Edible Products, 



106 



[August, 1911. 



(39,000 to 44,000); but this is little more 

 than a guess at the actual production, 

 since a large proportion of the coca 

 leaves which appear in commerce is no 

 doubt used in the preparation of such 

 products as "coca wine," liquid extract 

 of coca leaves," etc., and is not employed 

 for the production of cocaine. In this 

 connection it is of interest to note that 

 deJong, in a recent number of Teys- 

 manma (1910, p. 201), estimates the 

 world's consumption of cocaine at 12,000 

 kilograms per annum, and points out 

 that since the yield of dry coca leaf in 

 Java is about 286 kilograms per acre, and 

 as this is equivalent to 6 kilograms of 

 pure cocaine, the area under coca can be 

 extended to about 3,500 acres in Java 

 before the present world's consump- 

 tion of cocaine is reached, assuming 

 that export of coca leaves from Peru 

 can be suppressed as the result of 

 the competition of the Java product. 

 He recommends as the most economical 

 plan the cultivation of coca as a catch 

 crop in Para rubber plantations, so that 

 a return may be secured iu the first six 

 years before the Para rubber trees aie 

 old enough to be tapped. In order that 

 the Java planters may further secure 

 their position, he recommends that they 

 should combine to erect a co-operative 

 central factory for the extraction of 

 cocaine, so that they may be independ- 

 ent of cocaine manufacturers in Europe. 

 Manufacturers of cocaine in Germany, 

 who have been consulted on the feasi- 

 bility of this project, state that there 

 would probably be a saving of from 10 

 to 20 shillings per 100 kilogram of leaves 



worked as the result of extraction in 

 Java instead of in Europe, and they 

 express their willingness to take a share 

 in the erection and working of the 

 proposed Java factory. 



At first sight this suggested extension 

 of the Java industry in coca leaves 

 seems to offer a prospect of serious 

 competition with the Ceylon production 

 of this drug, but it must be remembered, 

 in this connection, that the variety of 

 coca leaf cultivated in Java is only suit- 

 able for the manufacture of cocaine, 

 since it is stated not to actually contain 

 this alkaloid, but only alkaloids nearly 

 related to it, and which after extraction 

 are readily convertible by chemical 

 means into cocaine. The coca grown iu 

 Ceylon, on the contrary, appears to be 

 of the Bolivian variety, and should there- 

 fore be available, not only tor the 

 manufacture of cocaine, but also for the 

 production of galenical preparations of 

 coca, the form in which the drug is 

 usually prescribed for intei nal use. For 

 this purpose carefully prepared coca 

 leaves of high quality are required, and 

 consequently the Ceylon coca leaves, 

 which answer these requirements and 

 usually fetch the highest prices obtain- 

 able for this product, should be able 

 to retain their present commanding 

 position so far as this particular outlet 

 is concerned. A complete investigation 

 of Ceylon coca leaves is now in progress 

 at the Imperial Institute with a view 

 to determining definitely the nature of 

 the alkaloids present, and especially 

 the proportion of cocaine. 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



NOTES ON GROUND-NUTS IN THE 

 WEST INDIES. 



(From the West Indian Bulletin, Vol. 

 XL, No. 3, 1911.) 



The following paper is intended as a 

 summary of the results that have been 

 obtained up to tiie present in the experi- 

 ments on the cultivation of imported 

 varieties of ground-nuts. These have 

 been conducted at various Botanic and 

 Experiment Stations in the West Indian 

 islands during the last few years. An 

 account of them is given in the Annual 

 Reports of the Botanic Stations from the 

 year 1907 onwards. In addition to the 

 results thus obtained, various points in 

 connection with these plants have also 

 been included, in order to make the 

 information presented as complete as 



possible. An earlier paper on this plant, 

 by Freeman, containing a summary of 

 the position of the industry in the West 

 Indian islands before the introduction 

 of the new varieties will be found in the 

 West Indian Bulletin, Vol. IV., p. 101. 

 Various articles have also appeared on 

 this subject in the Agricultural News ; 

 references to these are given at the end 

 of this paper. 



In the year 1907-8, two American varie- 

 ties of ground-nuts, Dixie Giant and 

 Tennessee Red, were imported by the 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 and distributed for trial at the Botanic 

 and Experiment Stations in St. Vincent, 

 St. Lucia. Dominica, Montserrat, Anti- 

 gua and St. Kitts-Nevis. In the subse- 

 quent year two other varieties, Spanish 

 and Carolina Running, were imported 



