March i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
8*3 
of bark per annum, — tho strain on the planted area 
would be very great. The supply, in fact, could cot 
bo kept up. There is room therefore for a vas'Iy 
extended cultivation of cinchona. 
The scope for the txtended consumption of quinine 
and the inferior cinchoua alkaloids is also enormous,. 
A leading London Veterinary Surgeon has said that 
if quinine were only half its present price, he 
would never prescribe a "ball" for a horse without 
an appreei ible quantity of the valuable tonic. As a sub- 
stitute for opium tlie merits of quinine have yeb to be 
pressed on tbe notice of European philanthropists as 
well as on that of tho millions of Chinese The other 
day, an American visitor told us that his companion 
across the Pacific to China, an experienced Shanghai 
Missionary, was carrying bick to his adopted country 
as the greatest earthly blessing he could give to 1 he 
people he laboured amongst, in the rural districts, a 
basketful of quinine pills! Tho efficacious and pre- 
cious febrifuge is almost unknown in China, and 
largely as a substitute for opium, the whole of the 
present production of the world might be absorbed 
if only it were brought within the reach of the people 
and at a price within their means. That the Chinese 
can afford a good round sum is evident from the 
ten millions sterling which is at present paid by them 
on account of "opium" to the Indian Government. 
It would bo will if all who aro interested in the 
welfare of Ceylon and India as well as of China, 
would endeavour to give a practical turn to the 
agitation against opium, by adding to the negative object 
of " Anti-Opium Societies" — namely, the putting down 
of the opium traffic — the' positive recommendation to en- 
cournge the substitution of quinine ; and just in the 
same way we must do our best to turn the influence 
of the powerful British Anti-Slavery Society against 
the false Brazilians ; while we should like to see 
the united influence of every coffee-growing country 
directed to the overthrow of the present iniquitous 
system whereby "coffee" mixtures are ruining the 
consumption and market for pure coffees in the United 
Kingdom. 
|. Here then are three great movements which 
■re sure of success sooner or later, and which 
Ceylou colouists and their friends at home may 
do a good deal to foster and to agitate in sup- 
port of. The one to encourage tho substitution of 
■feme for oplnm in tho trade between India and 
China has only to be mentioned to secure universal 
approval, and ii may be pointed out that it is not 
in China only, that such substitution is required. 
In the Fen districts of England and in tho low-lying 
portions of Essex, Middlesex and Kent, tho con- 
lumption of laudanum among people suffering from 
chronic aguo is largo beyond the conception of 
IDost people, ma"y country apoihccaiies confessing that 
they sell the soothing though deleterious extract, by 
tho wineglussful to hundreds of customers every 
Saturday night. Wo should urge the example of the 
good Ami'iiean Missionary in China who goos among 
his people witli a basketful of quinine pills a» worthy 
Of being copied by tho philanthropic and charitable 
in all the ague-stricken diatrioU.of England and oivilised 
Europe, and we may then anticipate with confidence 
the day when a doubled or even quintupled production 
of bark will enable tbe febrifuge to be issued at a rate 
which will ensure consumption in quarters where as yet, 
thi3 most valuable of febrifuges, is entirely unknown. 
When the present mail left England, we obterve 
that a Deputation against the Opium Traffic with China, 
with Alderman MacArthur as its head, was about to 
wait on Mr. Glad&tone. We must endeavour to induce 
Mr. MacArthur as a friend of Ceylon, to consider the sug- 
gestion we have thrown out about quinine ; as well as to 
take up the question of Slavery in Brazil and that of 
Coffee Adulteration. We might then well regard the 
worthy ex-Lord Mayor as "M. P. for Ceylon" (just 
as Mr. Fawcett was named " M. P. for India"), and 
surely never did an ill-used, badly -governed Colony, 
stand in more need of a Parliamentary Representative. 
We 
a few 
Dea 
the ci 
d cur's 
ject tl 
this se 
from ■ 
CHRISTY OF LONDON ON CAL1SAYA 
SEED. 
received by a recent mail, an envelope containing 
sxjeds, with the following letter and extract :— 
a Sib,— I send you by this post a few seeds of 
ichona just to hand this week. I gave the Gar- 
Chronicle in Dec. a letter upon the same sub- 
at I sent to you. The gentleman who sends us 
ed speaks of the woods that yield the cinchona 
vhich Ledger is supposed to have taken his speci- 
riJQ go out to Ceylon and 
h, as it is all bespoken. — 
THOMAS CHRISTY & Co. 
We think the most o 
India by the mails this 
Yours truly, 
I send you a slip I had printed today, which is a trans- 
lation of a letter. 
Coca.— I know of one contract that is being made for 
2,000 lb. weight of green leaves. The gentleman left last night 
who is to collect them in Peru. They are going to be 
made into extract. The green leaf only keeps good for 
five mouths. 
Cinchona Seed. 
Translation of Letter received 19th February 1882 by T. 
Christy. 
I can now advise you that the seeds that are sent vou 
-z,amna iuoraua, ami yerae, but it is probable that 
the greater part is of the latter, and that it is mixed 
with the other kinds, as the " Verde" is the one which 
most abounds. As to choice quality among these several 
classes, you may take it that they are more or less 
equal. "Morada" and "Zamba Morada" produce moro 
quinine, hut the "Verde" recoups me, as it possesses 
alkaloid in smaller quantities, but bark in larger, so that 
you can classify it as equal to the others in value. 
The cinchona, called " Ledgcriana," is just the same as 
those which are represented by the samples of bark 
which I left with you; the only tiling different being 
(hat these samples are from cultivated trees) which con- 
tain twice us much quinine as the wild trees from tho 
woods, which Mr. Ledger classifies as •• Kojii Morada," and 
" Naraujada ;" but these significations vary only according 
to the districts from which the bark is cut. W ith the 
best faith you COD dispose of tho seed ns being the very 
best which exists among culisaya*, and, if necessary, state 
that it is " Lcdgcriauii," which is identical with these 
calisayas. 
From analysis given, there is no doubt that tbe alkaloids 
are very greatly increased by cultivating the trees, us, in 
the wild state, the hark hcarcch ever gives mure than 
