August i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
223 
for their early vegetables. The manure of the llama, for 
which, in the United States, sheep manure might be sub- 
stituted, is froely mixed with the surface soil of the hot 
bud, and, as the seed is very high, it should be slightly 
raked under, and the surface kept moist. As Boon as 
the sprouts appear a shade should be constructed over 
the bed covered simply with leaves, straw or branches 
of trees, which, while it protects the tender plants from 
the hot sun, may allow the rain to penetrate and 
fall gently upon them, and it is advisable to locate 
such hot-beds on ;i hill-side, so that the water may 
quickly run off, continuous and limited moisture being 
requiied, rather than quantities of water and heavy 
falls of rain. As soon the plant has grown to a height 
of from six to eight inches, it is ready for transplant- 
ing. The ground chosen for a quina plantation should 
also be sloping, if possible on the soulh side of hill 
sloping, 11 p< 
or mountain, as ex pi 
located on level land 
tain sides are here p 
regular intervals eigh: 
if not better, to pn 
where each plant is 
ploughing the whole 
ret lined in the soil, 
covered with fallen k 
them from the hot su 
a strong and healthy 
care seems to be uu 
where even I he weed 
A damp, warm dim 
and cloudy sky durii 
here thai, those 
id steep moun- 
mts are set at 
only necessary, 
thin a foot of 
isured that by 
nihl.ish 
bile longer until they show 
■til, after which all further 
ary, in Bolivia at least, 
but superficially removed, 
nth heavy dews at night, 
3 days, rather than a hot, 
burning sun — such as may be fouud in the moun- 
tainous regions of some of the Southern States, like 
Alabama and Georgia, where mists and threatening 
clouds hang over the mountains in summer aud still 
no severe frosts occur iu winter — this seems to be 
what is required for the cultivation of this plant : 
and I should not be surprised if the experiment should, 
under such conditions, prove successful, a result which 
would, undoubtedly, add greatly to the wealth and 
-prosperity <>f the South. Bolivia beine in the southern 
in 
former, instead of October here, should be done in 
April, and the latter in July, instead of January here. 
From these internals it will be seen that the seeds 
ivquiro a long period Jo germinate aud attain their 
first growth, but from all accounts, if the above direc- 
tions are followed, and a little patience shown in the 
inning, very little, if any, cultivation and trouble 
iB necessary after the plant is transplanted ;iud becomes 
lirmly rooted aud shows a healthy growth. In from 
five to six years the tree grows to a height of about 
10 feet, and 5 to 6 inches in diameter, and at that 
age the bark contains the greatest per-centage of quin- 
iuo, and is worth iu Bolivia from 180 dollars to 
200 dollars per quintal of 100 pounds. When the 
tree has attained this size and age, it is cut down 
el ••• to the 1 ts, the lurk shipped entirely fro n the 
trunk and branches, aud one of the new shoits from 
tbe root is allowed to grow into a now tree. In 
India, I am told, the custom prevails to strip only 
half of tho tree, and allow this to grow again before 
the other half i* taken oil'; but by this process, 1 am 
assured, the per-centago of the sulphate contained in 
the necoud growth is much smaller than that gained 
by the method practised hero. The seed which 1 have 
transmitted I have procured from one of tho host 
plantntious, aud is warranted to be of the calisaya 
■pecies— tho best of the cinehouas. Lately, since the 
cultivation of this tree has assumed such largo propor- 
tions in Bolivia, this sued has become an article 
of loual commerce ; so that, should tho experiments 
in the United States prove successful, there would 
seem to be no difficulty iu obtaining the necessary 
seed in larger quantities." 
NORTH BORNEO. 
At a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society 
on 14th Feb. Mr. W. M. Crocker of Sarawak read 
a paper on that country aud northern Borneo. Re- 
garding the portion ceded by the Sultans of Bunei 
and Sulu to Messrs. Overbeck and Dent, he said 
it comprised a computed area of 18,000 sq. miles. 
Xt seems, however, that the Dutch have shifted their 
boundary to the north, so as to include a good deal 
of the eastern portion of this ceded territory, but 
what ground they have for doing so we do not know. 
However, even without this disputed portion, Sabah, 
as the ceded territory is called, is larger than Bel- 
gium, aud has bays and rivers in which a fleet 
could anchor. It also includes the famous mountain 
of Kini Balu, though the lake of that name turns 
out to be a myth. Mr. Crocker pointed out a 
feasible route of exploration by the Rejong and 
Belongan rivers, the fiwt on the west, and the second 
on the east of Borneo. He believed that the natives 
of the Sabah were being ruled according to Rajah 
Brooke's policy, i.e. through the chief- 1 , »nd that the 
results would be good. As the Russians had strongly 
fortified stations on the northern shores of China, 
and were casting covetous eyee on the Corean har- 
bours, it was necessary that the British should main- 
tain their supremacy in the Malayan Archipelago. 
Mr. Dent, one of the representatives of the Com- 
pany to whom the land had been ceded, gave nn 
outline of the operations undertaken, and spoke 
highly of Chinese labour, and in this opinion he 
was supported by Dr. Lockhart. 
THE NEEM TREE BARK AS A SUBSTITUTE 
FOR CINCHONA. 
We read in the proceedings of the Agricultural 
and Horticultural Society of India, that 
"The Lady Superior of St. Vincent's Home informs the 
Secretary that since she has planted AYem trees ' Aza- 
dirachta' in her grounds, the inmates have been speci- 
ally exempt from fever ; there is no doubt this plant 
possesses fever-dispelling properties, and as the seed 
can be procured for the gathering in Calcutta, the 
experiment of planting the same in the fever districts 
is worth trying. The plant is easily raised and needs 
no special care. — In connection with the virtues 
ascribed to the A T ce?rttrce in the above report, theSecret- 
ary drew attention to the fact stated iu O'Shaughiiessy'ti 
Bengal Dkpanatory that Dr. White of Bombay used the 
bp/rk of this tree as a substitute for Cinchona and found 
its success nearly equal as a febrifuge remedy. He 
further submitted a no'c from Dr. D. O'Brien of the 
Beheating estate, Debrogurh, applying for seeds of 
Eucalyptus roslrata. Dr. O'Brien :-tates that he raised 
some plants of that variety five years ago, and they are 
now 2o to 30 feet high, but very slim. "They wcio 
planted about the compound of my bungalow, a d to 
those tiees I must attribute freedom from fevers, 
although the people (coolies) about are very subject 
to fevers." 
We think the statements iu tho above paragraph are 
of rather a mixed and apocryphal character and should 
bo taken cum gratio talis. 1st, thu neuin tree is what 
we know iu Ceylon as the margoaa, a very common 
cultivated tree, doubtfully wild. The oil from iu 
fruits -margosa oil— is well-known, its bark is bitter 
and has betu used as a febrifuge or anti periodic by 
thu natives before cinchona was introduced intn India. 
The tree is sometimes planted in avenues, but, 
being quito deciduous in tho hot dry weather, it is 
about tho worst that could be used for this purpose. 
It is tho Melia azadirachta, Liu. The idea of 
its being a preventative of lever iu a growing staU* 
because its bark is bitUr and is used as a febrifuge 
