64 
TH^i tropical 
AGRICULTURIST. [July 2, 1888. 
COCA GEOWN IN INDIA. 
It is now three years since Surgeon General Bidie's 
lecture upon Erythroxylon Coca drew the attention of 
planters in this country to the possibility of cultivating 
the shrub at a profit. We were able shortly afterwards 
to give our readers some information as to the manage- 
ment and yield of the new product, and to show that 
as long as prices for the leaf remained steady there 
was money to be made out of it. A considerable de- 
mand for plants was consequently created, and seeds 
were advertised for sale at a rupee a piece. The Mad- 
ras Agri-Horticultural Society was, however, able to 
supply its members at a more reasonable rate, and as 
most estates in our planting districts have now a 
few specimens growing, it would be possible to largely 
extend the cultivation if it seemed desirable. Dr. 
Warden has lately communicated to the Agricultural 
and Horticultural Society of India the results of a 
series of experiments made by him with coca leaf 
grown in the Bengal Presidency, and has shown that 
its medicinal value is as great as if not superior to, 
that produced in South America. In Peru and Bolivia, 
the natural home of the shrub, the coca leaf is by 
popular belief endowed with almost miraculous quali- 
ties. The Indians will work, or travel carrying heavy 
loads, without other sustenance for days together ; 
and in one form or another these leaves are looked 
upon as a remedy for most diseases. Coca is grown 
upon the slopes of the Andes at an elevation of from 
2,000 to 5,000 feet ; it requires, however, a warm 
moist climate with almost iucessant rainfall. The soil 
must be very good, and heavy forest laud is usually 
felled for it. It, however, flourishes for as lung as forty 
years, giving three crops of leaf annually. Nursery 
plants of about eighteen months growth are planted out 
in pits, very much as tea and coffee, except that it 
is found advisable not to fill in the pits until the plauts 
are established. The grouud is kept free from weeds, 
beyond which no cultivation appears to be necessary, 
and, after two years or so, plucking is commenced and 
carried on regularly. The mature leaves are known 
by being bright green on their upper surface, and 
yellowish on their lower surface ; they are plucked 
separately, and with great care to avoid crushing, 
and are slowly dried in the sun. Dr. Trimen says 
that the usual yield is over 2,000 lb. per acre annually, 
and in Dr. Warden's paper the market value in Lon- 
don is quoted at 2s. 6d, a pound. The Peruvians and 
Bolivians between them are said to produce 22 million 
pounds, of which only 5 per cent., or something over 
one million, is exported. 
The great attention which has been attracted to 
coca cultivation of late years was due to the discovery 
that the alkaloid cocaine, contained in the leaves, 
was of value in surgery as a local anaesthetic, especial- 
ly in operations on the eye ; and it was believed by 
some that a demand would spring up for the leaves 
very much as has been the case for cinchona bark. Dr. 
Warden's experiments were directed to discovering 
under what conditions of locality and subsequent treat- 
ment the Indian grown coca would give the best yield 
of alkaloid. It must, however, be remembered that 
the leaf came from plants that had only been puto ut 
for eighteen months or so, and that subsequent experi- 
ence may largely modify the results arrived at. As 
far as these results go, it would seem that neither 
altitude nor rainfall has much to do with the percent- 
age of alkaloid present. Two extreme cases were those 
of leaves grown at Jalpaiguri 1,700 feet above the sea, 
yielding 1 022, and at Arcuttipore, in Cachar, at aa 
elevation of only 120 feet, giving I 'd per cent. In the 
latter case, however, the soil round the plants had 
been heavily manured. Coca grown in the Jaunpore 
district, again, with but 30 to 40 inches of rain a 
year, gave only four-hundredths per cent. less alkaloid 
than the sample from the Doars, where they have 180 1 
to 200 inches. The period at which the leaf is gather- 
ed (• eems to be of importance, as samples taken from 
the Society's garden at Alipore, at an interval of six 
weeks, showed a difference of nearly 300 per cent. 
As to the effects of cultivation and manure the 
result arrived at aro somewhat contradictory. The 
boat /oaf came from Arcuttipore, where the plants 
had been manured with cowduug and soot ; but that 
from the Jaunpore district, which is also described as 
having been heavily manured, gave only '571 of alkaloid. 
In Peru it is found advisable to grow coca under 
shade, and the cocales (as the plantations are called) 
are therefore closely planted with a small broad-top- 
ped leguminous tree. As in the case of coffee these leaves 
have a better colour; aud as for local use their appear- 
ance affects their value this is an advantage. The sun- 
grown leaves, however, give a better yield of total alka- 
loids, and Dr. AVarden's analyses point in the same 
direction. It is believed that judicious manuring would 
largely increase the alkaloids ; aud in the paper under 
notice the use of some fertiliser containing potash is sug- 
gested, as it was in our previous article. It is usually 
considered unadvisable in cultivation of this kiud to 
manure at all before the tree is about four years old, 
and it can be only required where, as in the case of 
some of the samples examined, old tea -land had been 
planted up. The orthodox method of drying the leaves 
is to put them in the sun, but no bad results were 
found to arise from the plan adopted at Arcuttipore ; 
the leaves were first withered in the shade, and then 
dried in a tea-drier at a temperature of 150 ° Fall. 
The object which Dr. Warden thinks should be kept 
in mind is " to dry the leaves as thoroughly and quick- 
ly as possible, at the lowest temperature." Aa soon 
as they are cold, the dried leaves should be packed in 
air-tight boxes to prevent thorn absorbing damp. 
The only way in which the extract of the Indian 
grown leaves differed from any other was that Dr. 
Warden could n it get it to from a crystallisable salt. 
However, the solution he prepared was reported on by 
Dr. Saunders who tried it in thirteen operations for 
cataract, and dec'ared that as an anaesthetic upon the 
eye it was perfect. There can then be no doubt as to the 
activity of the alkaloid obtaiued from Indian coca, 
aud as the shrubs mature no doubt a larger percentage 
of it will be found in the leaves. But the question of 
the commercial value of the leaves to planters is a 
different matter. Unless the leaves comes into general 
use for some other purpose than medicine, — and there 
seems at present little probability of this, — its use 
must be very limited. Firms in Calcutta connected 
with the tea enterprise seem to have taken a great 
deal of interest in the new product, and to have in- 
troduced it in most of the planting districts. It 
might be worth while for planters to make a few trial 
shipments in small lots. As far, however, as we can 
judge, the market could be just now swamped by parcel 
post. — Madras Mail. 
■ ♦ 
Expoets from the Congo. — Among the exports 
from the New Congo States during the third quarter 
of the year 1887, according to the circular reports, 
were 22,779 kilogrammes of copal, 989,748 kilos of 
palm oil, 16,312 kilos of sesame, 26,365 kilos of wax, 
and 12,836 kilos of annatto. Coffee, ivory, and palm 
nuts, are said to be the most valuable export com- 
modities of the new State. — Burgoyne's Monthly Ex- 
port Price Current. 
Coffee Cultivation in Southern India. — 
Says the South of India Observer of 31st May • — 
We were not a little surprised to learn that in 
several cases coffee cultivation is being resumed in 
Bouth-east Wynaad. When the gold fever was on, 
a few years ago, the abandonment of all cultivation 
was recommended. Some companies, however, re- 
solved upon keeping it up, on the best fields, in the 
hope of thus obtaining a return while mining was in 
progress. Even this limited area was indifferently 
attended to and was quite a secondary matter in 
the estimation of the staff. Now that coffee is look- 
ing up, the indiscretion of the past is perceived and 
once more coffee is claiming the attention it merits. 
We trust the revival may be general. The pros- 
pects of crop in the Ouchterlony Valley are not 
very brilliant. There is no reason however to com- 
plain, as the blossom has been pretty fair. The rain 
was too late for better things. 
