3o6 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1889. 
the soil and distorting his trees he leaves them to 
grow up in shade with rich supplies of natural 
manure, and in consequence he has never been visited 
by leaf disease or borer, &c, and from year to year 
produces crops which, though not equal to what is 
called " bumpers," yield him a very handsome profit. 
Id the Permade they are now reverting to this natural 
order of things, and will we trust rind the benefit 
of so doing. Many of the planters have restocked 
their estates with tea, but though this may yield a 
profit now there can be no doubt that the market 
is glutted, and that a fall in prices may be expected. 
Besides, the elevation in Permade is not high enough 
to grow the finest flavoured teas. Cinchona has also 
been planted, but the same remarks regarding ele- 
vation applies to this tree. It is only in the higher 
altitudes, and in the richest forest soil, that the 
bark gains a high average of alkaloids, and it seems 
almost certain that before long the low averaged barks 
will be driven from the market because it will no 
loDger pay to produce them. The result will be that 
cinchona will only be grown at high elevations and 
in the richest soil. Such sites are raie, and will there- 
fore in all probability soon rise in value. Altogether 
Permade did not impress us with the idea that it has 
a future before it. Indeed it rather seems to be played 
out. The elevation is comparatively low ; the soil 
seemed poor ; the position is exposed to the full force 
of the south-west monsoon, and the rainfall is about 
200 inches per annum. 
CEYLON TEA IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
The following letter has been sent us for pub- 
lication by Messrs. Drummond Bros. o£ Adelaide, 
with a request that we should support their pro- 
posal to represent the Ceylon Tea Fund in South 
Australia : — 
(Copy). Gawler Place, Adelaide, S. A., Sept. 9th, 1889. 
A.Philip, Esq., Secy. Oeylon Tea Fund, Kandy, Ceylon. 
Dear Sir, — As requested in yours of 28th Feb. last, 
we repeated our application for the agency of the Plant- 
ers' Tea Fund in South Australia and were fully under 
the impression that it would be considered at the fol- 
lowing meeting ; but by Overland Observer we notice 
there is no mention of the matter at the meeting held 
on 5th July. We would again draw your attention re 
our appointment as agents of the Planters' Association 
for the sale of Oeylon produce and especially tea which 
we were the first to introduce into Adelaide direct to 
the public and we have since made it a speciality. We 
are establishing a promising business and are supported 
by some of the most influential people from His Ex- 
cellency the Governor and downwards. Besides agents 
canvassing, we have opened a new agency at Gawler, a 
large township about 20 miles from Adelaide, which we 
think will answer well. We have a standing advertise- 
ment in the local papers and intend to increase the 
space considerably. In the event of our request being 
granted, we are fully confident, of an appreciable in- 
crease of business. Sincerely trusting the matter will 
be considered at the next Tea Fund meeting, we 
remain, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
Deummond Bros. 
ENEMIES OF THE COCONUT. 
A correspondent, who refers to experience 
in the Eastern Province, writes : — 
" Did you get a letter last week telling of the 
cure I had found out which had proved quite 
successful, against the ravages of bandicoot rats 
on coconut trees 4 and 5 years of age. I sug- 
gested that they should tar the top of the tree 
which the rats attacked very freely, and not a 
rat attacked any tree that was thus tarred. Thus 
many acres of young trees have been saved and 
the rals have disappeared." 
We referred the matter to our correspondent 
W. J. at Nogombo, who replies 
" I know nothing of the ravages of the bandicoot 
rat, and never heard the natives in this or 
neighbouring districts complain of mischief done 
by them ; perhaps they are not numerous here 
and affect the dryer parts of the island. I can 
quite understand that they would do considerable 
damage to young coconut plants as they are armed 
with formidable cutting teeth. I have seen a hole 
eaten through the husk and shell of a per- 
fectly dry coconut and the kernel eaten out ; an 
animal that could tackle a tough job like that 
would have little trouble in eating into the heart 
of a young coconut plant. I have not heard of 
tar applied to the stem being used as a remedy, 
but if the animal is of a suspicious nature like 
the porcupine I can quite believe its being effectual 
if repeated every two or three months." 
We should like to know whether any appear- 
ances of the so-called coconut leaf disease have been 
noted in the Eastern districts, 
THE CONSUMPTION OF QUININE. 
" I never knew quinine to sell so well as it is 
doing this year," says a St. Louis druggist, "and 
the boom is not confined to any one locality, as 
quite a number of houses in the city have run short 
several times, notwithstanding the abundant supply 
on the market. The only explanation I can suggest 
is that people who profess to ridicule physicians 
because of their overdosing, doctor themselves and 
fall into an exaggeration of the very errors of which 
they accuse regular practitioners- If people want to 
derive benefit from quinine they must use it system- 
atically, commencing with as large a dose as the 
constitution can safely stand, and reducing it by 
degrees. Instead of this, most victims to malaria 
commence with infinitesimal doses, and gradually 
increase them, the result being that the system gets 
used to the drug, and the malaria is only cheeked, 
instead of being driven out at the start. My 
favourite prescription for malaria is a concoction of 
whisky and quinine, one or two strong doses of 
which will reach any case I have yet met with. 
And the more rigidly the patient has previously 
abstained from whisky the more rapid will be the 
effect.- - Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter. 
♦ 
A CORNER IN QUININE. 
Under the heading of "What might occur in the 
present peculiar state of the market" the Financial 
Neivs gives the result of some investigations as to 
the position of quinine. It says there has evi- 
dently been a considerable decrease in the import 
of cinchona bark from Ceylon, while the stock in 
London is comparatively small and of bad quality, 
and the Java cultivation will not make up for the 
falling off in the imports from South America and 
Ceylon. In 1885 quinine was 3s 8d. per oz., in 1886 
it was 3s Id., in 1887 it was 2s 6d., in 1888 it was 
2s 4d., and at the present time it is only Is 2|d. 
Between now and next December (not including 
August) already considerably more than half a 
million ounces of quinine have been sold by the 
bears. It is a remarkable fact that when there was 
50 per cent, more of the raw material to work with 
the price was three times more than it now is. 
An authority on the question considers that it does 
not now pay to manufacture ; indeed, he cannot 
see how it is possible to make a profit on it. He 
is also of the opinion that there will be a further 
falling-off in the production of the bark. It is five 
years before the bark trees are fit for cutting, and 
meanwhile the demand for quinine naturally in- 
creases. He further states that bear sellers, who 
are almost exclusively German manufacturers, have 
