433 
fMt TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1889. 
to this particular industry. But it is to be hoped 
that even the present administration may be improved 
and reformed in many notable ways if the new British 
Protectorate is to exercise any good and useful in- 
fluence, and then all should go well. Even at present 
the way of tobacco planter3 in North Borneo is made 
smooth for thern by the Government. Steam com- 
munication also is cheap aud frequent, there are no 
native rajahs or petty chiefs to bother about, and 
there is a total absence of fire-raising Battaks and 
many other objectionable elements which have made 
themselves felt in Sumatra. In these circumstances 
it seems probable that tobacco planting in Borneo has 
a good future before it. — Strait.-; Times, Nov, 7. 
♦ 
BUYEES OF HIGH AND LOW CLASS 
CINCHONA. 
In our issue of October 27 there appeared a letter 
from Messrs. Zimmer & Co., of Frankfort-on-Maine, 
the quinine manufacturers, drawing attention to what 
they consider a .source of possible injustice in our 
market reports, viz. the enumeration of the approxi- 
mate weight of bark bought at the London auctions 
by the various manufacturers or their agents, without 
the collateral mention of the quantity of quinine 
sulphate represented by that bark. Messrs. Zimmer 
& Oo. made out a very fair case for grievance, especial- 
ly as concerns their own firm, by pointing out that, 
whereas they are in the h -bit of purchasing bark 
averaging 4 to 5g per cent, quinine sulphate, other 
factories usually buy much poorer cinchona, and that 
therefore the mention of the bulk alone may convey 
an unjust idea regarding the producing capacities 
of different factories. We have no hesitation in 
saying that we fully appreciate the force of our 
correspondents' remarks, but we cannot quite see how 
it would be possible to overcome the difficulty to 
which they allude under the system of private 
analysis now obtaining in London. Attention has 
been repeatedly called in these columns to the 
superiority of the system prevailing at the Amsterdam 
bark auctions, where the analysis of each lot is printed 
in the catalogue, thus affording to all a safe guide to 
the market. This system was introduced in Amsterdam 
by the Netherlands Trading Company, and it has since 
been adopted by all ti c other importers, which alone 
is strong evidence of its soundness, though for 
advocating the adoption of this plan by the London 
importers we have been foolishly abused and accused 
of a desire to play into the hands of our Dutch rivals. 
In time, perhaps, the guiding spirits of the London 
market may take a leaf out of the Dutch book ; but 
meanwhile it would scarcely be feasible for anyone 
not a large buyer to analyse every lot advertised for 
sale, and the only moderately reliable clue to arrive 
at the standard of the bark sold at the auctions 
would be to compare the prices realised with what is 
generally 6aid to be the average unit — a rather time- 
robbing process to apply to an auction of about 
8,000 packages. But with a view to remedy as far 
as possible any injustice which may have been done 
to some buyers by our reports, we have prepared a 
table showing the number of packages and the relative 
percentage proportions of high and low standard 
barks bought, so far as we could ascertain, by the 
quinine manufacturers at the last three public auctions. 
Taking first the high-class barks, selling at 8d. per lb. 
or higher, and presumably equalling, therefore, from 
about 4 to 7 per cent, quinine sulphate, we obtain the 
following results : — 
Novcrabor 6 October 23 October 9 
Pkgs. 1'. c. 
Pkgs. 
P. c. 
Pkgs 
P. 
American and Frenc 
i 467 
m 
139 
45 
173 
34 
Z mmer & Oo. 
Mil 
1 1 
57 
19 
29 
(J 
Bdbrioger It Sons ... 
156 
15 
64 
20 
159 
32 
Howards & Hons ... 
205 
20 
2 
1 
119 
24 
Bmuwfok Works ... 
31 
8 
45 
15 
20 
4 
Auerbnch Works ... 
2 
ThoB. Whiff en 
17 
o 
3 
This table shows that, in the last three auctions, the 
principal buyers of high-class barks were the agents 
for the French aud American quinine makers, Messrs. 
Howards & Sons, Zimmer & Co. . and Bohringer & Sons, 
while little or no high-priced bark was bougft by the 
Auerbach and Brunswick factories. Next, treating in 
the same manner the distribution of low-class barks 
selling at 2d. per lb. or less, and therefore probably 
containing only about 1 per cent, of quinine, we 
arrive at the following figures: — 
November 6 October 23 October 9 
Pkgs. P. c. Pkgs. P. c. Pkgs. P. c. 
American and French 
8 
5 
Zimmer & Oo. 
8 
5 
27 
21 
Butirlnger &; Sons ... 
4 
3 
13 
15 
Howards & Sons ... 
4 
2 
10 
8 
13 
15 
Brunswick Works ... 
121 
71 
2 
2 
12 
15 
Auerbach Works ... 
26 
15 
83 
06 
47 
55 
Thos. AVbiffeu 
4 
2 
From this table it appears that the Auerbach and 
Brunswick factories took the bulk of low grade cin- 
chonas at the last three auctions, though it muf-t be 
added that Messrs. Zimmer k Co. themselves purchased 
a fair share of these on October 23. It is right to 
point out, however, that we do not claim for our 
figures more than an approximate exactness. The 
buyers at the sales, with one or two exceptions, always 
bid in an undertone or by nodding of the head, and it 
would somestimes puzzle the most experienced fre- 
quenter of the auctions to indicate definitely the 
allottee of certain lots. Again, in the course of a 
year or so the proportions may conceivably vary 
considerably for those given by three auctions only 
Bark is sometimes purchased privately between the 
auctions, and we need scarcely say that so far as the 
quality of the product is concerned, the standard of 
the cinchona is no criterion at all. And in justice to 
factories which may appear small purchasers it should 
be stated that they are so only because they decline to 
follow the policy of what are termed the speculative 
manufacturers, and that, if more remunerative prices 
should prevail, they will doubtless again be found to 
purchase a proportion more in accordance with the 
undoubted importance of their works. — Chemist and 
Druggist. 
♦ 
BOTANICAL GARDENS AND PARKS IN 
BANGALORE. 
Visitors to the Lal-Baglr at Baugalore do not require 
to be told how successlully these Gardens have been 
managed by their present Superintendent, Mr. 
Cameron, still there are many experiments being 
carried on and much valuable work being done which 
do not meet the eye of the ordinary visitor. Of these 
however, the report for last year, which has just been 
issued, contuus full details The year 1887-8S was, 
on the whole, a favourable one. The rainfall of 35 
inches was fairly distributed over the months from 
May to December, though apparently there was no 
rainfall during the other four months. In the former 
months there was rain on 68 days, and only in October 
was the fall at all excessive. In the month nearly 11 
inches of rain fell, which did considerable damage to 
the early ragi crops, and the rain was closely followed 
by myriads of insect larvte, which committed great 
havoc among fruit trees, grass, and pulse crops. 
Specimens of these larvaa were sent to the Indian 
Museum, aud reported on by Messrs. Wood Mason, 
and E. C. Cotes. One of the most destructive was 
the larva of Pyrales Sp. a smtll caterpillar which, 
in its brief visit of only ten days, " attacked the lawns, 
and literally ate up every green blade of grass," so 
that the lawn iu the centre of the Gardens, which is 
regularly mown, " looked for a few days as if a fire 
had passed over it." Mr. Cotes recommends the 
use of weak emulsions of kerosine oil aud soap or 
milk, compounds of arsenic, for dealing with this 
pest. Auother very destructive class of larvie chiefly 
