042 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May i, 1882. 
types. This seems borne out by the fact that in 
plants on a twig of which variegated leaves have 
been developed, other twigs of the same plant, when 
grown as cuttings, will not develope variegated 
leaves. A writer in the Ceylon Observer states that 
at the intermediate zones, where climates of inferior 
suitability to tbe growth of various species are mot 
with, a large number of hybrid forms have devoloped, 
better suited to the climate they grow in than the 
parent trees. Dr. Trimen also is of opinion that 
some of the so-called hybrids may be new or at 
least previously unobserved forms, while others are 
more or less similar to those already noticed in South 
America. The true relationship of the varioue forms, 
however, probably requires a wider consideration, in 
which the microscopical structure of the bark and 
the alkaloids yielded by the different forms, making 
allowance for difference in climate and elevation, are 
each allowed due weight. 
Mr. Owen expresses his opinion tbat locally pre- 
pared febrifuges will never be able to compete with 
the cheaper crystallized alkaloids prepared in Eng- 
land, the great manufacturers having appliances and 
probably secret processes which give them enormous 
advantages. Thus while Sikkim febrifuge was being 
sold for 20 rupees per pound, sulphate of cinchonine 
could be bought for 5 rupees and sulphate of cin- 
chonidine for 17 - 50 rupees in England. He also 
believes that there is but little fear of the supply 
of quinine yielding barks exceeding the demand, 
whilst if the local preparation of febrifuge from 
the red barks proves a success there will be less 
fear of the latter flooding the market. Mr. Gammie, 
of Rungbee, is said to have discovered a cheap pro- 
cess, whereby the sulphate of quinine, mixed with a 
small proportion of cinchonine, can be extracted so 
as to be sold at about the same low price as the 
Sikkim febrifuge. The great difficulty experienced, 
however, is tne thorough exhaustion of alkaloid from 
the bark. 
In speaking of the use of bark for pharmaceutical 
purposes, Mr. Owen remarks that sometimes the 
large druggists are obliged to buy officinalis. When 
this happens they usually resell the bark to the 
manufacturer, after extracting by their method a 
part of its contents, and it not unfrequently happens 
that the bark proves to be almost as rich in quinine 
as it was before it had been subjected to the treat- 
ment of the druggist. His method fails to extract 
the whole of the quinine, or even of the inferior alkal- 
oids. It is obvious that the chemist does not want 
a valuable quinine bark, but rather a softer bark, 
like the succirubra, rich in total alkaloids, which 
are separable by his method, but comparatively poor 
in quinine. Though the alkaloids are not completely 
extracted by the process he uses, they yield to in- 
fusion sufficient to justify him in styling the result 
a "tonic mixture." As a cheap bark, but yet rich 
in the more easily separable tonic and febrifugal 
matter, the succirubra may then rightly be termed, 
par excellence, "druggists' bark." 
The features which Mr. Owen describes as having 
most weight with the druggist are the boldness and 
firmness, the regularity of the roll, the length and 
evenness of the quill. With a quiet irony he ob- 
serves that these points are " evidences of care in 
" preparation of the bark, and they therefore in- 
" directly testify, for the satisfaction of the chemist 
"and his customers, to the identity and, as a 
"neceseary corollary, to the medicinal virtues of the 
" bark." 
Another point to which he calls the attention of 
exporters, viz.. the presence of a silvery coating of 
the epidermis of the bark and if possible the pre- 
sence of crustaceous and stringy lichens, to which, 
be goei on to say, tradition has given a fictitious I 
importance, having declared it to be, together with 
the bitter taste of the bark, the greatest safeguard 
of the chemist against deception and the strongest 
proof of tbe identity of the parent tree. He shows 
that bark possessing this appearance will realize as much 
as 50 per cent, or sometimes even 100 per cent, 
above its intrinsic va ue. This is because the drug, 
gist may be said to buy on appearance only, and 
with little reference to the intrinsic value of the 
bark. 
These remarks are very instructive and show that 
this little work is well worthy of perusal by the 
wholesale and retail druggists as well as by the 
cinchona planter. There is no doubt some truth in the 
remarks that are quoted above.- Pharmaceutical 
Journal. 
TRADE AMONG THE DYAKS OF BORNEO. 
As considerable attentinon is being directed to the 
prosr ect of increased commercial relations with Borneo 
owing to the grant of a charter to an English 
colonising company, whose operations will be conducted 
on tbe east coast of that island, we extract from 
Carl Bocks work, just published by Messrs. Sampson 
Low & Co., entitled the "Head Hunters of Borneo " 
the following paragraphs descriptive of the commercial 
products of the island at present utilised by the 
natives : — 
"During the dry season tbe Dyaks, especially the 
women, go out in numbers and collect damar, a sort 
of resin, which is produced in abundance by certain 
kinds of trees, three different kinds being rewgnised 
—viz., dark brown, yellow, and nearly white and 
transparent The 'damar' runs from the trees to the 
ground, and is often mixed with earth and very dirty. 
When this is the case the natives make a sort of 
putty which they call doempoel, first pounding the 
resin, then adding to it a little chalk and cocoanut-oil. 
When packing up my collections of birds, &c. I 
found that the wood was split in several places, leaving 
cracks sufficiently wide to admit ants and other 
destructive insects. Observing this, a Dyak made me 
some 'doempoel,' and filled up the crevices, making 
the case prefectly tight. This putty hardens quickly 
after it is applied, and is very durable. The 'damar ' 
is also used in the manufacture of torches, which are 
made of bundles of leaves mixed with powdered resin 
When burning, these torches emit a very feeble light' 
but a very strong smoke and smell. The superior 
advantages of petroleum will, no doubt, soon be 
appreciated among the Dyaks, as they are already among 
the Malays, who have for some years burnt this oil 
which they call minia tana (earth oil). 
"The cutting of rattan is, however, the chief occup- 
ation of the Dyaks. This is carried on in tbe rainy 
season, when they make excursions to the very 
numerous rivers and creeks, on whose banks the several 
species of this valuable prickly climbing plant are 
found growing in great abundance. There are three 
sorts in special demand in trade— the Rotan irit, which 
is the best, the Sankolirang, and an inferior variety. 
The price at Samarinda varies from ninety-five florins 
to twenty-five florins for 100 iklcat or bundles— each 
bundle containing forty rattans. The apparent differ- 
ence in quality is so slight that it requires an ex- 
perienced eye to detect it. Tbe rattan is sold to Malay 
traders, and by them brought down to the shipping 
ports on immense rafts — those on the Barito river 
sometimes measuring 300 or 400 feet long and 60 or 
70 feet wide, made of a number of large trees tied 
firmly together by meaus of rattan rope 
"Besides forming the chief article of trade in its 
raw state, rattan furnishes the material for the manu- 
facture of an endless variety of useful objects. Take 
away his bamboo, and you take away the Dyak's 
