March r, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
The seeds should not be sown till the cold weather 
has set in, as the young plants cannot endure the beat. 
It is a remarkably pretty creeper and should be trained 
to a trellis. 
A very attractive plant, well adapted fc.r bedding. 
Sow in October. 
Vioi,a. 
Strikingly handsome and beautiful flowers, which blossom 
well in the cold weather. Sow in October, and shelter 
from the sun and ruin. 
Venus's looking-glass. 
A profuse-flowering dwarf annual. Sow in October. 
Virginian stock. 
This pretty annual is well adapted for edgings or 
for planting in clumps, as the profusion of llov.ers renders 
il exceedingly attractive. Sow in good rich soil in 
October. 
Viscari. 
A beautiful and profuse flowering annual, most attractive 
when grown in beds or clumps. 
Whiti.avi. 
A very beautiful annual, well suited to Indian gardens. 
Useful for borders. Sow in October. 
Zinnia. 
This beautiful annual is useful for bedding purposes 
or for planting '.'> or 1 together in a bonier. Sow in 
A N K \Y ALKALOID IN THE BARK OF CINCHONA 
CUPREA.* 
B. n. 
AND 
the 
the 
In operating up 
been much emploj 
under the name of 
months ago the frequent occurrenc 
from the ethereal solution of tb 
from tho bark. As this bark had 
contain cinchonidine, it seemed a 
that the crystals thus deposited fi 
of the alkaloid might be quinidi 
always present to some extent in 
hi has lately 
of quinine, 
Hi 
alkaloid 
soluble 
mringly 
qui 
in wh 
The alkfi 
alli/iiiL 
the sulphate resembles quinine sulphate in its sparing 
solubility in waler, thus difloring f r „ m the sulphates of 
cinchonidine and quinidinc. It crystallizes out in needles. 
The tartrate resembles cinchonidine tartrate in regard 
to its comparatively sparing solubility in water. 
In the 
it varies con 
no indication; 
ilk:,!, iid, 
unite 
i any 
thud 
dill'el 
that the amount of 
samples. Sometimes 
the 
be detected, and 
this was generally the case with 
of cuprea bark. At any rate, 
h is oniy wiinin ine last four months that we have 
noticed the occurrence of this alkaloid, and then only 
in some samples. In certain instances, when there is 
much of the alkaloid present, its behaviour simulates 
that of cinchonidine, so much as to "ive rise to the 
conclusion that the bark contains that alkaloid, as well 
as quinine and quinidine.— PJiarmaceutical Journal. 
sulphate, as well as cinchon 
soluble tartrate, though it di 
crystalli/.able from an ether si 
as well as quinidine by the 
lized from ether. 
There seemed, therefore, e\ery reason to conclude that 
tho cuprea bark contained au alkaloid which had not 
btsviously been isolated, and tho probability of this 
loins the oase was consistent with the long observed 
peculiarity of the quinine sulphate obtained from this 
bark, as regards crystalline form or rather the texture 
of a mass of crystals. We consequently proceeded to 
separate a sufficient quantity of this alkaloid for study- 
ing its history more completely. This was, howewr, u 
work of some ditliculty, since the sparing solubility of 
the sulphate did not admit of any satisfactory separation 
by the method of fractional crystallization, and we were 
constrained to have recourse to the plan of crystallizing 
the alkaloid from ether. By this somewhat tedious pro- 
cess we have obtained a small quantity of it, from which 
wo have prepared some of the salts, nod now give the 
following details of the characters of them ami of the 
alkaloid. 
* The data contained in Ibis paper tin, I continuation 
from tho observations of Mr. Whitl'en, r< corded in the 
tallowing paper, which was received nt the moment of 
preparing for publication. — El>. Ph. Jaunt. 
■ NEW ALKALOID FROM CINCHONA. 
BY W. GEORGE WIIIFFEN, F.I.C. 
In the examination of the bark known as Cinchona 
cuprea, which has been imported from South America 
in large quantities during the last two years for the 
manufacture of quinine, I have repeatedly noticed the 
presence of an alkaloid differing apparently from the 
known cinchona bases. 
Having lately collected a quantity of this substance 
for examination, I found it to be a previously un- 
de3cribed cinchona alkaloid having great similarity to 
quinine. 
It occurs, I believe, in greater or less extent in all 
the cuprea bark, and I have found from -1 to -8 per 
cent in samples recently analysed. 
If the impure quinine, as obtained from a bark con- 
taining the re.v alkaloid, be dissolved in ether, there 
will be found, on long standing, massive groups of prism- 
atic crystals. These crystals are collected and washed 
and recrystallized several times in ether to purify from 
traces of quinine. 
As thus prepared the alkaloid is very soluble in alcohol 
even when dilute; the solution is strongly alkaline to 
litmus. When freshly precipitated the alkaloid is solu- 
ble in ether, from which it crystallizes in stellar groups 
of fine tabular prisms, having a pearly lustre. It is also 
considerably soluble in dilute liquid ammonia. It is not 
decomposed by cold oil of vitriol, nor by concentrated 
nitric acid. Sulphuric acid and potassic bichromate pro- 
duce with it a deep green coloration. 
So far as I have been able to examine them, its 
salts closely resemble those of quinine. The sulphate 
crystallizes from a solution in boiling water in pearly 
white needles, which taste intensely bitter; it is rather 
more soluble in cold water than sulphate of quinine, but 
far less soluble than sulphate of (rinohonidire. 
Tho cold saturated solution in water is precipitated 
by Roehelle salt, but is wot precipitated by the cautious 
addition of potassic iodide. C hlorine watcr'and ammonia 
produced an emerald -recti coloration like that formed 
by quinine and quinidine. With excess of acid its solu- 
tion is fluorescent even when very dilute. 
The most characteristic reaction* is its action on polar- 
i/.ed light. The solution of the sulphate in acid rotates 
the ray to the left more powerfully than sulphate of 
quinine, tho relative angles obtained tram effloresced 
salts being thus represented: 
Sulphate of cinehonidiue. . .. (a) j — 135°«», 
Sulphate of quinine .. .. („) j i<m; ^ 
Sulphate of new base .. .. (all 891V* 
I have prepared specimen of this alkaloid tar COm- 
Imstion analysis, and hop,- g r .U to publish it. ultimate 
