July 2, 1888.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
57 
To the Editor. 
EXTENSIVE CULTUBE OE HIGH QUALITY 
CINCHONAS IN JAVA, 
Amsterdam, 29th April 1888. 
Dear Mil Editor,— Accept my apologies for not 
Bending you the promised letter earlier. The fact 
is I was under the impression that I had taken 
the necessary papers about cinchona cultivation 
in Java with me on board, but when looking 
for them, I found they had been packed in boxes 
which I only received a few days ago. 
Now, in referring to those papers, I find that 
your estimate of about GO cinchona plantations 
in Java is about right, but you are wrong when 
you think they have on an average 200 acres of 
cinchona. You can depend on it that the average 
is not less than 250 bouwe, or about 440 acres, 
most all planted with ledgerianas and hybrids. 
I do not know one estate of less than 350 acres ; 
but more than 35 of over 500 acres. Besides these 
the Government plantations. 
These estates are now for moro than half the 
extent, all grafted with such ledgerianas and 
hybrids all over 10 per cent sulphate of quinine, 
and a large acreage over 13 per cent. There are 
even gardens of over 18 per cent. 
The age of these varies now from 3 to 1 year old. 
1'. year old grafts of 10 per cent, has showed by 
analysis over G per cent, sulphate of quinine. 
What has not been grafted as yet are trees from 
7, 0, and 5 years old, of which the bark contains 
more than 3 per cent ; in many cases over 5 per 
cent. You have only to look over the market 
reports of cinchona bark sales in Amsterdam, to 
aeo that I am right. The total acreage of cin- 
chona ledgeriana and hybrids is thus 60 by 225 
bouws or 15,500 bouws of 25,500 acres. The cin- 
chona succirubra I do not take into consideration 
for the present. These 15,500 bouws at 2,000 
tries per bouw gives 31 million trees. 
In 6 years' time these trees will yield stem and 
root bark of over 10 per cent. You will rather 
be astonished at my adding mot bark, but this is a 
fact. I need 'not enlighten you thougli on this sub- 
ject. I do not wish to say what amount in lb. 
of bark Java will export before and after the 
next 5 years, so much depends on what each 
individual owner of each plantation will do. It 
is easy, however, to calculate what they can do. 
Now taking the annual consumption of sulphate 
of quinine at 100,000 lb. and the increase for the 
next 5 years at 200,( 00 lb., or 50 per cent (which, 
I sincerely hope, will bo the case, but do not 
expect), it would give a result of 000,000 lb. of 
BUiphate, or at 10 per cent barks, a production 
of only 0,000,000 lb. of bark to supply and meet 
the world's consumption. 
This Java ulono will bo able to do, and will do 
if necessary. And as there is more cinchona in the 
world than in Java alone, as all cinchona growers 
linvo learned to their cost, but mostly of inferior 
quality, it will consequently force the prico of the 
unit down to a limit, which will only leavo a profit 
to rich barks. 
At the same time, before tho next 5 years, all 
cinchona growers will still be able to command a 
profitable price for barks of 3 per cent, and even 2 
per cent it they do not swamp tho market. 
At present Coylou planters can still do us much 
harm, but not without spoiling their own market ; 
but if they restrict their export to say S million 
lb. a year for the next years,* all concerned will 
benefit by it. 
I was very sorry to hear from you that one of 
our planters, who visited you a short time ago, 
should have given you a wrong impression about 
the extent of Java cinchona cultivation, the more 
so as it appears this has inlluenced your large ex- 
ports. Should any of your planters wish to see for 
himself, I recommend him to visit the following 
plantations: — PasirTelagawarna, Goenoeng Melatlie, 
Soeka Negara, Tjitiis, Tjiseurek, Tjipantjoe, 
Soekawarnak, Lodaja, Kartamanak ; and I am con- 
vinced he will draw the same conclusions as I do. 
The average price of reaping, drying, packing, 
and railway freight to Tandjong Priok (the 
harbour), that is to say f. o. b. , cost us in Java, 
about 9 cents per kilo, or a little under Id a lb. 
Freight to England or Holland, expenses on sale 
&c, will, I dare say, be about the same to you as to 
us. Hoping the contents of this letter may be of 
some interest to your planting community, — I remain, 
dear sir, yours truly, J. L. VAN SON. 
I enclose my card as introduction for any planter 
who might intend to visit Java. 
FAPAW MILK OR JUICE. 
Dear Silt, — Referring to the inquiry made by a 
planter as to the manner in which the above is extracted 
or gathered, I may state that the method adopted by 
some natives (who said they came at the instance of 
Messrs. Kosanquet & Co.) was by simply slitting the 
fruits, when the milk began pouring out in small quan- 
tities, the same being gathered in small vessels made of 
some bark. The quantity gathered from each tree ap- 
peared to me to be very little, and hardly worth the 
trouble; but the natives seemed quite satisfied, and were 
willing to pay for all they received at so much per 
ree.— Yours truly, CITIZEN. 
TEA IN TRAVANCORE. 
Travancore, 17th May 1888. 
Sin, — In the T. A. for April I notice a letter 
from Travancore signed " M." having reference to 
Mr. Cox's report which appeared in the T. A. for 
Feb. I read Mr. Cox's report with great interest, 
and for his efforts to raise the cloud of depres- 
sion which has been hanging over the Travancore 
planter for some time past he deserves the warmest 
praise. 
Your correspondent ( I was going to say pessi- 
mist) says " talking about tea fetching 2s and 3s 
the pound carries no conviction," If these ex- 
ceptionally fine prices carry no conviction, what 
does ? As regards his estimate and his opinion 
of the capabilites of the soil, these must be based 
on his own experience. — Yours, &c, OLD DICK. 
THE FUEL QUESTION AND LACK OF 
TIMBER FOR BUILDING PURPOSES : 
THE LARTIGUE RAILWAY. 
May 18th, 1888. 
Dear. Sir, — I have read with much interest the 
various articles on the fuel question. I recommended 
in a previous letter tho opening of the Laggala 
tavalam road as a cart road, the extension of the 
RattotaOodulamaana road, the upkeep of tho 
P. W. D. road from Nawula to Elahera: I hear now 
that it lias been decided to keep tho latter road 
open and to extend southward towards QaUegama. 
These 3 routes would serve to bring up any quantity 
of fuel and timber for building purposes, and the 
* Sic— Ed. 
