Chap. XXVIII. ADOPTED IN JAVA. 501 



tliat, in their natural localities in the Ancles, the chinchonae 

 " grow in damp forests overshadowed by trees." There are 

 two things to be said against this. Firstly, that it is not the 

 case ; for though it is true that some species of chiuchona3 do 

 grow in damp shady forests, yet they never ilourish ia such 

 positions, but only when supplied with plenty of light and 

 air ; and secondly, even if it was the case, such an argument 

 would be worth nothing. In their wild state, and in localities 

 where they are indigenous, all plants find certain conditions 

 which are favourable to their perfect development ; but they 

 have to struggle for existence with a multitude of neighbours. 

 Every condition is not supplied by Providence for the special 

 behoof of one particular genus, and, in virgin forests, all trees 

 suffer more or less from being overcrowded and overshadowed. 

 But under cultivation the case is different. The cultivator 

 endeavours to combine all the conditions best calculated to 

 ensure the perfect development of a particular plant, and 

 does not subject it to the baneful influences of too much shade, 

 merely because it suffered from overshading in its wild state. 

 Mr. Mclvor has very aptly illustrated this point, by men- 

 tioning that Bruce foimd wheat growing wild in Upper Egypt, 

 struggling for existence with rushes and other weeds. An 

 English farmer would be surprised if he was told to sow his 

 wheat in the hedges, instead of in the fields, because in its 

 wild state it is foimd amongst weeds and briars ! 



The facts that it will be necessary to wait for thirty years 

 before any retm-n can be expected ; and that it will have a 

 most injurious effect on the formation of alkaloids in the bark^ 

 are suflBcient arg-uments against planting the chinchonae in 

 the shade of the forest, and waiting for them to run up until 

 the survivors overtop the surrounding trees. It has been 

 necessary to bring these points prominently forward, because 

 attempts have been made to introduce the erroneous system, 

 adopted by the Dutch cultivators, into India. 



