Feb. 1, 1865.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



ON THE CINCHONA BARK OF BRITISH INDIA. 293 



because they contain almost twice as much quinovic acid as the leaves 

 of the same species grown in the much loftier situation of Ootacamund. 



Upon the beautiful coffee-estate of Messrs. Worms, 3,200 feet above 

 the level of the sea, I saw a few specimens of C. succirubra and C. 

 micrantha growing amongst the coffee-trees, in the most luxuriant state 

 in the open sunshine. I was sorry that the paucity of plants prevented 

 my asking for a small quantity of the leaves. 



My most interesting visit, however, as regards cinchona culture in 

 Ceylon, was that to Hakgalle, situated at about 5,200 feet above the 

 level of the sea, where I saw a number of 22,050 plants of different 

 species of cinchona, under the direct care of Mr. M'Nicoll. The system 

 of planting in this locality is as yet a mixed one, part of the plants 

 being grown in the shade of the forest and part in the open sunshine. 

 The shade of the forest, however, is not so dense as in Java, so that even 

 trees planted in the shade obtain a certain amount of sunshine. Of the 

 most valuable species, I saw 13,820 specimens of C. succirubra, the 

 largest plant, only thirty-one months old, being ten feet high, with the 

 stem seven inches in circumference at the base ; and 57 of C. Calisaya, 

 the produce of twelve healthy plants obtained from the Dutch Indian 

 Government in Java. During my inspection of the plants I obtained 

 from Mr. Thwaites a dead tree of C. succirubra five feet high, with the 

 stem two and three-quarter inches in circumference at the base. I was 

 informed by Mr. M'Nicoll that the loss of his cuttings by death do not 

 exceed one half per cent. — a fact which I thought particularly remark- 

 able, knowing from Mr. Junghuhn's report of the month of December, 

 1856, that the loss of cuttings in Java had amounted to ten per cent. 

 ■ Having left Ceylon on the 7th of November (1863), I arrived on the 

 14th of that month at Ootacamund, situated 7,416 feet above the level 

 of the sea. During a stay of sixteen days under the hospitable roof of 

 Mr. M'lvor, I had the fullest opportuuity to convince myself of the excel- 

 lent state of the cinchona plants under his care, and of his careful 

 system of propagation, which has enabled him to increase the number 

 of plants from 1,128 on the 30th of April, 1861, to 248,166 on the 

 31 st of October, 1863. One of the most striking proofs of the success of 

 his system of propagation is the fact, that the single plant of Cinchona 

 Uritusinga presented to the Government by Mr. J. E. Howard, which 

 was received by Mr. M'lvor on the 18th of April, 1862, had been increased 

 by buds, cuttings, and layers during the following eighteen months to 

 4,733 plants. As my former colleague, Mr. Junghuhn, however, in his 

 pamphlet published at Bataviadn February, 1863, and translated from the 

 Dutch by Mr. Clements R. Markham, takes an unfavourable view of the 

 future prospects of Mr. M'lvor' s plants raised by cuttings, buds, and 

 layers, I examined with particular attention the roots of these plants, 

 and found them, as it appeared to me, to be in the most satisfactory con- 

 dition, so I was compelled to conclude that the objections of Mr. 

 Junghuhn are without foundation. Having requested Mr. M'lvor to 



