262 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September r, i88r. 
estimated at 16J lakhs of rupees: the saving la3t year 
alone being equal to half the total expenditure on 
tne plantations including compound interest at four 
per cent! Regarding Mr. Gammie'a experiments so 
often referred to in out- columns, we read : — 
"Not only has Mr. Gammie conducted the routine 
of febrifuge manufacture with precision and skill, 
but he has spent much time on attempts to increase 
the percent-age of it extracted from the bark. These 
attempts, I am glad to say, promise to end in success. 
Mr. Gammie has also succeeded in turning out a 
crystalline preparation of the febrifuge which, being 
free from the amorphous alkaloid, may prove pleas- 
anter rm-dicine than the febrifuge in its pte-ent form, 
Mr. Gammie's crystalline febrifuge is a very pretty 
preparation, being nearly as white as quinine itself. 
It is now under trial, in various Government hos- 
pitals, and if it is reported well of, arrangements 
can be made for its production on a large seal©. Mr. 
Gammie has continued to direct his attention to the 
economical manufacture of sulphate of quinine. Decided 
progress has been mude in this matter since last 
year, but further experiments will be necessary before 
1 can advantngeously submit a full report on the 
results." 
Dr. King does not afford much information this 
time as to the average yield of bark, but he mentions 
*hat the crop of red bark harvested was got by up- 
r ooting the trc.-s (11 years old) over 75 acres, the 
result being an outturn of 1,510 lb. of dry bark per 
acre. This result is a very poor one, since 2 or 3 
lb. of dry bark per tree has been a common experience 
in Southern India and Ceylon from trees of less age ; 
but Dr. King confesses that his patch was not a good 
one, and wa suppose there were many blanks. A 
new unnamed variety — a hybrid yellow bark tree — of 
which there are 200,000 trees on the plantations is 
referred to. The bark has been found to be rich in 
quinine, but Dr. King does not give analyses nor 
inform us whether its growth or suitableness for 
climate and soil is more marked than that of Lec!g- 
eriana. Respecting the Carthagena bark trees recently 
imported, Dr. King reports a hard struggle in pro- 
pagating, the original 6 plant3 having only increased 
to 60 rooted and 90 partially rooted cutting at the 
end of the year. Every effort will be made to increase 
the stock of this interesting species which yields the 
Columbian bark of commerce. 
In regard to Mr. Moens' method of shaving the ' 
bark and grafting the Ledgeriana on suceirubra 
stocks, the following has been the Sikhim experi- 
ence: — 
"The method cousists in shaving off the greater 
part of the bark of a living tree to the height of 
from eight to ten feet from the ground, care being 
taken to leave everywhere a sufficiently thiok layer 
of bark to cover the wood. This method has now 
had more than a year's trial on the Sikhim Planta- 
tion, a certain number of trees per month having 
been shaved since the beginning of the year 18S0. 
The results have been favourable. Every month's 
trees have renewed their bark well, those shaved 
during April having done so (Mr. Gammie tells me) 
rather better than any of the rest. The bark of the 
trees earliest shavul is now about as thick as was 
the original bnrk, and it is clean, healthy and utii- 
foru). There is no doubt, therefore, that under this 
plan bark renews perfectly. What now remains to 
be seen is whether the renewed bark is equally rich 
in rni d'ciual alkaloids with the original. In order to 
te~t this, I intend to have some analyses made of 
samples of rene wed bark and the results of these 
analyses I hope to give in my next annual report. 
"The Dutch plan of grafting Ledgeriana on sucei- 
rubra stocks has also been tried during the year, 
but I regret to say with little success. The ex- 
periment will, however, be pereserved in. In the 
matter of propagation of Ledgeriana we are now 
very well off; for the bad varities of Cali*aya having 
been nearly all uprooted from the plantation, the 
seed yielded is now much more reliable than it has 
been heretofore. Our stock plants are, moreover, 
now in fairly good condition, and yield a consider- 
able number of cuttings." 
Again, regarding the cultivation of Lerlgeriana, we 
read : — 
"Contrary to all expectation, Ledgeriana and our 
quinine-producing hybrid are found to thrive better 
on land with a southern exposure than on land 
that slopes to the north. Mr. Gammie has there- 
fore prepared for planting a considerable area of 
land which had hitherto been regarded as unsuit- 
able for any kind of cinchona. In planting Ledgeri- 
ana last year, Mr. Gammie took the precaution of 
putting two plants to each stake, with the view of 
cutting the second of them out. should it turn out 
to be of a bad sort, or of transplanting on^, rhould 
both plants turn out true Lvedgeriema. The majori- 
ty of these recently put out plants are, however, 
turning out pure Ledgeriana ; there will, therefore, 
be a considerable number of transplants available 
from this source during the approaching planting 
season." 
It will be seen, from the foregoing summary, that 
Dr. King's Report on the present occasion is both, 
interesting and instructive. We shall jjublish it in 
full, with the appended p:ipers, in the Tropical 
Agriculturist where it will be available for ready 
reference to all engaged in cinchona cultivation. 
PROSPECTING FOR GOLD. 
(Summary of Hints from a Colombo Agent to 
an Estate Manager instructed to prospect.) 
Samples to be not less than 141b. of quartz from 
each reef, or supposed reef, to be packed separately 
in small gunny bags made for the purpose and num- 
bered. Unlikely looking quartz to the e3'e has some- 
times proved richer than others apparently of A-l 
quality ; for instance, stone with five to six ounces 
of gold to the ton does not always shew any signs 
to the eye ! White sugary crystallized quartz is no 
good : it must have some colour in it — look metally 
in fact — quartz with a red or yellow tinge is pre- 
erable to a perfectly white quartz, although the 
latter may be valuable if interspersed with colour. 
Reefs which are likely to prove valuable are those 
which in a seeming upheaval stand up abruptly, 
leaving solid walls distant from each other from one 
to three feet, having between these walls a forma- 
tion of loose crumbly quartz of a good metally 
colour. When such reef is found to dig 
away the earth at the sides, say 6 or 7 feet 
down, so as to get some distance below the quartz 
as it lies in its probably undisturbed state, and then 
to take samples. Such reefs as these generally de- 
scend for hundreds of feet, the quartz being loose 
and crumbly — if tapped at some distance down the hill- 
side, the quartz is easily secured, as it drops with 
very little effort from the reefs, and the rocky walla 
on either side hold it well together until removed. 
( From our pamphlet " All about Gold, Gems, and 
Pearls in Ceylon.") 
A bottle of nitric acid is a sure test. If the minera 
