285 



ground rent. The charge for brinoiug to town by camels and by rail combined, or bif 

 camels aloue, is from 15 to ~*5 piasters, or nearly 60 cents to one dollar, and depend^ 

 mostly on the season and the condition of the camels. Two years ago charges wera 

 more than doubled, owing to a fearful epidemic which raged among these animals, and 

 destroj'ed great numbers. Day laborers, for hoeing, weeding, and carrying, receive 15 

 to 20 o^nts per day. Last year as high as 40 cents were paid, but this was an excep- 

 tional case and due to fever, which disabled many of the workmen. The work of col- 

 lecting or extracting the roots is paid for on a different principle, the most skillful 

 workmen receiving the highest remuneration. The pay is 20 cents every one thou- 

 sand drams, or seven pounds. Madder seed now costs in the interior 20 to 24 cents per 

 oke of three pounds, but some time ago it could be obtained for eight, or even four 

 cents per oke. 



The best quality is called Bakir, from a village of Kirkayatcli, where it is produced. 

 That grown in the districts of Magnesia, Axar, Kelembo, Yayakioi, Sulumauli, and Balu- 

 kessar, goes by the same name, Bakir. About forty thousand bales of this quality 

 are produced in a good season. This year they will pnxUice but half this quantity. 

 The se<;ond quality may amount to thiity thousand bales in the best season, and 

 comes from Dernirzi, Hayagick, Yiardes, and Caramaaia. Only ten thousand bales are 

 expected this year from these districts. 



CmCHONA CULTIVATION IN INDIA. 



C B. Clarke, esq., officiating superintendent of the botanic gardens, 

 iind in charge of cinchona cultivation in Bengal, in his annual report to 

 the secretary of the government of Bengal, makes some interesting 

 statements relative to cinchona cultivation in India. Mr. Clarke thinks 

 that cinchonas thrive best at about two thousand feet above the ocean, 

 and grow very well down to the rivers at eight hundred feet elevation. 

 Cinchona calisaya grows best at similar elevations, but will not grow so 

 high as C. snocirubra. The only plants in the Hungbee plantations 

 which are above four thousand feet elevation are some C. officinalis, 

 which are being tried at this higher level as a last experiment as to 

 whether the species can be cultivated at all at Eungbee. 



The manufacture of the crystallized sulphate of quinine now in general 

 nse, consists of two stages. The bark is treated with dilute acid, which 

 takes up the alkaloids contained in it, and also a certain quantity of 

 coloring matter, resin, and other rubbish, which quantity is consider- 

 I'.ble in C. succir libra bark, the only bark which for some years will be 

 produced in quantity at Eungbee. The acid infusion is neutralized by 

 an alkali, when the quinine alkaloids are precipitated, accompanied with 

 more or less of the rubbish. These precipitated alkaloids (more or less 

 impure) are known as the tirst stage of the manufacture. Tlie second 

 stage is, in actual manufacture, generally performed by washing out of 

 tliese precipitated alkaloids (by strong alcohol) the quinine, and evapo- 

 riiting the alcohol. 



According to Dr. Broughton's cinchona report of August, 18G8, the 

 quinine alkaloids are valuable febrifuges, and operate pretty much as 

 (Quinine, but are less powerful. Eoughly, it may be said that two grains 

 of cinchonidine are equal in all respects to one grain of quinine. The 

 a<;tion of cinchonine and the other minor quinine alkaloids is less satis 

 factorily made out, but in the G. succirubra bark usually 75 per cent, of 

 the alkaloids present are either quinine or cinchonidine. If the pre 

 cipitated alkaloids are dissolved in dilute sulphuric acid, the dose is 

 equivalent to that of the crystallized sulphate diluted in acid. Sev- 

 eral doctors of experience in the medical department of the govern- 

 ment object that the crystallized sulphate is pure, and that they can be 

 sure of the dose they give to a grain ; whereas in the precipitated alka- 



