510 MIXOR PRODUCTS OF CEYLON 



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C. succirubra is, however, an exception, and thrives best between 

 2,000 and 4,000 ft. The plants may be propagated by cuttings, 

 layering, or from seed, the latter method being usually adopted. 

 The seed is very minute, and should be sown thinly in boxes or on 

 raised nursery beds under cover, finely sifted soil being sprinkled 

 over the surface and the whole carefully watered with a fine rose. 

 In about three weeks the seedlings will be up, and when 2 inches 

 high these should be transplanted to a well-prepared nursery plot 

 so as to harden them off, the shade being reduced gradually ; when 

 8 to 9 inches high, they may be planted out in their permanent 

 places. The proper distances for planting vary according to the 

 variety grown and locality. Close planting (4 ft. by 4 ft.) at first, 

 and gradually thinning out later until only half the number of 

 original trees are left, is considered preferable to the wide planting 

 formerly adopted, viz., 12 by 12 ft. The uprooted trees afford a 

 return, the bark being stripped from their stem and roots. Root- 

 bark is considered the most valuable. 



To obtain the bark from the standing trees, four different 

 methods are employed : (I) lopping, by which the branches are 

 lopped, and the bark removed from these in longitudinal strips ; 

 (2) coppicing, the trees being cut down to the ground when about 

 6 years old, and the stems barked ; this induces the production of 

 upright shoots, which in turn are cut down and barked ; (3) shaving 

 the stem by means of a spoke-shave, care being taken not to reach 

 the cambium ; only two sides of a tree are shaved at once ; (4) 

 mossing, the bark of trees seven or eight years old is removed in 

 alternate strips 1^ in. w r ide, the stem being protected by a covering 

 of moss tied on ; thus in about two years the renewed bark, which 

 is richer in quinine than the first bark, is again ready for removal. 

 The peeled bark is dried gradually in the sun, and exported in 

 bales, the various forms being kept separate, as "root-bark," "flat- 

 bark," "quill-bark," and "shavings." 600 Ib. of dry bark per acre a 

 year, or 2 Ib. per tree (at seven years old), is considered a good 

 average yield. 



Citronella-Grass ; Pangiri-mana, S. Cymbopogon (Andropogon) 

 Nardus. A large coarse grass, 3 to 4 ft. high, cultivated in Ceylon 

 (and of late years in Java) for its essential oil, which is obtained 

 from the leaves by distillation. The grass grows in any ordinary 

 soil, and thrives best in a hot and moist climate. It flourishes up 

 to 2,000 ft. elevation, but its cultivation in Ceylon is confined to the 

 sea-coast in the South-west part of the island, where approximately 



