4 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[June i, i88i« 
become more economical in proportion to the in- 
creased production ; and Mr. Broughton had certainly 
made a most promising beginning of a useful work. 
"The Committee's Report had a most disastrous 
effect. Mr. Broughton resigned his appointment, and 
left India in December 1874. His place has not been 
filled up. All attempts at producing a cheap febri- 
fuge for the use of the people were at once put a 
stop to. The great objects of the enterprise were 
abandoned. The Nilgiri plantations have, especially 
since Mr Mclvor's death, been sadly mismanaged. 
The only object has been to obtain harvests of bark 
to sell at a profit in the London market, without 
regard to the renewal of gaps, and to keeping the 
plantations up to a proper standard. There has been 
undue destruction of valuable trees. I have reason 
to fear that there has been miserable waste and 
havoc, to secure large present results, without regard 
for the future. 
"Yet the trees remain, though in diminished num- 
bers, and flourish. The work can be taken up where 
it was unwisely dropped, at any time, when a fu- 
ture Government is better advised. The good work 
cannot be altogether undone. A scientific superintend- 
ent of the plantations, combining chemical know- 
ledge, like Mr. Moens in Java, is urgently needed. 
There have been checks and disheartening delays. 
But the plantations are still safe. Sooner or later 
the broken continuity will be restored, work in the 
right direction will be resumed, and the great object 
of the enterprise will be finally secured here, as 
elsewhere. 
" Meanwhile the whole interest of the experimental 
manufacture centres in the Sikkim plantations, where 
more enlightened views have prevailed during recent 
years, and where the true object of cinchona cultiva- 
tion is understood and appreciated. 
"After this, it only remains that those concerned — 
and particularly Ceylon planters — should begin an 
agitation in order to see a stop put to the present ship- 
ments of bark from the Government cinchona plant- 
ations on the Nilgiris at an early date. 
The above was written on the receipt of Mr. Dick- 
son's letter. Strange to say before it appears in print 
we receive information which almost supersedes the 
necessity for the complaint and protest. The Madras 
Mail of the 30th March, contains the following im- 
portant intimation : — 
" Cinchona. — As a great deal of Cinchona is now 
being raised by private enterprise, the attention of 
Government has recently been directed as to what 
would be the best means of dealing with their 
own plantations, so that they may not compete with 
private enterprise. It has been decided to send the 
bark to England, not to be sold in the market, 
but for the manufacture of alkaloids for use in In- 
dia. The work has been undertaken by a London 
chemist, who has had the good fortune of coming 
across, in the process of extraction of alkaloids, two 
other alkaloids which are cheaper, and just as effici- 
ent febrifuges as the quinine now used." 
We cannot understand why, if all the bark is to be 
utilized (as it ought to be) f >r the medical department 
of the Indian Government, it should be thought 
necessary to get the febrifuge manufactured at home. 
Probably the Madras authorities are determined not to 
follow the example set in Bengal, and will plead that 
better manufacture with complete extraction of all 
the alkaloids will more thin compensate for the cost 
of freight of bark. That is their look-out, however. 
We have no doubt eventually that local manufacture 
will be established on the Nilgiris as at Sikhim. 
Meantime all that our correspondent and the Ceylon 
planters require is the assurance that no more bark 
from the Indian Government plantations will be sold 
in the open market. 
COFFEE MARKET REPORTS. 
The market reports received from London seem, 
in some respects, to read conflictingly. But between 
the estimates of Messrs. Rouse & Co. and Messrs. 
Rucker & Bencraft in respect of the coming Brazil 
crop, there is not much discrepancy. The difference 
in their estimates is not more than 100,000 bags 
Although the next Rio crop is expected to be less by 
900,000 cwt., yet it must be noted that in Santos 
coffee, the kind which is chiefly sent to Europe and 
competes with plantation, there is an anticipated in- 
crease of 600,000 cwt. The statistical return of Messrs. 
Rouse and Co. for the three chief coffee-producing 
countries is as follows 
Brazil. 
Exported 1st July to 28th February. 
1880-81. 1879-80. 
Tons. Tons. 
Rio to Europe 71,500 ... 41,000 
% the States, &c. 98,500 ... 90,500 
Total .170,000 ... 131,500 
Santos to Europe 38,200 ... 33,200 
the States 10,000 ... 8,300 
Total from Santos ... 48,200 .. 41,500 
The Rio crop now coming forward is estimated at 
about 4 million bags ( = 237,000 tons), and Santos \\ 
million bags ( = 74,000 tons). The Rio crop of 1881-2 
is expected to be about 3J million bags ( = 193,000 
tons), and Santos If million bags ( = 104,000 tons). 
Ceylon. 
Exported 1st October to 6th March. 
1880-81. 1879-80. 
Tons. Tons. 
Plantation 11,200 ... 16,100 
Native 1,000 ... 1,000 
Total 12,200 ... 17,100 
The present crop will, it is stated, be only about 
20,000 tons, or 13,000 tons less than the small crop 
of last season. Of Plantation East India the advices 
continue equally unfavourable. 
Java. 
The Government Crop. 
1880. 1879 1878 
618,000 bags* ... 1,260,000 bags ... 82S,30o'bags 
or or or 
36,700 tons 74,800 tons ... 49,000 tons 
* Latest official estimate." 
Messrs. Rucker & Bencraft report under the same 
date, 10th March :— 
" Coffee. — Our surplus European stock on the 1st 
instant was 17,500 tons against 25,300 tons on the 
1st of February. The stock itself has rather increased 
during the month, but in nothing like the same pro- 
portion that it did in February last year, hence 
the great improvement visible when the past and 
present year's stocks are compared together. Our 
readers will remember that last year the European 
stock ran from 84,700 tons on the 1st of March to 
116,660 on the 1st of May, and that then for some 
months it remained about steady. It is hoped and 
believed that the improvement made in the relativ e 
position will be increased, and the more sangai ne 
