January i, 1889.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
483 
and enterprise the probability of success. There is 
a class of men in this colony, almost exclusively of 
British birth, possessing the necessary training and 
experionce for the successful anil economical mange- 
meut of agricultural property, to whom these smaller 
industries offer a specially useful aud successful 
career. I refer to overseers of sugar estates. 
But I do not coufiuo recommendations of riverside 
agriculture to overseers or managers of sugar ( stales 
alone, I simply mention those as a class of men 
specially fitted by training ind experience to undertake 
it, and who require some such oponing in life to make 
up for the lack of opportunity in the sugar business ; 
any man of energy with aptitude for the calling, 
prepared to meet aliko the difficulties and advantages 
or pleasures of pioneer life, would no doubt succeed. 
Besides tbeeulture of the several subjects mentioned, I 
may describe how the value of riverside property might, 
by men of foresight, possessing the spire of patience, 
be in the future greatly enhanced. Many of the native 
products of the colony such as tonka beaus, souari 
nuts, brazil nuts, crab nuts, indiarubber, guttapercha, 
balsams, some of the rarer and more valuable woods, 
barks, medicinal substances, posions, &c. For all of 
which there is a largo permanent demand but a very 
inadequate supply from the natural sources from which 
they are drawn, would be of value could they bo 
procured or produced cheaply ; but they are so scat- 
tered through the depths of the forest, and widely 
dispersed in the colony, that to procuro them in any 
quantity a very large expenditure is necessary. Here, 
on the vory outskirts of cultivation, all these things 
might be gradually established in quantities that in 
the course of a generation, or a lifetime, would be of 
appreciable importance in the income and value of an 
estate. The new treos could be gradually substituted 
for the forest found on the ground by planting the 
seeds beneath it, or by setting the plants, which 
could be raised systematically for the purpose, — the 
original trees being taken down gradually as the new 
ones required the room. Long before an average life 
had ruu out, the majority of the trees would be in 
the full vigour of youthful adolcsconce, with a long 
aud vigorous oxistence before them. This is no Utopian 
dream, but a possibility within the realisation of any 
young man with the necessary means and spirit of 
self-control, perseverance aud industry. — (It'otemala 
Star. 
CONCERNING QUININE. 
As our market reports of late have shown, there 
are indications of a reaction in quinine. The improve- 
ment, as usual, began in J.oudou, and was communi- 
cated to this market which, however, basso far failej 
to respond fully, some subtle inlluences apparently 
being at work here to prevent any appreciable ad- 
vance in prices. That the conditions are favorable 
t" higher prices is generally conceded. The consum- 
ing demand for quinine has been unprecedented since 
the advent of warm weather increasing in volume 
as the summer ad\ auced, and up to the present time 
there has been no abatement in the demand, while 
thoro is a good prospect that it will continue as 
large, if it iloes not become heavier, until late in 
• he lull. This is but one element tending to Improve 
the position of the alkaloid, other aud perhaps more 
cogent reasons existing, to encourage the advance. 
Prices, it is now contended, havo boen too low in 
BOm pari Son with the priori of bark to bo profitable 
(0 the manufacturers, yet the latter are responsible 
lor the luw ruu s thai have prevailed since the begin- 
ning ol the year. This condition of depression was 
artificially produced by the policy pursued by the 
manufacturers in keeping prices down, uutd they had 
Secured adequate supplies of bark at low figuros, or 
n> s,,in,. believe for the purpose of curtailing com- 
petition by frei zing out competitors. If either or both 
ot thine wire the actuating influences in the recent 
Oi pr, asion, they appear to havo failed of thoir object. 
H< Ol the loriigu manufacturers have perma- 
nently suspended, and ••> far as intlui ncing the priro 
«f lairk, the manufacturers' tactics have been of no 
avail. 
The position of bark is a particularly strong one, 
which was indicated to an extent by the recent auc- 
tions in London and Amsterdam, and will be, pro- 
bably, more decisively demonstrated at the approach- 
ing sales. At any rato theso lato sales tend to show 
that thore is a bottom to the bark market beyond 
which it is idle to expect prices to go. It is uu- 
neeessay to review the causes which have operated to 
produce the present conditions controlling the market 
for Ceylon barks. Suffice it, that, so far as the sta- 
tistics havo been made up, there is a shortage in the 
shipments from Ceylon, amounting to three million 
pounds less than the quantity shipped daring the 
corresponding period last season. Meanwhile the ship- 
ments of Java bark have increased one million 
pounds over last year. The Java being richer in 
quinine than the bark now coming forward from 
Ceylon, the increase in the shipments of the former 
should more than make up for a corresponding de- 
crease in the Ceylon shipments, aud this would he 
so were it not for the fact that the bulk of the 
bark sent from Ceylon during the current season has 
been very inferior in quality and deficient in alka- 
loidal strength- Hence the actual shortage in the 
bark supply must be calculated as fully two million 
pounds at the least. 
In the present position of bark, therefore, we havo 
a good reason for an advance in the price of quinine, 
but a reason that might not have had lull weight 
but for the change of policy on the part of the 
foreign manufacturers. This is indicated by the recent 
action of a leading German manufacturer, wno has 
been systematically bearing the quinine market, for 
the supposed purpose of getting cheap bark, iu with- 
drawing offers to sell for future delivery at former 
prices. 
Iu our own market which has been stagnant for 
a long time, so far as speculative transactions are 
concerned, the position is more flattering to holders 
than it has been at any time for mouths past, and 
the inference is plain that prices must advance, un- 
less there is a radical change in the governing con- 
ditions. The large consumptive demand abovo referred 
to has absorbed so much of the surplus supply, which 
was estimated at between seven hundred thousand and 
a million ounces at the beginning of the year, that 
a liberal calculation places the present available sup- 
ply at not over two hundred thousand ounces, aud 
this is so held that it could hardly be used to prevent 
a natural improvement iu prices. 
From this survey of the position an advauce iu the 
price of quinine would appear to be inevitable, yet 
tho quinine market is such an uncertain oue, aud to 
much money has already been lost by speculative 
ventures iu it that a much stronger showing would 
appear to be requisite to inspire the confidence in 
the class of investors who have beeu accustomed to 
dealing in this commodity, and stimulate a strong 
upward movement iu prices. — Oil, Paint and Drue/ 
IiapOrtw, 
♦ 1 — 
THE DEPRECIATION OF CUPREA BARK. 
The enormous reduction iu the price of cinohona 
bark duriug the last six or seven years is sufficiently 
ii itorious, but it is not without interest to parti- 
cularise the fact by one or two graphic illustration!, 
taken at random from recent public sales of South 
American bark. Thero are at present in the London 
warehouses, and probably also in other trade centres, 
largo accumulation!* of Cuprea, ''Soft Colombian," 
l'itajo, and other American barks, which have bei n 
stored there between 18t?0 and 1S84. When the»e 
barks arrived here, tbe owners priferrtd to stock 
them, the market at that time being iu an extremely 
sensitive condition, and prices generally declining 
though an tarly return of the gr od times was still 
widely anticipated , i specially when it became known 
that oue of the lament importers in London, through 
wlio-e hands passed nearly all tbe t'uprra bark 
a Variety which, though in reality no'. Ix-lontiiug 
< 'be cinchona* nt all, may bo cla**od with the** 
