774 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1882. 
BERRIES AND SPIKE. 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE " MADRAS MAIL." 
Sir, — A forward spike early in December is no 
phenomenon. Year by year we have it, and about 
X'mas a blossom is usual. This blossom, as a rule, 
produces ripe cherry in August. During the month 
of November 1880, my estates had a blossom which 
yielded some 500 bushels of cherry picked in the fol- 
lowing May. This year, a blossom came out at the 
same time, from which we expect at least 1,000 bushels. 
I am of opinion that very early blossoms do not 
affect the general blossom to any appreciable extent. 
Moderately early blossoms do, and are, so far as my 
experience goes, favourable to the production of good 
crops. In February 1873, I had a blossom which 
resulted in an extremely good crop ; early in January 
1879, a very successful blossom that gave at least two- 
thirds of a good crop. During this season my estates 
blossomed six or seven times between the 7th Janu- 
ary and 30th May, but, as before stated, the bulk of 
the crop was from the January blossom : all these 
blossoms ripened crop about the ordinary time. 
Wynaad, 23rd Dec. Bamboo. 
THE NEW ALKALOID IN CUPREA BARK. 
(Pharmaceutical Journal, 24th December 1881.) 
From the Report of the meeting of the Chemical 
Society, which took place last week, it will be seen 
that Mr. David Howard read a paper describing the 
results of his observations respecting a peculiar alkaloid 
existing in the bark known in commerce as cuprea 
bark. The details there given leave no doubt that 
the alkaloid observed by Mr. Howard is the same 
as that referred to by other observers in the papers 
published in this Journal last week, and it is interesting 
to note this simultaneous and quite independent con- 
firmation of the existence of a peculiar alkaloid in 
the bark in question. 
From a letter just received from our valued cor- 
respondent. Dr. Hesse, in Germany, it appears that 
the new alkaloid has also been noticed by a friend 
of his in Stuttgart, who at first regarded it as cinchon- 
idine, though he was unable to obtain any evidence 
of cinchonidine being present when the bark was 
operated upon in the ordinary course of manufacture. 
From what is known of the new alkaloid in cuprea 
bark, it is not very difficult to explain how this 
happened. In the ordinary course of analysis the 
new alkaloid would be distinguished from quinine by 
its comparatively sparing solubility in ether, and the 
fact of its forming a tartrate of sparing solubility 
might readily lead to its being taken for cinchonidine. 
But in the process of manufacturing of quinine sulphate, 
these chatacteristic features of the new alkaloid and 
its salts would not be of any influence in pointing 
to its presence. The. determining circumstance in that 
case would be the sparing solubility of the neutral 
sulphate, and as that is a characteristic which brings 
the new alkaloid into close resemblance with quinine, 
it would have the effect of masking its presence in 
the course of manufacture and even oE leading to its 
being overlooked if the quinine sulphate containing 
an admixture of it were tested by the method of 
fractional crystallization. 
Froin these considerations it will, moreover, be 
evident that means arc now furnished for accounting 
for tome of the discrepancies that have occasionally 
been observed to obtain between the. results of aualysis 
and of manufacturing operations in regard to cuprea 
bark. It is not likely that in a well-conducted analysis 
of that bark the Dew alkaloid would be returned as 
quinine ; but in the course of manufacture it m,ight 
well happen that the new alkaloid would be ob ained 
as a sulphate, together wi^h the quinine, thus aug- 
menting the yield of quinine sulphate, apparently in 
disagreement with the result of analysis. And if the 
amount of the new alkaloid be on the average only 
as great as that indicated by Mr. Howard, viz., '35 
per cent, or about one-tenth part of the quinine, the 
effect of its presence would be sufficiently remark- 
able, while in cases such as that referred to by Mr. 
Whiffet), where the new alkaloid amounts to 0 8 per 
cent, the possible difference between analytical and 
manufacturing results would be rendered still more 
palpable in the same way. 
Dr. Hesse remarks in his letter that under the rade 
name of "cuprea bark" are comprised a variety of 
different kinds of bark corresponding in texture and 
colour, though perhaps in no other respect, and that 
sometimes this name is applied to bark which has not 
even the copper-red colour which was originally one 
of its distinctive features. A pale coloured bark of 
this kind is mentioned by Dr. Hesse as having been 
examined by Professor Korner, who obtained from it 
a peculiar alkaloid forming finely crystallizable salts, 
which will form the subject of a communication before 
long. Besides this, the bark examined by M. Arnaud, 
and from which he obtained ciuchonamine, seems to 
be of the same kind, viz., similar in texture and 
colour to true cuprea bark and ceming from the same 
district, but differing from it in containing more cinchon- 
ine and the new alkaloid described by him as ciu- 
chonamine. 
AGRICULTURAL ITEMS. 
It is of no use to apply remedies to the fowls to 
get rid of lice if the house is not rid of them. The 
house should be cleaned out thoroughly, every loose 
thing pulled out and well scrubbed with hot lime 
wash. The roots should be well greased all over, 
and then, but not until then, apply remedies to 
the fowls. 
Water glass, soluble silicate of soda, has been used 
by the Germans for keeping eggs. This a clear liquid, 
of the consistence of syrup, and when smeared over 
the shell soon dries into a thin, hard, glossy coating, 
entirely impermeable to the air. 
A DAIRY MAXIM. 
If milk and butter you would have — 
A right delicious treat — 
Keep churn, and bowls, and milking pails 
Most scrupulously sweet. 
With boiling water, day by day, 
Cleanse each with utmost care ; 
Then rear them at your doorway, 
To dry in open air. 
—From "Twenty Golden Rules, " by F. R. (G. Bradley, 
Huddersfield.) 
Experience has proved board floors for poultry houses 
to be injurious to the fowls. No amount of cleaning 
can keep them free from vermin and bad odours. 
Clean, dry earth is the proper flooring for hen hou-es. 
It should have an under strata of eolid, packed earth. 
This should be scraped at least once a week, and 
again sprinkled with road dust mixed with air-slacked 
lime. — Sydney Mail. 
EFFECT OF MANURES ON CROPS. 
(Field, €9th November 1881.) 
Year by year the work done in experimental agriculture 
increases rapidly, and the results obtained, which generally 
refer to the effects of manures on certain crops, are pub- 
lished in the monthly and weekly periodicals. But part of 
this ','(>rk, over winch much trouble and time has been ex- 
pended, is in a great measure lost to the agriculturist ; for, 
soils', climates, and local conditions varying greatly, if the 
experiments are repeated exactly, disappointment follows, 
