974 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May i, 1882. 
CALISAYA LEDGEMANA IN CEYLON. 
We delayed the letter, given in another column, 
from Mr. North Christie, with the intention of em- 
bodying it in a comprehensive notice of the Leclgeii- 
anas, which we have not been able as yet to over- 
take. We, therefore, now publish Mr. Christie's in- 
teresting and important facts. As Mr. Christie, like our- 
selves and others, obtained his seed from the late Mr. 
Mclvor, there can be no doubt now that the Neddiwuttum 
plants, in which Mr. Howard could not trace the charac- 
teristics of Ledgeriana, were yet true Ledgerianas, 
altered in character by adverse climatic conditions. 
The bark of the spindly bushes realized 12s 8d per 
lb. and seedlings from them, planted at a suitable 
elevation, have resulted in such extraordinary results 
as Mr. Christie sends us. It is important to see 
that seed in this case and in that of Mclvor's hybrids 
has come true to type, for seedlings have the great 
merit of being rapidly and cheaply propagated. What 
the result of seeds from Mr. Christie's trees may be, 
we should be curious to see. 
Our readers are already aware that Mr. Wm. Smith, 
of Mattakelle, obtained results equally good with 
those obtained from the Maskeliya plants. A second 
set of analyses have reached Mr. Smith, which give for 
Crystal fajd 
Quinine 
Sulphate. 
1216 
8- 60 
6- 84 
9- 46 
7- 13 
7 34 
7'90 
8'78 
11-9 
10-31 . 
8'04 
8- 90 
7-S2 
lending us Dr. Paul' 
I bark from this estate, made by Dr. B. H. Paul, of 
I London, will be of interest to your readers : — 
Crystallized Quinine Crystallized Cin- Cinchonine 
Sulphate. chonidine sulphate, (alkaloid.) 
B 
A 
J 
C 
R 
Q 
M N 
Crystalized 
Cinchonidine 
Sulphate. 
074 
048 
trace 
0 66 
M0 
0-70 
0-30 
0 60 
0- 16 
0 92 
0 60 
0 34 
1- 42 
analyses, 
from London by Dr. 
P 
Gr v.- «SM 
H 
K ..? WJ 
I 
Mr. Smith, it 
wrote : — 
"I have got 12 more analyse 
Paul , they range between 7"50 to 12-16 per cent sulphate 
of quinine. This is very gratifying, considering they 
were from trees rejected by Campbell and F&irlie. 
Taking the 30 samples which are now in Messrs. 
Howards' hands, this 12-16 per cent is the highest 
we have attained to, being from a strong robust tree 
without seed, which will afford a splendid lot of 
grafts." 
It is now quite clear that Calisaya Ledgeriana has 
been established in Ceylon and that the bark is likely 
to give results equal to the average obtained in Java. 
The fact is of great importance to the future of our 
planting enterprise in connection with what we hope 
will be only the partial and temporary failure of the 
Arabian coffee enterprize. The grafting process has 
been here even more successful than in Java, as we 
have already mentioned. 
CINCHONA CALLS A YA LEDGERIANA IN 
CEYLON. 
St. Andrew's, Maskeliya 23rd March 1882. 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 
Dkau Sm,— The following analyses of Ledgeriana 
No. 1 
4 
„ 5 
6 
7 
,, 8 
Omitting Ko. 
being from 
104 
0 30 
0-40 
0 64 
040 
0-84 
152 
trace. 
11- 55 
12 03 
12- 79 
4-63 
11-10 
10 20 
11 09 
7 65 2-84 
4, which was sent as a curiosity, it 
solitary tree of peculiar type, which has 
never blossomed, the average of the samples is almost 
11 per cent sulphate. As the trees were but five 
years and four months old, and never manured when 
the samples were taken, I think this result is second 
to none. Dr. Paul remarked about No 4 that it was 
remarkable for the redness of the bark compared to 
other Ledgers that he had examined and concluded 
(erroneously) that this redness must have been due to 
manure or soil. With a little care in selecting a 
good type of tree, I have no doubt that a Ledgeriana 
clearing would at six years of age, average 11 per cent. 
Next to Ledgers, though at a distance, follow hybrids, 
and from their robust, habit they will doubtless oust 
the much abused ephemeric officinalis, for the growth 
of which Ceylon, as a rule, seems about as unsuited 
as Java, The analyses of two 4J year old "hybrids" 
grown here are : — 
No. 1 5 33 sulphate quinine. 
No. 2 6 '35 total alkaloids, 3 15 sulphate quinine. 
In forwarding them, Mr. Symons said: — "No.l ie 
very fine, and 1 venture to think it is a Ledgeriana, 
and of a very good, type, as it contains but little of 
the inferior alkaloids, particularly cinchonidiue. If the 
tree is seeding it is well worth taking care of and 
protecting from adjoining blossoms that might cause 
hybridization. Of course I cannot say positively that 
it is a Ledger but it gives all the appearance of being 
one, during analysis. No . 2, although good is quite a 
different species and contains a large quantity of 
other alkaloids." 
The analyses of these trees are interesting because, 
as far as I know, they are the oldest hybrids, planted 
out as such, in the island and the only known progeny 
of a hybrid, yet analysed in Ceylon. They were grown 
from some oi the seed from Mc Ivor's original hybrids, 
given to me by himself, and it is gratifying to see 
that with good hybrid seed the value of the parent 
tree is transmitted. At maturity No. 1, would, I think, 
show quite one per cent sulphate for every year of 
its age. But of some 2,000 trees raised from Mc Ivor's 
seed, there are very few exactly alike and this fact, 
together with their hardy habit and rapid growth, 
proves, I think, their hybrid origin, or rather that 
they are the result of the cross-fertilization of two 
varieties. 
The opponents of the " hybrid " theory, in its tech- 
nical tense, could hardly deny that a mongrel between 
a succirubra and an officinalis was just as possible as 
a mongrel between an English and an Indian sheep. — 
Yours faithfully, TilOS. NORTH CHRISTIE. 
COPFEE ADULTERATION. 
We call attention to the interesting and weighty 
letters on this subject in another column, That of 
Mr. Pasteur, the well-known London Broker, appeals 
more particularly to the home public, while " G. W.'s " 
review of the case is calculated to revive the local in. 
