CINCHONA TREES IN INDIA 



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the surface covering of leaves and leaf-mould. He 

 states that during the dry season, from June to 

 December, there was rain (more or less) on about ten 

 days in each month, and that during the whole six 

 months there were only thirty-one days on which 

 there was neither rain, mist, nor fog. This would 

 appear to be a very different type of climate from that 

 of either Sikhim or the Neilgherries, although the 

 mean temperature may not be very dissimilar. It 

 seems to me probable that the districts most nearly 

 approaching in climate to that of the Cinchona 

 forests would be the mountain slopes above 2000 

 feet in the Federated Malay States, or in the 

 Sarawak territory in Borneo, both of which have a 

 similar distribution of rainfall throughout the year. 

 The official Report of June 1907 states "the 

 Cinchona industry in the Neilgherry is rapidly 

 diminishing," and that many of the estates are 

 being abandoned, which can only be due to its 

 being not permanently profitable. Everything 

 therefore seems to point to the fact that the best 

 natural conditions for the growth of these valuable 

 trees has not yet been found.] 



