results would have Ihcu a decided success. So far, 

 we have said nothing in reference to the value 

 of acid for what was the main purpose in view 

 ten years ago, namely, the manufacture of really 

 cheap and useful manures for tea, cacao, cinchona 

 and ci'ffec plantalicns ; but in this respect alone 

 a ready tjupply of acid for dissolving bones — as 

 well as for saturating Hsh manures and castor-cake 

 t\'ith ,• cid sulphate of lime so as to prevent these 

 hialerals being eaten by grubs irjslend of nourish- 

 ing the tree—is a matter of great local importance. 



A gentlemaji who has by a recent mail com. 

 ihlmicated wiih us is in constant communication 

 Vith Acid Facteries ki home, and he has taken 

 l!." titiuLle to nuike some enquiries relative '.o the 

 acdml t'r.st for a snuill factory, and in order to b( able 

 to ;_ive us reli. ble figutes he lias conitnunicatcd with 

 the authority who prepared (he plans and specific; 

 Rt'ons for a mall Acid wi rk lecently erected in 

 Eaibados, West Indies, which hr.s given most satis- 

 factory ixsuils to the pr( priteor. We learn that 

 a factory caj able of prculucii g "lOO tons of su)) hnric 

 acid of jpfcific gravi y l;i<i() w> nld not casl more 

 than tl.'-OU to be erected complete,, and the plans 

 and full partic 'ar.i of coui'ruction could be ollained 

 for the sum of A50 st«r! Pi', so that it is opeu 



to any one in business in Colombo to calculate 

 whether such a factory would prove remuncrativo 

 or not. The daily cost for labour, we were told, 

 would be very small : one man to look after the 

 chambers by day and another by night, being really 

 all that is required. Our authority says that a 

 good man could be readily secured to put up the 

 works if desired and see to the working for one 

 year. The necessary sulphur could be obtained 

 from Sicily, and the nitrate of soda either from 

 Europe or Chili direct as most economical. The 

 sulphur which is daily removed from the gas as 

 an impurity might be utilized in Colombo for the 

 manufacture of acid in the same way as it is 

 employed in EuroiJC— and the acid so inade could 

 be used in the scubbers for removing the valuable 

 ammonia compound. 



So fully convinced is tlic gentleman who sup- 

 plies this interesting practical information of the 

 -great use, indeed of the ultimate necessity, of an 

 Acid Factory in Colombo, that provided Clovcrn- 

 uicnt would grant a monopoly for ten years, and. 

 the undertaking were taken up by good hands, 

 he would be quite willing to invest two or three 

 hundred pounds sterling himself in the establish- 

 ment of a small Works on the most recent and 

 economical iirinciples. This offer of one-fourth of 

 the capital from a gentleman who, though not 

 unacquainted with Ceylon, has no personal stake 

 in the island is a strong proof of the success 

 which can be achieved in the establishment' of 

 a Sulphuric Acid Manufactory, and we commend 

 the subject to the attention of the parties in- 

 terested in local quinine preparation, and indeed 

 to the C'hairmau and Committee of the l'Iant<?rs' 

 .•\.ssociation as most interested of all in the question. 

 We saw the other day that a Sulphuric Acid k"actory 

 m Japan was a success ; and it is evident that 

 the aid of the working chemist must be called 

 i in, in several directions, if our planting indus- 

 tries are to be maintained in a satisfactory ■ 

 and progressive condition. The degree of civiliz- 

 ation of a country is said to be proportionate to 

 its consumption of sulphuric acid. Ceylon has 

 surely reached the stage when it can afford to 

 manufacture its own article. The preparation of 

 cinchona alkaloids and of artificial manures on a 

 large scale and the aid of practical chemists in 

 many ways to planters would inevitably follow. 

 There can be no hesitation, therefore, in supporting 

 a movement for the establishment of a Sulphuric 

 Acid Factory ; and if there is one direction more 

 than another, in which we should be inclined to 

 make p.n exception to our Obseiccr editorial rule 

 of holding no shares in local Companies, it would 

 be in favour of an attempt to give our Planting 

 Enterprize the benetit of a Chemical V'orks and 

 Establishment on a scale such as is hero describ- 

 ed by our London authority, 



♦.i 



DVSJKXI'ERV A.VD Tim hihl Oil Wooli.U'PI,E i'ltlTf , ■ 



Two instances have lately corao under our notice 

 of planters who attribute tlieir recovery from 

 dysentery which had become almost chronic, to the 

 use of the well-known "bael" or woodapple. n 

 time-honored remedy, but one which apparently ha!< 

 been falling out of notice, seeing that in one case 

 of a gentleman who has been for some years r. 

 sufferer, it was only very recently this remedy wut 

 mentioned to him. This is not our fault; ior if 

 planters consulted the Medical Hints for I'lantCTS 

 published at this olTice, a copy of which used (o 

 be in evi'ry upcountry liuiig.-ilow. Ihcy would find a 

 small quantity of tlie quince apple (ln'ligcdi or 

 marmel) morning and evening, recommended nli-ii 

 an attack was subdued in a dysenteric patient. 



