June i, 1888,] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
863 
DRUG MARKET KB PORTS. 
ANNATTO remains neglected. For 10 baskets gool 
soft bright Brazilian roll Is (ill is wanted, while lOd 
par lb. was refused for a much inferior lot, which is 
held at ltd per lo. One case rathei' bright powder 
(d« Amsterdam) sild, without reserve, at Id per lb. 
Cinchona.— Several odd lots were offered at today's 
auctions, but they did not include auythiug calling 
for remark, the bulk being old secondhand parcels. 
One case Ceylon quill, thin rusty succirubra, sold at 
6d per lb. without reserve ; 30 bales Maracaibo, com- 
mon, dusty, and damaged, at Id to l§dj a few bales 
of fair broken mossy Lima quill, at I'.'.d ; thill rusty 
Guayaquil, at 6M per lb. The shipments from Java 
have been rather heavy lately, and the total exported 
Bince the commencement of the season is nearly double 
that of the corresponding period of 1886-7. The exact 
figures are : — 
Private Govt. Total, 
pints, pints. 
July to Feb. 
1st 1887 20th 1888 * kilos. 2,00,1711 190,053 2,491,821 
„ 1886 28th 1887 „ 1,120,310 480,777 1,006,087 
,, 1885 28th 1886 „ 677,627 330,212 1,007,869 
„ 1881 28th 1885 „ 627,352 278,431 905,783 
„ 1883 39th 1884 „ 467,151 110,275 877,429 
The shipments for the present season thus being 
already equal to 2,703,207 lb. 
Oils ^Essential). — Star anise cheiper, three ases 
just arrived selling today at 5s lid per lb. Oajaput 
oil is without demad. The prico of 3s 4d is named 
for teu cases at 21 bottles. Cinnamon unaltered. A 
case of fine pale oil is limited at 3s per oz. Citron 11a. 
quiet at lo-lOthd. per oz. For a lot of 22 cases 
good Cochin lemongrass ljd per oz. was refused, and 
the whole bought in at 2id nominally. An offer of 
3s Id for good Dominica oil of limes was also refused. 
Oil of p itchouly quiet; 2s per oz. suggested. Pepper- 
mint firm for American; there are no sellers of H. 
G. H. oil under 10s 6d although 10s 3d could be obs- 
tained. Two cases 11. G. H. spearmint bought in at 
14s per lb. Of 0 bottles fair ylang-ylang imported via 
Hamburg (V. Javega brand), two sold at the Ij.v 
price of 4s 6d per oz. 
(Juinine.-— The downward movement still continues, 
and a rather considerable trade (some 77,000 oz. 
since o.ir last report) has been done at falling prices, 
mostly by "somo of tho German manufacturers them- 
selves, who are apparently doing their utmost to de- 
press the market — a seemingly anomalous way of proce- 
dure, lor which various reasons are assigned, one 
beiug that tho Amsterdam auctions take place today, 
and that they waut to bring down the unit value at 
those sales. The manufacturers working for the fall 
are the Mannheim, Brunswick, and Auorbach factories, 
the tirstnaiiied having accepted Is Id for delivery, 
tho second Is Id for delivery, aud Is 3Jd 
on the spot, aud tho last-named Is did aud, 
subsequently Is 3Jd per oz. The English, 
French, and Italian makers, a3 well as the Frank- 
fort and Stuttgart factories, are, it seems, adopting 
a passive attitude. Yesterday second-hand Iota sold 
at Is 3d. per oz. for cosh and today there was somo 
further business done at that figure. 
Quinine and Iron Oitraxb.— Fourteen cases of this 
preparation (each holding 1 GO oz. bottles) were offered 
for sale. Tho clauso " without reserve," printed in 
tho catalogue, was declared not to apply when the 
lot was Touched. Tho mako (tho cases only bore tho 
mark L.S.) was not stated, but an analysis was said to 
have proved tho presence of 15 per cent, quinine, 
oqual to tho B. P. strength. Tho lot was bought 
iu at 7d per oz., f>id being suggested in vain. No 
offers wero forthcoming.— Ohtmtt and DivO'/ist, 
May 5th. J 
THE DITCH CINCHONA AUCTIONS. 
Amstkuiiam, May 3rd. 
At the cinchona auctions held today, 1,016 pack- 
ages bark were sold of a total of 1,7.13 offend. TI10 
unit averaged ft J to 10 cuuta pur half-kilo. (— 1 7-lOd 
to 1 4-5thd per lb.), being thus rather below that ob- 
tained at last week's auctions iu London, tho'igh 
quite as high in proportion to the value of quinine 
then and now prevailing. Druggists' bark chips and 
quills realised, according to quality, from lo to 78 
cents per half kilo. (=l£d. to Is 2d per lb.), and ditto 
root from 15 to 20 cents (=2Jd to 4jd per lb.) Manu- 
facturers' bark, iu chips aud quills, sold at 8 to 98 
cents per half-kilo, ( — lid to Is 5;}d peril).) and ditto 
root at 14 to 70 cents (=2M to Is 0£d per lb). The 
principal buyers were the Amsterdam Quinine Works, 
tho Brunswick factory, and Messrs. Ziinmer & Co. 
Quinine. — The disastrous consequences of the specufc 
lative movement of December last became apparen- 
only too quickly. It became evident that the consum , 
ption did not possess sufficient power of assimilation- 
and all attempts to further screw up the price of 
quinine failed because of the superabundant produc- 
tion. At present no trace of the recent excitmeut is 
left in the market, and the prospects for the future 
of the article are again as dark as they were before. 
To an experienced judge of the market there caunot 
be any doubt that for the present all bises for a legi- 
timate improvement in the quiuine trade are wanting. 
The steadily recurring unfavourable reports speaking 
of diseases in the cinchona plantations do not merit 
any credence, and it is known that even the smallest 
lasting improvement in the price of the alkaloid must 
cause a rapid increase in the production of cinchona. 
The continued appearance of new febrifuges also opens 
up au unfavourable perspective, the importance of 
which is nob underestimated in competent quarters. 
The consumption of quinine in Germany has been very 
considerably reduced by the new febrifuges. America, 
it is true, is a large consumer of quinine, and it is 
still dependent upon the European production for a 
large proportion of its requirements, but is should bo 
be borne in mind that the supply of the Americau 
markets oanuot be considered au irrevocable privi- 
lege of the European makers. — Ghemist and Druggist, 
May 5th. 
♦ 
Commerce Procures Drugs for us. Th>2 nomady 
tribes dig for rhubarb on the bleak steppes of Tartayt 
tor a livelihood ; the sailor braves the storm, and we 
all here at home work hard simply to get food, for a 
livelihood; but from all this commercial work, the 
sick man in London recovers health, and lives. 
It is true we are dependent on the lowest olass of 
shepherds, Hottentots, and Indians in South 
America, and therefore the quality cf some drugs 
suffers from b.td collection ; but this is improving, 
and the cultivation of cinchonas in Java, cardamoms 
in Ceylon, senna in Tiunivelly, is giving us drugs of 
first-rate excellenoe. — Chemist and Druggist, April 
28th. 
DISTRIBUTION OF CEYLON EXPORTS. 
(From 1st Oct. 1887 to 31st Mag 1888.) 
Countries. 
C'chona 1 
Branch j 
Coffee & Trunk' Tea. 
owt. 
lb. 
lb. 
7313570 117-IS«s' 7J>>"> 
3721. 008 
H37 ... 
2HS035 
" - 700 
liS 
200 
41093 
013, 
10010 
So 
100 
2W, 6OM0, 
viOft 
Mill 
To United Kingdom .. 
,, Marseilles 
11 Genoa 
11 Venice 
„ Trieste 
„ Odessa 
,, Hamburg 
,, Antwerp 
,, liremeu 
n Havre 
„ Rotterdam 
,. Africa 
,, Mauritius 
„ In. tin & Eastward .. 
H Australia 
■I America 
Total Kx ports from Oct.l 
188J to May 31, 1888 lt071U 767105&',iai».U>:.' lfc>Si 
Do 1686 do 1887 OT1JUH <1&M»;7 I4W 
Do UW do 188* 17*3?3 UWM-M.I *K»l> M>« 
Do lbtH do lttto Wtttt 7W15SW 1WOJT0 3140 
18168 
831 
40, 
947 
1577 
"l46 
•J 
8 
leoo 
6 
*3 
&1 
AS*' 
Uarda- 
i_"cuu mom?. 
lb. 
197636 
m 
"da; 
668 
1 i 
Ui3*J 
887 
