November i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
411 
THE " ENGLISHMAN" 'S REVIEW OF "THE 
CINCHONA PLANTERS' MANUAL." 
We liave to acknowledge the receipt of " The Cin- 
chona Planters' Manual," hy T. C. Owen, published 
by Messrs. A. M. & J. Ferguson, Colombo. 
It is one of the most complete works of its kind 
that we have come across, and far surpasses both in 
manner and in matter any similar manual that has 
yet been offered to the planter. The writer goes to the 
very root of his subject, the first part of bi9 book 
being devoted to an exposition of the physiology of 
plants in general. Part II. contain* two chapters, 
one dealing with the chemistry of the alkaloids 
derived from cinchona bark, their relative values, find 
the proportions in which they exist in different parts 
of the tree ; and Ihe other giving a detailed account 
of the various species and varieties and their characters, 
regarded both from a botanical and a practical stand- 
point. Part III. treats exhaustively of cultivation 
and harvesting, and their accessories; Part V. deals 
with the diseases to which the plants are e ubjeet ; 
while in Part VI. the writer gives us a series of 
elaborate estima es of outlay and returns. In Ceylon, 
We observe, the diseases are less serious than in the 
case of either coffee or tea, the most formidable being 
canker. But in Java the trees are said to be liable to 
the attacks of a pest identified by the writer with 
the red spider of tea-bush notoriety. We regret to add 
that he suggests no remedy for the evil. 
If the estimates given in the Manual can be de. 
pended on, cinchona cultivation holds ont prospects 
which the ten plauter may well envy. They show 
at the end of five years, f»r the Officinalis variety, a 
profit, on the uprooting system, of El, 344 on an outlay 
of Rl 179. and on the mossing and renewing system 
a profit of R3.047, on an outlay of Rl,822, per acre; 
and for the Succirubra variety profits of R8G0 and 
R2.509 on outlays of R993 and R1.795 respectively. 
As regards the first of these results, Mr. Owen says : — 
The profit of R1.343 per acre includes the cost 
of land, R150, and the proprietor finds himself in 
this position. He has purchase money aud expendi- 
ture returned to him, with profit as above ; he has 
100 acres of cinchona land planted up by self-sown 
seedlings; a quarter of this acreage being two and 
a half years old, and ready to cut during the middle 
of the ensuing year, one-fourth the year afttr, and 
liie-half the third y ar ; shewing a profit at the end 
of nine and a half years greater than that shewn at 
the end of the first five years by the saving of original 
purchase of land and opening expenses, R27.945, be- 
sides other little savings in upkeep and first building, 
always provided that the land is found capable of 
producing a secoud crop." 
No estimates of results are given in the case of 
CaUntya or othvi- species, for want of data to go 
upon. 
Ccphf.a Cinchona.— Further informotinn concerning 
the " enprea" cinchona bark has been contributed by 
Dr. Charles A. Uobbms, of New York, to the Oil, 
Paint, and Drwi Repoiter. He has visited S mtander, 
I Slates, Columbia, where the bark is collected. 
He nays that the tree, crows on the lower mountain 
ran - j adjoining Buccaramanga, at a much lower alti- 
■de nan any of the known marketable kinds, the 
gond tnes not generally growing at a level below 
5,0<M> or above 3,501) feet. The first lots of bark that 
v ip;ied wero obtained from the higher altitudes, 
2, (Mat to :t,i 00 feet, and was in most cases of line 
quality. A good deal <>f that which has recently 
been oolleoted is of very inferior quality, and it is stated 
that the greater part of it will nut yield half as mil eh 
quinine ns the tiist shipments to London, which 
•old at 3s. <j</. to 3j. o<<. per lb.— Phar. Journal. 
Abstract of Pekinc Gazette.— July IGth.— (1) 
Memorial from Ming An, Governor of Kirin, re- 
porting that he has succeeded in obtaining from amongst 
the bills ten large plants of wild ginseng weighing 
about two taels nine mace five, and ten small plants 
weighing about one tael four mace five. The gin- 
seng supplied to His Majesty last year was paid 
for out of the public funds by the memorial 'sts, but 
the expense of procuring it is so large that he can- 
not continue to draw upon the public funds for 
the necessary amount. The four ounces odd that have 
now been procured involved an expenditure of Tls. 
404, arid he would suggest that now that the sale 
of cultivated ginseng is no longer prohibited, and 
duty is levied upou it. the sum required to procure 
the wild ginseng for the Court may be drawn from 
the duties levied on the cultivated plant, should 
His Majesty demand a further supply.— Rescript : It 
is noted.— North China Herald. 
Johore Tea has been characterized as "Good black- 
ish leaf, slrong. Pekoe flavour." This, to begin with, 
is encouraging, and it may be that at no distant day 
we may see tea plantations on the Malay Peninsula. 
The experimental tea gardens belonging to H. H. the 
Maharaja are flourishing excellently. A tea planter 
from India who recently visited them, stated, that 
the " soil and climate was all that could be desired ', 
for the successful cultivation of the tea plant. Sain' 
pies sent to London have been reported on as ab ve- 
and valued at from 1/7 to 2/1 per pound. Indian 
teas are increasing in favour, the deliveries in London 
reaching nearly 50,000.000 1b. annually. Apart from 
the export trade, Messrs. Thomson, the tea Brokers, 
state that the deliveries of China tea are about 
1 Hi, 000, 000 lb. The quality has deteriorated. Java 
tea is not esteemed in the home market, and the same 
may be said of much that is exported from Japan. 
There are thousands of acres in Johore admirably 
suited for this industry, and judging from the quantity 
and quality of Gambier leaf aud the general super- 
abundance of foliage everywhere on the territory, there 
seems to be nothing wanting to guarantee success to 
the planter except cheap Indian labour. The nearness 
of Johore to the Singapore market is in itself a 
great advantage to the planter.— Straits Times. 
Fibres. — In the annual report, which ha3 just 
reached us, of another valuable institution in Ca'cutta, 
the Royal Botanical Garden, it is mentioned, on the 
authority of the Superintfndent, Dr. King, that the 
cultivation of rheca is not likely to prove a commer- 
cial success in Bengal. The prizes offered for an effici- 
ent machine for cleaning the fibre have hitherto 
failed to create much interest in the subject, and it 
is unlikely that zemindars and ryots will undertake 
the cultivation of the plant until there is a cheap and 
effective means of briugiug it into maiketable condi- 
tion. During the pa-t twelve months various kinds 
of grasses w< re examined with a view to test tlieir 
capability of yielding a paper fibre, but the re-nlts 
in no caso appear to have been hopeful. Dr. King 
recommends that attention should be given to the 
Utilization of tho plaintain, which, so far as the manu- 
facture of paper is concerned, promisee to be the best 
of tho fibre-producing plants in India. Sir A hley 
Eden, who is always ready to encoura.e local enter- 
prise, expresses hiu readiness to a-sist any mercantile 
firm or private persons wishing to try experiments 
with the plantain iu the Chittagong Hill Tracts, or 
elsewhere in Bengal, by supplying them with wild 
plantain stems, free of cost, at the out-oet of tho 
experiment, and afterwards at reasonable rates. Tho 
manufacture of paper is an industry that it is very 
desirable should be encouraged in [ndw, and, we hope, 
some one will come forward to avail himself of the 
assistance of tho Bengal Government. — Times of India. 
