506 



MANUAL OF THK NILAGIRI DISTRICT. 



CH.XXX. 



Chinchona 



Culture. 



The following remarks of Dr. Bidie are noteworthy : — 

 " When moss is not available, grass is sometimes used to exclude the 

 lio-ht, and it is probable that an envelope of soft thick cloth, tarred on 

 one side to protect it from white-ants, might answer well. Indeed 

 renewal on the barked surfaces will take place without any covering 

 whatever, although there can be no doubt that protection expedites 

 the process. On removing a strip of bark there is found between it 

 and the wood a layer of mucilaginous-like consistence, the cambium. 

 This consists of formative material, from which both bark and wood 

 are developed, and the greatest care is therefore requisite not to injure 

 it in any way, and to expose it as little as possible to air and sunshine. 

 It should therefore be quickly and cautiously covered with the moss 

 or other material. Mr. Mclvor states that the average time required 

 for the renewal of bark is about twenty-two months, but experience 

 shows that a considerably longer period is requisite. It has also to be 

 pointed out, that by the repetition of the stripping and mossing system 

 the vigour of the tree is impaired, and the thickness of the renewed 

 bark somewhat reduced. Some of the older Crown Bark trees on the 

 Nilagiris have been barked and mossed four times, and some of the 

 older Eed Barks six times. Both kinds have shown a wonderful 

 tolerance of the operation, but there are now obvious signs of its having 

 reduced the vigour of the older plants. Thus most of the trees which 

 have been frequently barked carry less luxuriant foliage, and show a 

 greater tendency to produce an excessive crop of flower and seed than 

 trees which have not been mossed. They also i*enew their bark very 

 slowly, requiring nearly three years for the process, and even then the 

 renewed bark is very thin. There can be no doubt, however, that up 

 to a certain age the mossing system is a good and economical one. In 

 the case of both Red and Crown Barks therefore I vvould recommend 

 to the planter a combination of the mossing and coppicing systems. 

 Cropping according to this method, he should begin by barking and 

 mossing four times in successive years, as the bark becomes fit for the 

 market. This would secure one crop of natural bark, one of mossed 

 bark, and two of renewed bark. On the completion of the fourth 

 stripping, moss should again be applied and kept on till complete 

 renewal takes place. At this stage I would propose to coppice, which 

 would bring in a third and large crop of renewed bark from the mossed, 

 as well as a considerable amount of natural bark from the unmossed 

 parts of the tree. In the case of the Red Bark trees too there can be 

 no doubt that it will be found possible to repeat the mossing process 

 on some of the bigger shoots which spring up after coppicing. It has 

 already been mentioned that the mossing process increases not only 

 the absolute quantity of alkaloids in renewed bark, but also the pro- 

 portion of quinine. The source from which the increase in total 

 alkaloids is derived is not very clear, but from Mr. Broughton's experi- 

 ments in 1873 there is strong reason to believe that the gain in the 

 renewed bark is obtained by a transfer to it of some of the alkaloids 

 from the original bark on the upper unmossed parts of the tree. 



