APPENDIX D. 



REPORT ON THE CULTIVATION OFCHINCHONAS IN SOUTHERN 

 INDIA. BY WILLIAM G. McIVOR, ESQ., SUPERINTENDENT 

 OF CHINCHONA - CULTIVATION IN THE NEILGHEERY 

 HILLS. 



Bearing Seeds. — The first sowing of imported seeds took place in the 

 beginning of February 1860. No certain data being given for the treat- 

 ment of Chinch ona-seeds, our first operations were necessarily expeiimental, 

 and a good number of seeds were lost by being sown in too retentive a soil, 

 and supplied with what, to Chiuchona-seeds, proved to be an excess of 

 moisture ; the gi-eatest success we obtained in our first attempts was with 

 the use of a soil composed almost entirely of burned earth, and of this 

 sowing neai'ly sixty per cent, germinated, the temperature of the earth 

 being about 70°. The number of days required before germination took 

 place in the several sowings varied from sixty-two to sixty-eight. The 

 seedlings made but Uttle progress for the first six weeks, but after that 

 time they sprung into rapid growth, averaging from 1^ to 2 inches per 

 mensem. 



Seeds of tlie valuable Chinchona Condaminea, received on the 16th 

 February 1862, were so-rti on the same day in a very light open soil 

 composed of a beautifully open sort of sand, with a very small admixture of 

 "leaf-mould. Our experience with the first seeds ha^ang established beyond 

 all doubt that the Chmchonas are very impatient of any excess of moisture, 

 particular care was taken in the preparation of the soil used ta this sowing. 

 The earth was in the first instance exposed to the sun for two or three days 

 and thoroughly dried, it was then heated to about 212° in order to destroy 

 all gi-ubs or lai-va of insects ; after being allowed to cool, it was brought 

 into the potting-shed and watered sufficiently to make it moist, but only to 

 that degi-ee of moisture that the particles of soil would not adhei-e together 

 tin being pressed firmly with the hand, that is, the earth on being laid 

 down Avas sufficiently dry to break and fall into its usual form. With the 

 soil in this state the pots were filled, the surface lightly pressed down, and 

 the seeds sown thereon, being lightly covered with a sprinkling of sand. 

 The pots were then placed on a slight bottom heat of about 72°. These 

 were never watered in the strict sense of the word ; when the surface got 

 dry they were slightly sprinkled with a fine syringe just sufficient to 

 damp the surface, but never to penetrate the soil. Under this treatment 



