Chap. XXVIII. IN THE NEILGHERRY HILLS. 489 



in a uniform medium state of moisture. In tliis way the 

 seeds not only germinate soon, but come up very strong. 

 There is every reason to expect that a good per-centage of 

 these seeds will germinate/ and that a large number of these, 

 the earliest known of all the valuable chinchona species, will 

 soon be growing luxuriantly in the upper sliolas of the Neil- 

 gherry hills. Mr. Howard has also presented the Govern- 

 ment with a plant of C, Uritusmga of Pa von ((7. Condammea, 

 H. and B.), six feet high, whicli he had raised from seed sent 

 to him from Loxa. This precious plant was embarked on 

 board the steamer on the 4th of March, 1862, and arrived 

 at Ootacamund early in April. 



Thus, after two anxious years, we now have all the valuable 

 species of chinchonae mentioned in the second chapter, safely 

 established in Southern India. In the following tabular 

 statement will be seen at a glance the number of species, the 

 number of each species, the number of plants last February, 

 their monthly increase since June, their monthly gi-owth, 

 and their present dimensions. The number is now increasing 

 at the rate of several thousands every month. The imported 

 plants of O. succirubra have already produced some thousands 

 by propagation ; and in December the seedlings had attained 

 a size sufficient to give wood for propagation, the first of them 

 having even then produced a few hundred plants. 



From the total number of 10,157 chinchona-plants must 

 be deducted 425 of the w'ortliless 0. Pahudiana sent fi-om 

 Java, leaving a total of 9732 of valuable species on the 

 1st of February, with the number rapidly increasing. The 

 increase was not so large as it otherwise would have been 

 during the first two months of 1862, owing to the supply of a 



^ I sent a smaller parcel of C. Con- i March 138 seedlings were up, or 30 

 daminea seeds in a letter, wLicli ar- | per cent, of the total number of seeds 

 rived first at Ootacamund, in the I sown. The large parcel of seeds ar- 

 middle of February. Sixteen days I rived at Ootacamund on March 4tli, 

 after sowing, twelve seeds were found i and were sown at once. See p. 570. 

 to have germinated ; and earlv in ' 



