January 2, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
595 
so that my visit was rather hurried ; but I was able to 
see a good many estates at different elevations and with 
different soils. I also obtained much information from 
Pr, Trimen, who accompanied mo from Peradeniya 
through some of the estates in Kotmale and Dimbula as 
far as Nuwara Eliya, whence he was obliged to return. I 
afterwards visited the Government plantation and 
nursery at Hakgala, estates aboutNtiwara Kliya, Kauda- 
polla and Uda Pussellawa and returned to Peradeniya 
through fonie of the estates in the Ramboda and Pussel- 
lawa districts. 
The Pttta.—I was much interested to find the " Pata 
do galliuazo" of Mr, Cross, the species hitherto known 
here as " Magnifolin," about which I have written so 
much, widely distributed in the island, chiefly among ->t 
the " Snceirubra " trees, between 3,000 and 5,000 feet 
elevation and maintaining its uniform character and 
strong rapid growth. This species is in Ceylon generally 
known as " Hybrid" though it has other names, and is 
ion 
i all 
it as ono and the sumo plant, and always spoke of 
them as their "hybrids," but were delighted at a 
reaction against the hybrid theory, and to think it 
a distinct species which could be propagated from 
seed, as many of them think with me that it is prob- 
ably within certain elevations, the ohinchona of the 
individual tree of this as a separate hybrid, and all dis- 
tinct one from the otlnr, though almost uniform in ap- 
pearance. In ono estate in Lindula, known us Agra- 
kandii, I found that, the analysis of the bark of three 
different trees of this "Pata" hud been reported on 
by Mr. Howard. It was as follows ;— 
Xo. Quinine, ('hinrhuui line. Quinidiue. Chinclionine. 
IV. 6-77 1'84 trace trace. 
1-06 do. do, 
vn. 
4-08 
lltl 
No. VII. 
d 2 feet 
cct data 
These were all large, stro 
the largest, was a little c 
in girth, broast high. I 
as to age was available, but tney appeared to be net 
less than 10 years. This analysis is most interesting, 
as showing what a very large percentage in quinine 
some of this species can give, mid also as showing 
how variable the yield is from different individuals ; 
which is, us far ns I can see, equally the 
case with nil the - other spicies of the genus. 
I found Dr. Trimen exceedingly interested in this 
species, and ho had been cautioning the planters against 
the hybrid theory. I believe that he is now fully 
Convinced that it is a perfectly distinct specie3 and 
an undeseribed ono ; and he intends, I believe, to 
discribo and figure it in his Journal of Botany. 
Pubescens. — I also saw trees of our " Pubescens " 
(or the downy variety of the " Pata ") particularly in 
Pussellawa, but they do not appear so abundant as 
ihc glabrous species. 
Red Bark. — The growth of " succirubra" is exceed- 
ingly good in many paits that I visited, and I often 
saw it growing wi 11 in deserted coffee where the soil 
must havo terribly deteriorated. If all old deserted 
BOflee plantations oau be planted up with " snceirubra" 
it will bo a great thing for both India and Ceylon ; 
except at the lowor elevations, however, the " Pal 
grows eveu hotter than tho "succirubra," and is the 
tree to plant at any rate anywhere abovo 4,000 feet. 
Crown Iiark.—\ was not fortunate in seeing any gO"d 
" officinalis" plantations of any age or eizo. I nasn.pt 
Bpwever able to go to Hnputale or Uvn, the two be 1 
triots, I believe, as far ns soils ami climate go. I s;i\v both 
at Nuwara Eliya and in KandapoUa, and elsewhere large 
plantations of "officinalis" of very young growth look- 
ing exceedingly healthy (when sufficiently protected by 
an oasturu exposure) but tho soil 0 very whore is much 
inferior to what we have on the Nilgiris, often very 
shallow or with a clayey sub soil which induces early 
decay, chiefly from canker, and the planters do not 
look to longevity for "officinalis" in these soils, but 
they uproot at 4 or 5 years of age and replant. We 
have nothing of this sort in India, and I trust if 
may never be necessary, but the whole conditions < f 
soil and climate are different. We have not planted 
any tracts with a sub-soil of impervious clay, and 
we have a period of drought which. I think, will turn 
out to be beneficial to "officinalis" (though probably 
not for some other species) and antagonistic to canker; 
whilst in Ceylon, in addition to a very heavy monsoon 
with often no sunshine for very long peiiod", they 
have rain all the year round, which induces early mat- 
urity and the too early flowering of the trees. So 
profitable is the crown bark at present prices that, 
even in face of this early maturity and early decay, 
the planters are making large profits. On one estate 
which I visited on upper Ramboda, called Frotoft, 
45 acres of "officinalis" had been uprooted at 4£ years 
of age, and the trees had yielded 25 tons of dry I ark 
which was sold at 4s. per lb. ( = £11,200), and it was 
said that Is. per lb. would even have paid. There 
is, of course, much doubt how often soils like this 
can bs replanted ; but uprooting in this case was 
imperative, as the trees were all beginning to go 
out even at this early age from canker, and 
this is said to be generally the case, and that cop- 
picing even cannot be resorted to, as it is generally 
the root canker. 1 was even told in several estates 
that whole nurseries had gone out from this cause. 
This must, I think, be simply the damping or rotting 
off of the roots of the seedlings from the use of too 
rich or damp soil in the beds and the want of silver 
sand. On another estate called Lool Condura (i'i the 
same vicinity), which I did not visit, I heard that 
two crops had already been taken off by tie same 
method of uprooting, with very favourable results 
financially, and that the estate had been planted up 
a third time. All these estates are considerably below 
5,000 feet and consequently at an elevation much 
below what we grow " ( fficinalis " at, and this early 
decay may possibly be averted at tho higher eleva- 
tions about Nuwara Eliya, &c ; the growth there is 
all very young at present. On ono estate called, I think, 
Thallipody* not far from Nuwara Eliya, I found that 
all the "officinalis" trees had been shaved (Java 
method) before they were barely three years old ! The 
proceeds weie said to have cleared the estate of all 
expenditure, and the trees, small as they were, were 
certainly nearly all renewing their bark ! In another 
estate in this locality I saw "officinalis" which had 
been put down as close as 2r£x2A, growing very well. 
However, there is an opinion amongbt some of the 
planters that close planting can bo overdone and so 
cause unhealthy growth from an early age that may 
not be easily rectified by subsequent thinuiug ; it is a 
question on which actual experience s in' ch required. 
Belli of Trees as Break-winds, — Near Nuwara Eliya, 
I saw an "Officinalis" plantation in a high, bleak- 
exposed situation, which was exceedingly int'-resting on 
account of the systematic way in which belts of 
Ehtcalyptus globulus had been planted as a break-wind. 
At a chain apart, throughout the plantations, singlo 
rows of thc.-e trees, each tree at 6 feet apart, had been 
nut down at tho saino time as the chinchoua ; they 
had been topped when young, and grown out with a 
bushy habit, and the Cinchona was growing, com- 
paratively, excordingly well, where there could havo 
been nothing but most wrotchedly-Btuuted growth 
without this prot ction. I think this plan ran with 
great adtantago bo introduced into sevorul portions of 
our plantation on Dodabotla and at Naduvatam and 
• Tullibody I— Ed. 
