16 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. July 2, 1888. 
ing at muster, during the fever period, we cannot 
doubt that a much larger proportion of their 
labour force would continue to be available steadily 
and constantly for estate work, than has been 
the case recently and in past years. Paludal and 
jungle fevers periodically claim their holocausta 
of victims in Ceylon, and as for India, of the 
eight millions or thereabouts of human beings 
who die within its bounds every year, the vast 
majority are killed by fevers,"malarial" or "typhoid" 
(enteric). Cholera, dreadful as its ravages often 
are (in retribution for allowing water to get foul and 
the neglect of sanitary laws generally), but for the 
terrible symptoms of the disease and its awfully 
Budden termination in death, would not deserve 
to be mentioned as a cause of mortality in 
connection with the Indian death-roll. It is a 
question worthy of consideration whether a judi- 
cious use of quinine might not ward off, modify 
and even cure attacks of cholera. But no 
one doubts that for fevers (uncomplicated with 
serious internal disease <sr lesion of the vital 
organs) it is as much of a specific as any ma- 
terial substance can be. There is room for a 
large increase in the consumption of quinine in 
Ceylon, and for an enormous expansion of the 
demand for this valuable medicine in India and in 
China : in the latter country not only as a 
remedy for the prevalent paludal fevers, but 
as a cure for excessive indulgence in opium. 
So in all marshy oountries, such as a large portion 
of the United States, Eussia, parts of every country 
on the face of the globe, in truth. If quinine 
can be manufactured cheaply in Ceylon by Mr. 
Gammie's method, and we can see no possible 
obstaole which cannot be overcome, we think our 
leading planters and merchants ought to lose no 
time in establishing a factory, or in the encourage- 
ment of a chemist, or firm of chemists, to embark 
in the enterprise. Whether cinchona trees con- 
tinue to be planted in our island or not, it is 
certain that the quantity still growing on estates 
would afford supplies for a local manufactory for 
many years to come, yielding, we should say, a 
moderate profit to the owners of the raw product, 
and also to the manufacturers of the alkaloids. 
4 
CINCHONA IN JAVA. 
A good deal of information on this subject 
has just reached our hands. The Quarterly 
Report of the Director of the Java Government Cin- 
chona Gardens is, as usual, succinct and business- 
like without any colouring of exaggeration or of great 
expectations. It will be seen from the document 
(specially translated for our Tropical Agriculturist that 
the total crop of bark for 1887 was only 703,313 half 
kilograms, or under 800,000 lb. ! After all we have 
heard of what the Java Gardens as well as Private 
Enterprise were going to do with the market, this 
result is certainly reassuring. But there is more 
behind : the crop of bark for 1888 is not at all 
promising, unfavourable weather has retarded the 
giowili of trees, and altogether we infer that Mr. 
Von Romunde does not anticipate to ship as 
much boric (,800,000 lb.) up to February 1889 as 
he did in the twelve months ending Feb. last. 
Ho far we have some comfort for the much-tried 
Ceylon cinchona planter; but the other side of the 
shield is presented with a vengeance in the letter of 
a Java proprietor writing to us from Amsterdam. We 
certainly do not feel that M. Van Son, however 
good his intentions, has presented us with a reli- 
able picture ol the enterprise in Java. We have 
no hesitation in denouncing any writing about 
(jualjlies oi bark reaohing to 10, 13 and 18 per 
cent as averayei, as great exaggeration. No bark 
at an Amsterdam sale ye.t has averaged above 4 
to 5 per cent. Neither can we bring ourselves to 
believe in cinchona estates of large area as 
being fully planted and aggregating so many 
millions of trees. This statement altogether is in 
wonderful contrast with the moderate one last re- 
ceived from a Java correspondent, and we suspect 
the latter is more reliable. That Java bark again 
be harvested, dried, packed and transported " f. 
o. b.", all for a penny per lb., is at direct vari- 
ance with every report we have tver read before. A 
penny per lb. is the very lowest at which this can 
be done under the most favourable circumstances in 
Ceylon, while the avi rage is probably nearer 2d, and 
the Java average was given some time ago in an 
Amsterdam or London commercial report at 4d per 
lb. All this varying and in some cases, highly- 
coloured information, only makes us ihe more re- 
gret that a well-informed Ceylon planter cannot go 
to Java to visit, inspect carefully and report on 
the centres of cinchona culture there. No doubt 
Java (and Uva in Ceylon) will ultimately become the 
two great sources of supply for good bark in the 
world; but Java planters are evidently not in a 
hurry even with the trees they have fit to harvest, 
and there will be no rush from that quarter, so 
far as we can judge for some years to come. 
THE POSITION OF *C EYLON TEA AND 
ITS FUTURE. 
Far too much we consider is made of the re- 
cent fall in Ceylon tea. It is distinctly stated by 
one London Broking authority that apprehensions 
as to future large supplies had to do with the fall. 
Now, apart from the possibility this year — as 
last — that the fall may be temporary, and that poor 
quality teas are also now given as a cause, we 
have all along had to face the fact that the 
superior position obtained by Ceylon over Indian 
teas in price could scarcely be permanent, save 
for our best qualities. A fall to the Indian 
standard for Ceylon common teas should scarcely 
take us by surprise. Below the Indian average 
we are not likely to fall, and if China teas are 
year by year superseded, we shall share in the 
benefit ; while should a special taste for Ceylon 
teas be developed in America, Australia, Ac, the 
superior position in prices may once again be won. 
We are reminded also that an average price for 
a whole sale — as telegraphed to our contemporary 
— is scarcely a safe test for purposes of comparison. 
An unusual proportion of poor (or very good) teas 
may affect one sale abnormally, as compared with 
its predecessor or successor. We are arranging for 
a weekly telegram from Mincing Lane, which shall 
give a quotation for a recognised standard quality 
in Ceylon teas, week by week. This message we 
hope shortly to receive, and to be continued weekly, 
and we think it will offer a safe index for purposes of 
comparison of the exact state of the Ceylon market. 
Messrs. Stenning, Inskipp & Co. in a report dated 
7th May, express the belief that the full crops 
estimated from India and Ceylon for the year 
May 1888 to May 1889,—" at the present large and 
increasing rate of consumption of Indian and 
Ceylon kinds, this quantity (118 million lb.) — should 
be readily dealt with." 
Cultivation of Fruit Treb9. — The Quetta 
authorities are on a fair road to make that pro- 
mising place one of the best cantonments in India. 
They have now turned their attention to the culti- 
vation of fruit tree; and the Ranikhet and Simla 
nurseries have recently been indented upon for a large 
number of English fruit trees. — Indian Agriculturist, 
April 21st. 
