THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [February i, t88 8. 
went to show that bark carefully stored and not 
exposed to the sun showed no falling-off in quality. 
CINCHONA IN THE DUTCH MAEKET. 
Amsterdam, Dec. 14th. 
Cinchona. — Yesterday I received the analysis of eight 
samples of Java bark which were sent to a renowned 
German analyst for the purpose of ascertaining whether 
the trees, of which the samples were cut, would suit- 
ably be used for multiplying. The result is stated as 
follows : — 
1st sample, Ledgeriana 
„ Hybrids 
9-80 per cent quin. sul. 
9 35 „ „ 
10-97 
10-50 
Total... 79 89 per cent, or an aver- 
age of 10 per cent. 
The planters will receive orders to raise at least 
300,000 plants from these rich trees, which have been 
selected from a large number of the same kind in a 
private plantation existing since 1881. The fact here 
stated must cause reflections with regard to the future 
of cinchona bark and its alkaloids, which may prove to 
be of some interest to bark planters and shippers and 
buyers of the alkaloids. 
There are in Java at least sixty private plantations 
of cinchona bark, besides the extensive Government 
plantations. Most of the former have been established 
in the year 1879 to 1882. Seeds and Dlants were 
furnished by the director of the Government plant- 
ations, the existence of which may be dated back 
before 18G0. 
It is a curious fact that private planters obtained 
in many instances richer bark than the Government, 
whose barks seldom surpassed 7 per cent, sulphate of 
quinine, whilst many a parcel was forwarded by pri- 
vate planters having 9 to 10 per cent, of this alkaloid. 
It is generally suggested that the heavy quantities 
of Ceylon bark shipped lately pressed down the value 
to figures at which the net receipt did not even cover 
the expenses for harvesting, and freight and selling, 
if the bark did not contain more than 2 per cent of 
sulphate of quinine. Since a few weeks, circumstances 
have altered in favour of owners of bark, but it may 
be supposed that this improvement will induce many 
a Ceylon owner, who did not ship his bark for the 
aforesaid reason, now to send over as much as possible 
to Europe, and that in consequence a drooping ten- 
dency will again prevail ere long. But it is not so 
much my purpose to point out that probably low rates 
of bark and quinine will predominate shortly, as to 
direct the thoughts of persons interested to the period 
when Java with the produce of its private plantations 
will fall into the market; this will be in 1889-1890, 
when a great number of trees will have attained the 
age of seven to ten years, every tree yielding, say, 
3 lb. of bark of 6 to 10 per cent of quinine, every bale 
of 130 1b. bark representing 8 lb. to 13 lb. of sulphate 
of quinine. 
If the consumption of quinine has not increased on 
an enormous scale every cinchona tree, the bark of 
which does not contain at least 4 per cent of quinine, 
will then have lost its raison d'&lre, and every planta- 
tion which produces lower bark may be looked upon as 
a dead loss. 
All these remarks regard manufacturer's bark only. 
The cinchona known by the general name of" Druggist's 
Bark " has not been, and will probably not be, 
cultivated on any large scale, and its future value will, 
therefore, not be so gravely prejudiced by the coming 
Java deluge. 
Quinine.— On December 6th a Government contract 
ten ter took place of 750 to 900 kilos. (= -26,250 to 
31.500 oz.), buyers' option delivery in 1888. Thc f lowest 
offer came from Bohriuger's (Mannheim) agent— 35f. 
01c. per kilo. (--Is 8d per oz.), the next following 
from Aufrbach'n agent (30t. 50c), the third from a 
Hague house at 45f. The Government can order 
the parcel at any time in 1888. Judging from former 
experience, it may, however, be supposed that 450 
kilos, will be ordered in February. During the recent 
rise only a small business has been done in this country, 
owing to the inability of manufacturers to deliver 
prompt! • . The last price paid was 40f. per kilo, and 
at this figure small sales for consumption have taken 
place. Some weeks ago a clergyman died, eighty-two 
years old. Thi« venerable gentleman began his career 
about sixty years ago as an apothecary's apprentice. 
In his diary a note was found, dated from 1828, in 
which he states that he was seriously ill, and that 
he owed his recovery to the kindness of his princi- 
pal, who gave him sulphate of quinine, although its 
price was 1 guilder (Is 8d) the grain. This is 21/ 12.v 
per oz. against 2s Id now ! Tempora miitantvr ! 
Cocoa Butter — The market is very firm. Prices 
8 per cent above last auction. Messrs. van Houten & 
Son inform their customers that owing to the partial 
rebuilding of their factory their production of cocoa 
butter during the month of December will be smaller 
than usual, and that, consequently, their usual Janu- 
ary sale will be a comparatively small one. — Chemist 
and Druggist. 
Dbug Sale Specimens. — There is scarcely a fort- 
nightly drug sale in London at which some new or 
interesting drug or drug-substitute is uot to be found, 
and if a small syndicate of young pharmacists, ardent 
regarding research, were ready at hand, they would 
find ample material to work upon. Few of those 
who frequent the sale-rooms have the ability -to report 
upon the specimens which come under their notice, 
and those who have the ability are busy commercial 
men who have only the time to avoid what is spurious 
and doubtful, far less examine them systematically. 
Amongst the articles which we have recently observ- 
ed are the false calabar beans which were referred 
to in our last report of the drug sales. These do not 
come on our market for the first time, although a 
year ago they received, under the name of cali beans, 
some attention as a probable source of physostigmiue. 
The seeds are lenticular or obscurely reniform in 
shape, and about 1 in. in diameter, the thickness 
varying from § to about \ an inch. In colour of 
testa they also vary, some being of an orange-red 
colour with coffee-brown streaks, others of the brown 
and black colour of calabar beans, and all having a 
black hilum extending round four-fifths of the circum- 
ference. The seeds are obtained from one or more 
species of Mucuna, a genus of plants closely allied 
to the pbysostigmas. So far we have obtained no 
evidence whatever that they are related chemically 
to the calabar bean, for we cannot fiud physostigmine 
in them. There has just been imported via New 
York for private sale a gluey like substance of the 
consistence ah appearance of honey. It has a faint 
fishy odour, and this has led to the belief that it is 
fish-glue. The substance, however, is resinous in 
character, and on examination we fiud that it presents 
all the characters of an elemi, but differiug from the 
true elemi in some particulars. It yields, however, 
a resinous acid resembling elemic acid, but time has 
not allowed us to carry our examination further. A 
correspondent has sent us a pretty sample of "saffron" 
which would ptss muster with anyone devoid of the 
sense of smell, for it has no odour of saffion. It 
pr sents the appearance of bright-orange filaments, 
without the characteristic stigma of saffron, nor 
does it contain any crocin (or polychroit), the colour- 
ing matter which makes saffron such a valu tble dye. 
It contains very little colouring matter, and that of 
a nature which leads us to suppose. that the "saffron" 
is simply a fibre which has been dyed with an azo-orange. 
As this article has been offered for sale in the ordin- 
ary course of wholesale dealing, chemists should be 
on their guard. It is easily recognised by rubbing 
a few of the fibres with a dozen minims of water, 
and adding a drop of hydrochloric acid. The colour 
becomes pink-like, but the colour of true saffron in these 
circumstances does not change.— Chemist and Druyr/ist; 
