56S 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Feb, i, 1886, 



are so often much superior, as regards the amount 

 of quinine, to any kind of quill bark ; and since the 

 established prejudices as to the appearance of bark 

 would tend to favour the use of natural bark rather 

 than renewed bark, the general effect of all these 

 circumstances would be to promote the use of the 

 least valuable kinds for pharmaceutical purposes. In 

 the natural succrubra bark it is ahnost an invariable 

 rule that cinchonidine is present in larger relative 

 proportion than quinine, so that, according to the 

 present Pharmacopoeia definition, the quinine standard 

 of cinchona bark is reduced much below that of the 

 previous Phai macopceia, and the bark corresponding 

 with that definition wiJl not contain more than 

 about 1 per cent of quiuiue. — PJiarmaceutical Jonrnal. 



THE DIVI TKEE AND SEASIDE GKAPE IN 

 THE WEST INDIES. 



Henaratgoda, 2nd January 1380, 



Sir, — We beg to annex a cutting from Leather 



of 5th October 1885, respecting Divi Divi culture in 



the West Indies. Ti-iisting it will be useful to intending 



planters of the said new product, yours obediently, 



J. P. William & Bros. 



We are pleased to give the copy of a letter received 

 from a correspondent who lives on one of the West 

 India Islands, and has turned to the cultivation of 

 divi-divi. Some four or five years since he forwarded 

 for analysis some good samples of divi, acacias, and 

 other tropical plants yielding taunin which were 

 growing wild on his estate. Since that time he has 

 planted some thousands of divi trees, and they are 

 doing well ; and from the tenour of his letter there 

 seems to be plenty of scope for any who are disposed 

 to go into the trade. AVe are not at liberty to 

 publish our correspondent's name,' but shall be glad 

 to give it to any who are disposed to look at it as 

 a oommerical speculation. 



West Indies, September 6, 1885. 



Dear Sir, — Please accept my best thanks for your 

 letter of 8th July, and also for the number of 

 Leather accom|>anying it, which I have taken great 

 interest in perusing. 



I wish you every success in your conduct of the 

 said trade Journal, and shall be glad to give you 

 any information in my possession as to tanning 

 materials, etc. 



My plantations of divi-divi are, so far, progressing 

 favourably, but the tree is of slower growth than I 

 anticipated. As none of the trees I planted over three 

 years ago are bearing yet, it will, no doubt, take 

 five or six years before I am able to obtain any crop 

 from them. 



Meanwhile, there is an abundance of divi pods going 

 to waste every year on a property ai^jacent to mine, 

 and where there are thousands of divi trees in full 

 bearing. This estate could be had for £1,000 at most 

 perhaps for less, and would easily give 100 tons of 

 divi or more per annum at ouce. I have a great 

 miud to buy it if I can find a partner to contribute 

 half the capital. The property is situated on the 

 sea-shore, so that the produce could be shipped 

 without any further expense fur transportation. If 

 .luy of your leather acquaintances should feel disposed 

 to make a good investment, here is the opportunity. 



The sea-grape {coccojoha uvifera) is most common 

 on all our shores. I believe it is cultivated in Kew ; 

 at all events, they have dried specimens there in the 

 herbarium. I enclose a slight sketch of the tree for 

 your information. The leaves are very leathery and 

 stiff, about eight to twelve inches across. The flowers 

 arr small, white, in a narrow spire > Liter on fonning 

 into a sort of dark l)lue grape, which cm be eaten. 

 but are rather astringent. The wood is dark red 

 and a good timber. The tree grows on the sandy 

 shore, and is quite common in most West India 

 islands. 



From the Tropical Ai/HcuHunst I learn that divi 

 cultivation is now taken up in the East, both in Java, 

 the Straits Settlements, and the East Indies. I 



should very much like to know whether the future 

 for divi is encouraging, and what prices are at present, 

 I am determined to acquire the esUte mentioned 

 above. If you think you can find me a partner, or 

 form a small company ou shares, I shall be glad to 

 learn your views. Tlie Ian I is about 600 acres, so there 

 is plenty of room for further extensions. 



INDIAN GOVERNMENT COMPETITION WITH 

 CINCHONA CULTIVATION. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE " MADHAS MAIL." 



Sir, — I trust you will also allow me to enter a 

 protest against the Government plantmg any more 

 cinchona. In these hard times, when most planters 

 are living merely from baud to mouth, I consider it 

 most disgraceful that government should continue to 

 extend their plantations, which must be to the detri- 

 ment of private enterprize. When the enormous 

 number of cinchonas recently planted on the Govern- 

 ment estates come into bearing, the crops j-ielded 

 by them must affect the market. I submit the 

 following figures, which speak for themselves: — 

 No. of plants enumer- No. returned by the 



ated by JIajor Walker 

 in 1878. 

 Wood 45,758 



Hooker 87.557 



Neddivuttum 208,780 

 Dodabetta 220,936 



Directors as existing 

 3l8t March, 1885. 



555,166 

 432,091 



033,487 



Thus Government has, in six years, extended its 

 estates by over one million plants ! Planters were 

 led to believe that the Secretary of State had pro- 

 mised that no increase to the then present area 

 should be made, except in the case of new or rare 

 varieties (and a limit was placed to that); yet, under 

 the present Directorship, upwards of a million of 

 ordinary officinalis and hybrid cinchona plants have 

 been put out ! I contend that these are neither new 

 nor rare ; therefore the Government is acting in 

 direct opposition to its promise. The present object, 

 as far as I can see, is to cover as much land as 

 possible with anything bearing a resemblance to a 

 cinchona. It is high time for the Planters' Associ- 

 ations to take action, and represent the matter, if 

 need be, to the Secretary of State for India. That 

 the plantations are being extended is proved by the 

 Director's figures regarding the number of plants on 

 the Hooker. Major Walker gives the area of this 

 estate as 164 acres. Now, if the 555,160 plants 

 said to be ahve on 3Ist March 18S5, were placed at 

 four feet apart, they would cover 204 acres. But I 

 am informed that many of the original trees are 

 still in existence, and that they stand at from 7 to 

 8 feet apart, so this estate must have been considerably 

 extended. Not only is the Government competing 

 with the public in cinchona cultivation, but they, as 

 landlords, ehaige a rent which is prohibitory. For 

 land taken up under the new rules the annual rent 

 is U. 2-2-0 per acre, all forest being strictly reserved. 

 My opinion is that Government should at once reduce 

 the size of its properties. With a hundreil acres at 

 Dodabetta, and a similar area at Neddivuttum there 

 will be ample space to carry on any necessary 

 experiments. Anon, 

 ^ 



Sunflower dn.TivATTON. — AVith reference to the 

 inquiry from 5Ir. ( '. S. Smith, of Momba.*ta, in our October 

 number, a correspondent sends us the following : — 

 *' The seeds of sunflowers can be sown in New Zealud 

 during Oi^tober ; if the season is cold, towards the 

 end of the mouth. The plants want plenty of room, 

 and rows should not be less than 3 feet apart, and 

 plants, say, 2 feet. For an acre it requires 6 lb. 

 to 7 lb. of seed. To secure a good crop the land 

 must be rich, and bone-meal or superphosphate may 

 be used freely. Forty bushels of seed to the acre is 

 the ordinary crop, and when it is remembered that a 

 bushel of seed will yield a gallon of oil, the seeds 

 conttiiuing 40 per cent of oil, it shows that from poor 

 land, deficient in certain elements, very poor returns 

 would be forthcoming." — Btiti^h Trade JourmU 



