1889.] Address. 125 



ern India, has made interesting botanical collections at Quetta and the 

 Khojak Pass, also at Khandwa, in the Central Provinces, and he accom- 

 panied the Black Mountain Expedition as botanist. The results of 

 these tours have not yet been worked out. Much of his attention has 

 been given to the planting of the Usar reserves with trees likely to 

 thrive on saline soils, and he was most successful with the paper-mul- 

 berry (Broussonetia papyrifera) which seems to thrive better on such 

 soils than anything which has been previously tried. This plant yields 

 a valuable fibre and is also useful as a fodder plant. Large numbers of 

 plants of the rain- tree (Pithecolobium saman), which is likewise a valu- 

 able fodder-plant, have been issued, also for planting on Usar land, from 

 the Royal Botanical Garden, Calcutta. 



The cultivation of the date-palm in India has been encouraged by 

 the distribution of seed obtained from the Persian Gulf, Egypt and 

 from Tunis. 



One of the most important developments of Economic Botany in 

 this country is certainly the growth of Cinchona for the production of 

 quinine. Mr. Gammie's report on the working of the Government Cin- 

 chona Plantation, near Darjiling, shows that important progress has 

 been made there during the last year, under Dr. G. King's super- 

 intendence. The new process of preparing the sulphate of quinine from 

 the bark has already been noticed. The old red bark, or Cinchona 

 febrifuge-yielding plants, are being steadily replaced by the Galisaya 

 ledgeriana and hybrid varieties which yield quinine. Attempts to 

 naturalise the species of Cinchona which yield the hard Carthagena and 

 cuprea barks, have been unsuccessful, but three new South American 

 varieties of calisaya, — verde, morada and zamba morada, — sent out in 1883, 

 have been cultivated with success. Though fanciful as to soil and situa- 

 tion, they are quick and sturdy growers, and the quality of the bark 

 yielded by them seems little inferior to that of ledgeriana : their intro- 

 duction appears, therefore, likely to be one of the most important and 

 promising experiments ever tried at the Plantation. 



The Indian Forester contains papers on " The Influence of Forests 

 on Rainfall," by Dr. D. Brandis, and " The Nilgiri Strobilanthes," by 

 Mr. J. S. Gamble ; besides notes on Resins, Bamboos &c, which are 

 interesting on the side of Economic Botany. 



The Journal of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society contains 

 a valuable note by Dr. Warden on Erythoxylon Coca grown in India, 

 with an appendix containing reports of the cultivation of the plant in 

 various places. The chemical results have already been noticed. 



In the same Journal is a note, by Dr. D. Prain, on " Lokao ; the 

 Chinese green dye yielded by various species of Rhamnus." 



