712 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 2, 1888. 
notice an improvement in prices in the home 
market, as the over-abundant supply appears to 
be somewhat exhausted, and shipments from 
Ceylon more moderate. At the same time I read 
in the Bulletin of our Jamaica Botanical Depart- 
ment, that a Java planter, who has visited 
Ceylon, crows over his Ceylon brother-planters, 
advises them to make the most of what cinchona 
they have left during the next two years, and 
predicts grand things for Java-grown cinchona in 
the future, which he avers to be far superior to 
what is grown in Ceylon, as it consists in the 
main of the better kinds of calisaya, more especially 
ledgeriana, and he believes these qualities will be 
preferred by the manufacturers as containing far 
more quinine, and goes so far as to say that one 
million pounds of Java bark will be equal to 
several millions of Ceylon. Now it appears to me 
that officinalis has always found a ready sale in 
the market, and who knows but some canker, 
or unsuitableness of soil, may yet prevent our 
Java friend's " castles in the air" from being 
realized ; he should not so confidently " count his 
chickens before they are hatched." W. S. 
♦ 
THE DUTCH CINCHONA AUCTIONS. 
(Chemist and Druggist, Feb. 25th.) 
Amsterdam, Feb. 23rd. — At the public auctions of 
cinchona bark held this day a supply of 1,704 packages 
(including 57 of British Indian origin) was offered for 
sale, and of this quantity 1,496 packages were actually 
disposed of at an average unit of 12 to 13 cents, per 
J kilo. (=2 l-5th d. to 2Jd. per lb), or just a shade below 
what is said to have been paid at last week's auctions 
in London. Druggists' bark, broken quills and chips 
to fair quill realised from 20 to 79 cents per J kilo. 
(=3Jd to Is 2Jd; per lb.), and ditto root from 19 to 
22 cents, per ^ kilo. (=3Jd to 4d per lb.). Manufac- 
turers' bark sold at the following prices : Common 
chips and broken quills to fine strong rich quill, from 
4 to 126 cents, per J kilo. (-~fd. to Is lhl. per lb.), 
and root at 22 to 94 cents, per | kilo. (= 4d. to Is 5d. 
per lb.). Moderate competition prevailed, the chief 
buyers, named iu order, being the Brunswick Quinine 
AVork, Zimmer & Co., of Frankfort-on-Main, and the 
Amsterdam Quinine Works. 
TEOPICAL PBODUCTS. 
Annatto. — Thirty baskets Ceylon seed, fair to good 
bright quality, sold today at 2fd to 3Jd. per lb. Para 
roll remains very neglected. Thirty baskets were offered 
today, but no bid was made, and the whole bought in 
at Is 3d to Is 6d. per lb. for rather dark to fair quality. 
Areca Nuts. — Eleven bales of good quality sold at 16s. 
OalumbA. — The value of ordinary root, which is iu 
large supply, seems likely to fall still lower. About 
300 bags were offered for sale today and all bought in, 
dark mostly small at 17*.; fair yellowish mixed, partly 
cleaned, at the same price (16s. being refused for this 
lot); common pickings at 5s. per cwt. 
Coca Leaves.— Several lots ordinary leaves were 
bought iu at nominal prices. 
Oubebs. — At the auctions today ten bags good 
genuine, but stalky berries (slightly mixed with pale 
fruit) were bought in at £26 10s. per cwt., while two 
bags spurious berries, from New York, sold at £16 5s. 
per cwt. Seventeen bags were imported from Singa- 
pore per steamer " Glengyle " this week, and today 
we received another consignment of twelve bags via 
Amsterdam. 
Kola Nuts. — Only 2 bags sold cheaply, at 3d. per 
lb, for whole but partly mouldy seeds. 
Vanilla. — Over 440 tins were offered for sale today, 
and mostly disposed of at irregular prices, dearer for 
good, but rather cheaper for low-class beans. The fol- 
lowing rates were obtained : — Common lean to ordi- 
nary chocolate 8J to 6| inch, 4s 6d to 8s.; fair to good 
uncrystallured ditto, 4i to 7 inch, 8s to 13s.; good to 
fine, 6* to 8 inch, 13s 6d to 20s 66V; fine, 8 to 8-J inch, 
2ls 6d."; rather brownish, 4i to 7 A inch, 6s Od to 10s 
6d.; ordinary dry, 3.', to G inch, 3s 9<J to 5s 9d.— 
Qhtmitt % Druggist, Feb. 25th. 
A captain of the Netherlands Indian army has been 
making vigorous efforts to start a steam paper-mill 
in Java. The raw materials such as rags, baling, 
bamboo fibres, &c, are admittedly obtaiuable there 
in great abundance. But the chance of carrying 
on such a line of business enterprise remuneratively 
there, looks so small despite the glowing prospects 
held out by the officer that the scheme has fallen 
flat so far. — Indian Agriculturist. 
Market for Tea in America. — We call atten- 
tion to the proceedings of the Indian Tea Districts 
Association reported on page 707, in reference 
to steps about to be taken to try and induce a 
greater consumption of Indian Tea in America. 
Mr. Allies struck the key to the way to start an 
immediate trade when he spoke of getting at the 
emigrants. Could not the Ceylon Tea Association 
offer to co-operate on condition of Ceylon tea being 
proportionately supplied. 
Artificial Rubies. — At the Academy of Sciences 
meeting of February 27th, M. Fremy reported the 
progress accomplished by him and M. Verneuil in 
their attempts to make rubies of merchantable size. 
By heating barium fluoride with alumina and 
traces of potassium chromate, they have obtained 
this time rhombohedric crystals of pinkish ruby 
in the midst of a colourless gangue, from which 
they are easily separated by washing. The artifi- 
cial stone contains no baryta, but solely alumina 
with traces of chromium ; it is perfectly trans- 
parent, and will scratch topaz, as natural ruby 
does. So far, with the apparatus at their dispo- 
sal, they have been able to produce ruby crystals 
measuring from 1 to 2 millimetres (l-25th to l-12th 
of an inch) in their largest diameter. But on in- 
creasing the size of their appliances they hope 
to soon turn out rubies that will not be mere 
curiosities. MM. Fremy and Verneuil were com- 
plimented on their success. — Chemist and Druggist, 
March 3rd, 
Coffee Leaf Disease. — Recent Java, journals giv6 
particulars of a remedy for coffee leaf disease, dis- 
covered by Dr. Burck, manager of the Government 
Botanic Gardens at Buitenzorg, near Batavia. The 
specific is said not only to cure the disease, but al«o 
to prevent its recurrence. For preventive purposes, 
he makes use of a highly attenuated solution of chloride 
of iron applied to the under portion of the leaves by 
means of a pulverisator. The sticky nature of the 
solution enabl.es it to adhere two months to the coffee- 
leaves. It is a powerful antidote to the Hemileia 
vastatrix. To stay the progress of the latter when 
it has once taken hold, a different method is employed. 
The coffee-leaves in which the lEcmilcia first mani- 
fests itself in the form of orange-coloured spots are 
at once taken in hand. Holes are picked in the spots 
with a needle dipped in a strong solution of sulphuric 
acid, which kills all the germs of the disease in the 
leaf.* Dr. Burck estimates the cost of the preventive 
specific at 2i guilders per 133 lb., and the healing re- 
medy at 4 guilders. He anticipates that the price 
of coffee will be enhanced iu consequence. The second 
rpecific in particular is said to have yielded good re- 
sults and to be easy to administer. The economic 
value for Java of the discovery of the remedies, should 
they prove successful, can scarcely be over-estimated. 
In Ceylon the disease in the coffee-plant produced a 
revolution in planting ; year after year the coffee 
crops were failures, many planters were ruined, and 
ultimately tea-growing took the place of coffee with 
results which are just now astonishing the world But 
the period of transition from one staple to the 
other was one of economic disaster, from which perhaps 
Dr. Burck has saved Java. — Nature, Feb. 9th. [We are 
having Dr. Burck's paper translated in full for the 
Tropical Agriculturist. — Ed. T. A.~\ 
* How practicable this remedy is, all who have 
soen a coffee bush covered with the disease can judge. 
A cooly would take a week to a bush, and then the 
loaves would drop off to make room for another crop 
for the spores to fasten on,— Ed. T, At 
