May i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
993 
ANALYSES OF CINCHONA BARK. 
There is now a very gcnoral consensus of opinion 
that, however much distinctive characteristics of flower, 
fruit ami foliage (in the Ledgerianas, for instance) may 
indicate the probable quality of the bark which trees 
will yield, the ouly certain tests are analyses of the 
bark of typical trees at different ages and in different 
circumstances of soil, elevation, aspect, &c. These wo 
might more correctly than tin; writer of a short editorial 
in our local daily contemporary call "features": only 
we cannot well seo how " records kept by the various 
" District Associations of the results of analyses of 
" bark * * * would form a very interesting and instructive 
"feature, which [the feature, of course] might properly 
" be communicated to the parent body and printed [the 
"feature] for general information in the annual volume 
" of proceedings" ! Tho objection to frequent and numerous 
analyses is the heavy expense, but, if a " feature " is 
to be printed, the cost of a photographer's services 
will have to be added to that of the chemist's analyses. 
The same writer states that 
It has further beon noticed by those engaged in 
systematic analyses of cinchona that the act of separ- 
ation of the bark from the tree has frequently the 
cff'ct of increasing tlie secretion of quinine in the 
removed bark, which has been fouod to yield a 
higher percentage of the alkaloids three months after 
removal from the tree, than at the time of separ- 
ation. 
We have had some experience of cinchona, but this 
fact is entirely new to us. If bark increases in yield 
of alkaloids up to three months after removal from the 
tree, tho rato of increase may be so great with each 
succeeding month, that it might pay to keep bark in 
estate or Colombo stores for a year or more. All would 
depoud on the rate of increase, and we desiderate in- 
formation as to the percentage at the end of three 
months. Hark absolutely removed from the tree is 
evidently meant and not bark partially separated, as 
in Mr. Karslake's process. That process had in view 
tho protection and improvement of the renewed bark 
and not any improvement in the partially separated 
strips of original bark. In favourable weather, however, 
we should think that strips adhering to a tree at both 
ends would be more likely to improve in alkaloids 
than bark finally removed from all contact with the 
juices which fed it and circulated through its cells when 
alive. We do not dispute tho statement made : we only 
say we do not understand it in connection with tho 
shuck to the tret. " theory, and we should liko to have 
{farther information. Has bark been known to improve 
in quality between analyses in Colombo before dispatch 
and analyses in London before salo? Mr. C. E. H. Symons, 
with reference to 11 question asked in the local Timr* 
replies as follows: — 
I must say that, without tables for comparison, I 
do not think the analysis of bark of a two year old 
troe would bo any guide as t » the value of tho bark 
at maturity : but, With tables for comparison, such an 
analysis would bo of groat value and satisfaction to 
the planter, and I would offer the following sugges- 
tion to the U'strict A»sociations, explaining at first 
that a comparative analysis of one estate bark would 
be no criterion of the value of another, as altitude 
soil, aspect, win ', and in my other things incidental 
to a plantation, would make such an analysis simply 
'101 
useless for general comparison. An averago analysis 
of the bark from the district should bo made. 
Each planter should be asked to send a small piece 
of bark ol a certain weight, from a certain height 
on the tree, from an average tree (of course koep- 
ing varieties separate) or trees, with different as- 
pects on his estate. He should give a separate sample 
from trees grown at 2,000 to 3,000, from .3,000 to 
4,000, and 4,000 to 5.000 feet and eo on ; and of 2 
years old, 3, 4, 5, and 6 and so on at these several 
altitudes. An analysis should then be made of the 
mixed bark of the two year old at 2,000 to 3,000 feet 
do do 3,000 to 4,000 ,, 
and so on, and also of the 3, 4, 5 &c, years old at 
various altitudes. The result would be a fair average 
of the district for tho several elevations and ages; 
and then, and then only, could comparisons be made. 
A planter could send his two or three year old 
bark and have it analyzed, and the result would 
show him if he were up to or better tban the 
average of his district, and what his bark would 
eventually be worth. 
In taking the samples, the season of the year 
must be taken into consideration, as I think it 
has been clearly shewn that harvesting bark to the 
best advantage for the grower cannot be done hap- 
hazard at any time of the year. 
No doubt Mr. Symons' doctrine of averages is correct, 
but what is really wanted is a system of very simple 
analyses, for quinine and cinchonidine only, which would 
be so cheap as to enable each particular planter in a 
district to have his bark at all ages and in all situations 
examined and reported on. If 20 or 30 planters in a 
district got a series of such reports, thoso reports could 
periodically be combined and compared in a general 
report, and then deductions of great value, founded on 
extensive and reliable experiments, could be made. There 
can be no doubt that on many an estate trees of great 
value, Ledgerianas or " hybrids," exist, the true worth 
of which is unknown to the proprietor because he cannot 
afford the expense of analyses. What is wanted is a 
system by which the chemist could be fairly remunerated 
by a very large number of analyses, instead of trusting 
as at present to payments on a high scale for testing 
samplos few and far between. 
FORESTRY IN INDIA AND CEYLON. 
Our readers are well aware that we are not of 
those who believe that in regions such as Ceylon 
and Western India, exposed to the influence of mon- 
soon moisture and with cloud-attracting and moisture- 
condensing ranges of mouutains and hills, it is poss- 
ible by denudation of forest to lessen tho absolute 
amount of rainfall. We do not believe that this 
would be the case, even if nothing were substituted 
for the original forest. So long as tho hills and 
mountains exist, they will squeeze out the moisture 
borne inland from tho sea. On tho ranges of Ceylon 
large areas have seen coffeo bushes only 3J feet high 
take tho place of forest, averaging 40, or 50, or 60 
feet in height ; but, instead of complaints on the score 
of diminished rainfall, it is excess of moisture, with 
its consequences, which is charged with much of tho 
disaster that has ovartakuu tho cottoo onterpriie. 
Excessive moisture has genorated fungus and destroyed 
blossom and so reduced crops to a minimum. With 
coffee, tea, cinchona and other products of a similar 
nature, planted where the primeval forest stood, aiul 
