November i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
leaves (14 millimetres, little more than half an 
inch). Such a striking difference may explain that, 
for instance, at Harrar there are no less than four 
varieties of kat in the market. * The leaves we re- 
ceived from Aden may be said to range between 
Richard's figure and the Mortola plant as regards their 
average size, answering to the figure of ' : Subbare kat" 
of Vaughan's paper. It is, on the whole, quite natural, 
that a shrub or tree which is so widely distributed 
and so extensively cultivated should accordingly dis- 
play considerable variations. 
The leaves of catha are leathery, of a dull shining 
green on the upper surface, paler beneath, entirely 
glabrous and traversed by a reddish midrib giving oif a 
system of veins running towards the edges and the apex 
without exhibiting any remarkable peculiarity. The 
game applies to tan anatomical structure of the leaf. 
The transverse section shows the usual structural 
elemonts as met with in many other leaves, without 
any peculiar feature. The leaves belong to that class 
provided with but. one layer of " palissade colls" 
within the epidermis of the upper surface ; in catha 
that layer is built up of a double row of those 
vertical, elongated "palissade cells."f 
There is no evidence of catha having been used in 
ancient times ; no mention of the leaves is mot with 
in the great Cyclopaedia of Ibu liaitar, written about 
A. D. 1240. We are informed by Professor Noldeke, 
that, according to S. de Sacy's 'Cbrestomathie arabe.' 
2nd edition, i., 102 Abdalkadir, an author of the 
sixteenth century, stated that in Yemen they used 
"Kafta" long before they indulged in coffee. The 
latter was resorted to in Aden when in the time of 
Dhabhani, in the fifteeentu century, kafta had become 
a rare article, kafta, says Abdakadir, being the same 
as kat, a stimulating, not* inebriating drink, which is 
consequently permitted like coffee. K it would appear 
to mean the leaves, kafta the driuk. 
Similar statements will be found in D'Herbelot, 
'Bibliotheque orientale,' i. (La Haye, 1777), 461, under 
the article " Oahuah.' ' J 
All the above statements concur in attributing emin- 
ent powers to kat, which would seem to be possibly 
due to caffeine. 
Attfield failed in discovering caffeine in the leaves 
of catha (Pharm Journ., vi., Is65, p. 400), and one 
of us § likewise ascertained that they do not con- 
tain that substance. The abseuce of caffeine was 
again proved, .Pharm. Journ., xvii. (1887), 1009, by 
Dr. Paul. 
Professor C. Schorlemmer, F, R. S., also devoted 
an interesting note|| to the leaves of caffea, thea 
and catha as grown in the temperate house at Kew 
Gardens. He ascertained tli presence of caffeiuo in 
the cultivated leaves of Caffea arabiea, Caffea laurina 
(none in those of Caffea lihorica), I'hea viridu and 
Thea assamica, but failed in discovering caffeine, both 
in the fresh leaves as well as in old ones from the 
museum, ef Catha edulis. Professor Schorlemmcr 
only isolated from catha a minute quantity of a kind 
of sugar, apparently m uinite. 
Our friend, Professor Sohiir, Zurich, afforded us the 
opportunity of examining some bundles of kat twigs 
of the best quality obtainable at Aden. They were 
about from 15 to 20 centimetres (1 to 6 inches) iu 
* Paulitschkn. Petermann's ' Geogr. Mitteilungen,' 
xxii. (1885), 105. Hunter, ' Account of the Brit. Settle? 
ment of Aden,' p. I ll, also mentions Sabrai kat and 
Makhtrai kilt, from the districts in which they are pro- 
duced; the latter fetching the lower price. The two 
varieties an> evidently those figured by Vanghan, l.e. 
f So" Kluckigor und Tschiroh, ' Grundlagen dei 
Phurnnikognone,' Berlin 1885; pa^oH 102 (fig. 00). is:; 
(tig. 127). 181 il'u.'. 128), 186 (fig. 12!)); or English 
tmnsjbtioo, bv Power ; wew V nit, William Wood ami 
Co., l.W. pxges I si!, 2 HI 211, 212, the figures just 
alluded to. 
I Abstracted by the lilt- Pmiel Itinbury in l,i- 
notes to Vaughan'.-, paper, I'harm.Jmirn., xii. (1852), 
270 
ijKliirkiifer A rrhilf, tier l'htirmn, i,, vol. cxl . (18701, 72. 
j| Cluimail XtK>, \ol xlviii. ^Nov. 1> 1SS3) ^J5. 
length, each of them provided with about twenty leaves 
of average size. The leaves alone were powdered, 
and the powder, 1300 grams (nearly 3 lb.), gently 
warmed with 5 litres ( 1-10 gallon ) of water contain- 
ing 10 grams of oxalic acid (nearly one-third of an 
ounce). After a few hours the whole was packed into 
a percolator and the liquid drawn off the next day. 
The washings and tho percolate wore concentrated to 
the volume of 2 litres, and mixed with half tho amount 
of quicklime which would have been required for 
saturating the oxalic acid employed. Then the brown- 
ish-green liquid was allowed to stand for some hours ; 
it then became clear, and was evaporated to half its 
volume. On saturating it with caustic lye in a good 
excess it turned dark brown. We immediately exhaust- 
ed it by shaking it repeatedly with light; petroleum, 
boiling point from 30 ° to 65 ° O. (86° to 149 ° V). 
The petroleum was distilled off for the most part, and 
the remaining liquid, about 100 c. c, shaken with fivo 
consecutive portions of dilute hydrochloric acid. On 
saturating the cloar acid solution with an excess of 
caustic lye it became milky. By repeatedly shak- 
ing tho turbid liquid with ether it at last be- 
came clear. 
The ether, allowed to evaporate in the cold, afford- 
ed a trifling quantity, say 0'5 gram, of a thickish oily 
yellowish matter, which readily dissolved in dilute 
acetic acid, this solution giving with iodated iodide 
of potassium or iodohydrargyrate of potassium precipit- 
ates which are characteristic for alkaloids. 
No trace of crystallization appeared in the residue, 
from the ethereal solution, even after several days' 
standing at a low temperature. This alkaloid, the 
small amount of which did not allow of any further 
purification, readily dissolved in water, and this solut- 
ion reddened test-paper impregnated with phenol- 
phthalein. The red colour soon disappeared from the pa- 
per, probably due to the evaporation of the alkaloid- 
When the alkaloid, which might be termed kalinc, 
was treated with dilute acetic acid, a very trifling resi- 
due remained undissolved. The clear filtrate, care- 
fully evaporated over concentrated sulphuric acid, 
yielded a decidedly crystalline acetate of katinc. Its 
aqueous solution was not precipitated by tannic or 
picric acid, nor by chloride of platinum. 
We also expressly ascertained that no caffeiuo was 
present in our " katine," which, in all probabilty, will 
prove to be a liquid when perfectly pure. 
An epitome of this paper was read by Mr. Naylor. 
The President, iu proposing a vote of thanks to the 
authors, said that doubtless theso catha leaves were 
used as coca leaves for the purposes of preventing 
exhaustion. 
The vote of thanks to the authors was carried ttuaui- 
mously. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 
FboTI <'• Mm.auia. — Residents in the Western States 
of America and other regions where intermittent* aud 
similar diseases result from malaria state that a 
regular supply of ripe, home-grown fruit is almost a 
preventive. K\t tho fruit only when fully ripe, aud 
only moderate quantities at a time. — Indian Gardettlr. 
Tin-: N'kw EkktimsKk. — The Thomas-Gilchrist process 
of steel-making is daily proving an increased sourco 
bf wealth to the English iron-making districts whose 
ores are of a phosphorir nature. The employment of 
the waste slag produced from the basic converters iu 
the cmirso °» manufacture iu agricultural fertilising 
is proving very successful. Thuso chemical elements 
which, If present in excess, are productive of much 
loss to the steelmaster nre invaluable to the tannine 
community. Tin- Staffordshire Steel and liu,'ot Iron 
Company, at their works at Kilston, are experienc- 
ing such a good demand for tho basic manure that 
they have made arrangements for doubling their 
piescut grinding plant. The Company are now manu- 
facturing 100 tons of tlio finest ground steel manure 
pi r week, and if their rapacity wen- Millirient tliev 
might have orders iu hand for 2,Qt'<> tors ahead. 
->-Cluini:t and Lh-vgjiil. 
