4 3S 
THE TROPIOAL AGRICULTURIST. [January 2, 1888. 
distribution to the people at a cheaper rate than I 
proposed. My proposal of one auna a dose was based 
on various con iderations. While giving a good profit 
at th« then price of quinine, it was still not more than 
the poorest coolie could easily afford to be cured of 
his fever even if it had to be repeated two or three 
tines, vvhich, wi'h the best quinine, would be the pro- 
bable utmost requirement. Quinine is a thing that 
no one buys, however cheap, except when suffering 
from or anticipating fever, but which everyone who 
has once been cured by it buys, however dear, when 
again attacked. Again, what I considered as of im- 
mense importance was that the price of it to the coolie 
should never vary, and as it was then thought that 
the price of quiniee would soon again rise, though 
not to its former excessive price, an anna a dose 
would have allowed, even at some rise in price, of 
the continuance of the supply at least without loss. 
At the same time I stated that I asked no monopoly, 
and that if private trade would supply it cheaper, 
I should make no opposition. But the Government 
of Madras, in refusing my offer, apparently did not 
realise the impossibility for them to make febrifuge 
in India in the quantities required, or of the quality 
necessary to induce the coolie to buy. Nearly three 
years have elapsed, and the people of Madras we now 
no nearer havh.g febrifuge wiihin their reach in 
each village than they were at the time when, if my 
offer had been accepted, an ounce of the best quinine 
would have been placed for them in each village. 
Even if the Government did supply tach village with 
its own locally made febrifuge, it is doubtful if they 
would buy it, however cheap, as it is not known to 
and appreciated by them as quinine is. Nothing 
but quiuine, and that the very best and purest 
standing the test of dissolving without any sediment 
in three times its weight of ether, would have such 
effects on the first village purchasers from the moneghar 
as would lead all the other villagers to buy it when 
attacked by fever. 
The consequence is that since January 1885 from 
'200,000 to 3oO,000 lives yearly have been sacrificed, 
and intense suffering and loss of working power has 
afflicted ten times that number yearly from fever 
which my proposal to the Madras Government would, 
if not have saved, at least, have diminished. Since 
1885 the continued fall in price would make the ap- 
plication of this remedy easier and at a cheaper rate. 
Though I could not now work it myself, the Gov- 
ernment, not only in Madras but all over India, 
could do so easily and without the smallest risk. The 
money invested in purchasing the quinine for the 
first start would be perfectly safe, as all of it which 
the villagers did not buy would remain in the hands 
of the officials for use iu the hospitals and dispen- 
saries. And if, as is to be expected, it was largely 
bought in the villages, even half-an-anna a dose 
would now give Government a profit while saving 
millions of lives. But the essential condition of success 
must be the abandonment of the idea of locally pre- 
pared febrifuges, aud the purchase in the European 
market of the best and purest quinine standing the 
test I have mentioned. In your article you say : 
" Let us hope that the present Viceroy may among 
other honours of a successful reign be able to 
achieve some material contribution to this beneficent 
results." If His Excellency would take up this subjeots, 
although I am not a Government servant, I should 
be proud to place my knowledge and experience of 
the bark trade at his disposal, and for that purpose 
to go to Calcutta at my own expense this next wintor 
to meet him. J. W. B. Money. 
Devah Shola, Nilgiris. 

Brazil Copfke Notes. — A S. Paulo paper tiays 
that in the municipality of Araraquara the coffee 
blosB-un is such as has never before beou seen. The 
trees are absolutely bending under the woight of the 
blossoms ! Thi story is said to have beou overheard. 
A party asks his friend whether he is a" bull " or a 
" bear " on coffee. The friend replies that he is an 
•' ass," for all his money had gone. If it was invented, 
we must offer our congratulations to the c mcocter. 
—A S P'.ulo paper prints the following : —The yellow 
coffee ripens earlier than the red. When the latter is 
only half-way to compl-te rip^n^ss, the yellow is en- 
tirely rioened. In years of very short crop*, trees of 
the. yelJoiv coffee ar G seen well covered. The branches 
are stiff and do not break under the weight (of the 
crop), which does not happen with the other varieties. 
The harvesting of the yellow coffee is much easier than 
of the others, for the berry is softer. It dries more 
rapidly than the red. And beyond this it is much 
heavier than the latter. Two new native products 
have recently been patented. Oae is a ' Consolidator 
of coffee trees" and the other an " Aut Destroyer." 
Now, if dome one would patent a " consolidator of 
coffee prices," operators would all take a hand.— Rio 
News, Nov 1st. [This is tbi first time we have neard 
of " yellow coffee ' as a distinct variety. All the coffee 
we have ever seen passed from green to yellow and 
from yellow to red in ripening. — Ed.] 
The Manufacture of Japan Soy.— At a recent 
meeting of German chemists a Mr. Erich communi- 
cated a paper on the prepara'ion of Japan soy. a 
product of which the <1> tails of manufacture are as 
yet imperfectly knowu. Soy has been manufactured 
in Japan for over a thousand years, and forms a 
very considerable . article of consumption in that 
country and throughout the East. There are many 
factories of the condiment in the country, one of 
the largest being at Tokio, where considerably over 
one million gallons are specially prepared for export 
every year. The principal ingredients known to be 
used in the manufacture of soy are a very hard 
long-awned variety of barley, common salt, soya beans 
{Dolichos soya), a specially prepared ferment, and 
water. The soy beans are roasted like coffee, the 
barley is partly roasted and partly malted. The 
roasted parts of the barley and the beans are soaked 
ia cold water, cooled, and preserved by the addition 
of a liberal dose of common salt. To this are added 
first a distase solution, and afterwards a specially 
prepared ferment, which causes an extremely slow 
fermenation, but without any considerable formation 
of carbonic dioxide or alcohol. The degree of strength 
of the soy depends upon the time used in the process 
of manufacture, which vari K s from one to three years. 
If kept cool and out, of the light soy can be kept 
good for a very long time, but the action of light 
and the free access of air cause fermentation. — 
Chemist and Druggist. 
North cf India Tea Notes. — A sprinkling of rain in 
Cachar. Tea prospects go-)d in Sibsagar and Lukhimpore. 
The prospects of all crops are good in the Garo, Khasi 
and Jaintia Hills. Rice had also suffered from drought 
in Oachar but the tea season was closing. Weather 
is reported "fine" or "seasonable" in all the tea 
districts except one. In Nowgong, the weather was 
a little dry, and rice was suffering from drought. 
Rajmai. — On the night of the 11th March a most 
destructive hail-storm visited the district and did much 
harm to the bushes, taking off whole shoots, and 
otherwise committing great damage. This storm was 
followed on the 15th of the same month by a second 
that proved equally damaging in its effects on the 
pruned tea. This unusual event, of two hail-storms 
one after the other in such quick succession, is suffi- 
ciently peculiar to be worthy of note; affecting, as 
they did, the tea prospects in no small degree. At 
the present time fogs are very prevalent in the morn- 
ings, lasting for four and five hours at a time, and 
foreboding an early close of the season. The rainfall 
has generally speaking, been behind that of last 
year, but more evenly distributed, and hence, though 
most gardens are likely to be behind the outturn of 
,laat year, they have still done very fairly well. Health 
has, been pretty good, and one item worthy of notice 
is that notwithntanding the short rainfall, the mus- 
quitoblig.it i ias been pretty prevalent. One garden in 
,thn Luckhimpore district was completely "shut up" 
on this account, not making its estimate by a long 
way. — Indian Planters' Gazette, Den. 6th. 
