782 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1882. 
actly to what extent this takes place, as the narrow 
strips of bark were surrounded on all sides by renewing 
bark. I send a small specimen of the renewed bark, 
also taken from the same species as the barksent you." 
[The strips, like the original bark, presented the 
appearance of thick fine bark, and gave even a better 
result than those gathered seven months before, thus 
completely dispelling the tra isf erence hypothesis.] 
The analysis was as follows : — 
Sulphate of Quinine 6 - 94 
„ Cinchonidine 4-48 
,, Cinchonine 0-20 
„ Quinidine 0-14 
Amorphous Alkaloid 1'14 
12-90* 
Mr. Mclvor continues : — 
" This theory of the transference of alkaloids has been 
got up, I believe, to impress on our Government the 
disadvantage of mossing, but even if the alkaloids are 
transferred we would not lose anything. But the trans- 
ference of any material once deposited in one part of 
a vegetable tissue to that of another part is unknown. 
A notable example of this is found in the graft. Here 
two plants differing in their nature are placed in the 
closest combination, yet in the experience of upwards 
of two thousand years, and with almost every species of 
plant, the stock has not been found to communicate to 
the graft, or the graft to the stock, in the minutest degree, 
any of those subtle influences on which depend the 
size and flavour of a fruit, or the colour of a flower, 
both the stock and graft retaining through their existence 
their respective qualities ; though the stock is built up 
by the sap elaborated by the leaves of the graft, and 
the graft supplied with its nourishment ■ through the 
roots of the stock. Moreover, if the alkaloids are trans- 
ferred, they are not transferred in the same conditions, 
especially so in red barks, as we find renewed red bark 
very rich in quinine, and this on trees where the natural 
bark contains scarcely any quinine." 
" Ootacamund, August 16, 1875. 
" Of C. pubescens we planted on private plantations 
20 acres last year, and this year we planted out 60 acres 
of this plant on the Kartary estate. 
"I have another seedling raised with the same batch 
of hybrids, which promises to be better than C. pubescens, 
at least, so far as I have been able to ascertain, it 
yields nearly 10 per cent of sulphate of quinine; but 
I shall send specimens of this variety and of the bark 
also. We have only a few plants of this kind, and I 
overlooked it in my investigations of last year. It is 
not unlike No. 3 of De Vrij's analysis, but has a more 
oblong leaf." 
I did not receive the above-mentioned specimens, and 
consequently am without the means of identifying the 
three sorts mentioned above. 
The tree which Mr. Mclvor sent me proved to be quite 
different in the bark, and I judge of no value. Some 
mistake had occurred and this threw me oft the scent 
and led me to give credence to the theory of hybridization 
which is easily called in (like some other theories) to 
satisfy minds that do not desire the labour of really 
fathoming difficult questions. 
It will be seen by what follows that the theory of 
hybridisation must be set aside, in this case at least. 
I do not find any further reference in letters from 
Mr. Mclvor except in one received after his return from 
Ceylon, which journey led to bis lamented decease. In 
this letter he speaks of its coming true from seed. 
(From Colonel Beddome.) 
" The Nilghiris, June. 24, 1881. 
" We have a very valuable species hero in wliat Howard 
calls officinalis var. pubescens. There are two varieties, 
one quite glabroUS on the under surface of the leaf, 
* And yet Mr. Mooiw got very poor results.— En. 
known here as magnifolia, and the other very downy, 
called pubescens. They were both supposed to be hybrids 
of Nilghiri origin; but they are no hybrids. I find 
them in our oldest plantations. Cross says he recognizes 
the glabrous one as the " Pata de Gallinuzo " of the 
bark collectors on the Chimborazo, and that he found 
it at a much higher elevation than succirubra, and it 
grows here at a much higher elevation than succirubra, 
growing splendidly at over 7,000 feet, where siu-drubm 
will not grow at all. 
" Two bales of this sold last month in England at 
a higher price than any officinalis. It was the best 
we have sent home. There is another distinct species 
that I cannot name. It has its leaves very hairy on 
both surfaces, like Pahudiana, but the flowers difter from 
that species, and it has an extraordinary bark, very rough 
and corky. There are only five trees of it in our 1865 
plantations. Cross says it is the true crispa of the Loxa 
neighbourhood,* and that lie only has ever collected it, 
and that he sent the seed of it here with officinnUs 
seed in 1863, but that Mclvor said it had never germ- 
inated: There are two trees here known as officinalis 
var. crispa. One is a very narrow leaved form, which 
is easily recognized, but not, I think, of any worth. The 
other is said to be known in Ceylon as " crispa," and 
is only a smaller-leaved form of ordinary officinalis and 
quite runs into the type. 
" I think on the Nilghiris at elevations above 5,000 feet, 
every species and variety should give way to the Uritu- 
singa var. of officinalis, and to the species and varieties 
we call •magnifolia and pubescens. They are both of 
splendid growth and both have a very high percentage 
of quinine. The Calisayas all die out here, and so do 
the Grey Barks. They certainly require a lower elevation, 
but even in a warmer climate our long drought may be 
too trying for them."t 
(To be continued.) 
WHICH KINDS OF CINCHONA BARK SHOULD 
BE USED IN PHARMACY? 
By E. M. Holmes, F.L.S.\ 
The cinchona barks, cultivated in Java, India, Ceylon, 
and Jamaica, etc., have formed for some years a regular 
article of commerce, and are now generally acknowledged 
to be superior in quality to those imported from South 
America. 
These barks are not recognized by the pharmacopoeias, 
and they cannot therefore be legally used in pharmacy. 
This is the more to be regretted because it is well known, 
at least to all who are conversant with the cinchona 
trade, that the South American barks obtainable in retail 
commerce at the present time, although closely agreeing 
in appearance, and even in some external characters, with 
the descriptions given of the official barks, are often com- 
paratively worthless. 
Pharmacists are consequently placed in the undesirable 
predicament of being compelled by law to use inferior 
Dark when better is obtainable. It therefore appears to 
be a suitable subject to bring before the Pharmaceutical 
Conference in order to obtain from representative pharm- 
acists as well as from experts in bark analysis, a con- 
sensus of opinion and an amount of practical information 
which should have some weight in leading the framers 
of future pharmacopeias to remove this anomaly. 
The points on which I venture to express an opinion, 
and on which it appears to me that discussion is necess- 
ary, are as follows: — 
1. It is desirable that cultivated cinchona barks should 
replace the uncultivated barks in medicine and pharmacy ? 
2. What variety can most advantageously be used? 
* Rather the Cresyilla ahumada which should be Pavon's 
C. dccurrentifolia. — J. E. H. 
fWhy should the grey barks (micrantha), tfcc, be 
cultivated ?— Ed. 
| Read before the British Pharmaceutical Conference. 
