July 2, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
A few Coca plants have been put out in different 
places by tea planters in the Darjeeling Terai, 
but I am given to understand that although the 
growth has been good, the leaves are so thin in 
texture that the yield in weight is not encouraging, 
and the prices offered have been so disappointing 
that no extensions are being made, which is perhaps 
an extra reason for the Government persevering 
with the experiment on these plantations. I have, &c, 
(Signed) J. Gammie, Acting Inspector. 
Military Department, Government of India, Fort 
William, December 20, 1892, 
Extract paragraph 30, of a Military (Stores) 
Letter from the Right Hon. the Secretary of State 
for India, No. , dated the 24th November 1892_ 
" 30. The information contained in the enclosure 
to the paragraph under reply regarding the culti- 
vation of the Coca plant for the manufacture of 
cocaine in India has been noted. With regard to 
the letter from the Acting Superintendent, Cinchona 
cultivation in Bengal, No. 2BC/L, dated 20th May 
1892, it has been ascertained from Surgeon-General 
Sir Benjamin Simpson, K.C.I.E , that the line sample 
of Ooca leaves referred to in Dr. Macnamara's 
Report of 7th March 1890, a copy of which was 
forwarded to your Government with Military (Stores) 
Department, No. 19, of 10th April 1890, was grown 
in the Meenglas Tea Estate in the Dooars. It is, 
therefore, thought that the plant would flourish 
equally well, and perhaps better, at a lower elevation 
than the Sikkim Cinchona Plautation, and it would 
appear to be desirable to make the experiment." 
By order, &c. (Signed) J. M. King-Harman, Colonel, 
Deputy Secretary to the Government of India. — 
Kew Bulletin. 
CEYLON COCA LEAVES. 
In the Kew Bulletin, 1889, pp. 1-13, an exhaustive 
account was given of the Coca plant, together with 
seme interesting chemical notes respecting the yield 
of alkaloids obtained from the different sorts under 
cultivation in different parts of the world. It was 
shown that leaves from the Huanuco, Erythroxi/lon 
Coca, Lam., the typical plant, yielded the larger per- 
centage of crystallisable cocaine, while the Truxillo 
leaves from E. Coca, var. novo-granatense, yieldednearly, 
if not quite, as much total cocaine, but a large pro- 
portion of it was in an uncrystallisable form. Under 
these circumstances, it was suggested that the broad- 
leaved typical Eri/throxijlon Coca was better for general 
cultivation at high altitudes to yield crystallisable 
cocaine ; but that the variety novo-granatense, distri- 
buted largely from Kew up to 1889, was better 
suited for cultivation at low elevations, to yield large 
crops of leaves " for use in pharmacy and for Coca 
wine." 
Leaves of the typical (Huanuco) Erythroxi/lon Coca 
were received from Ceylon in 1888, and the best 
were found to yield ObX) per cent, of crystallisable 
with no uncrystallisable alkaloid cocaine These 
leaves had been jaown at Dolosbage, at an elevation 
of 2,300 feet. 
We have recently received from Dr. Trimen, f.r.s. 
Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, 
a further supply of Ceylon Coca leaves, and these 
are of the Truxillo sort, and probably yielded by 
Erythroxylon Coca, var. novo-granatense. They were 
grown at the Henaratgoda Gardens, in the lowlands 
of Ceylon. Tbese leaves were submitted to Mr. Alfred 
G. Howard, f. c. s., f. l. s., who has been good 
enough to furnish a result of his analysis. The dried 
leaves yielded crystallisable alkaloid, 056 per cent. ; 
uncrystallisable alkaloid, 0-47 per cent ; total, T03 
per cent. The total yield of alkaloid is larger than 
in any leaves examined by Mr. Howard in 1888 
(see Keio Bulletin 1889, |>. 8), but the large pro- 
portion of unorystaHisaqle alkaloid fully agrees with 
the general character of Truxillo Coca. 
The following correspondence gives further parti- 
culars respecting these Ceyion Ooca leaves: — 
Mr. Alfred G. Howard to Royal Gardens, Kew. 
Stratford, near London, E., June 6, 1893. 
Dear Sir, — 1 now have the pleasure to enclose the 
analysis of the Coca leaves you sent me on May 
1st, as follows: — 
Crystallised alkaloid ... ... 0'56 per cent. 
Uncrystallised alkaloid... ... 0'47 
Total ... 1-03 
You will notice that the amount of uncrystallised 
alkaloid is large, and therefore would detract largely 
from their value from a commercial point of view. 
I am sorry that I have not been able to let you 
have the result before, but I only finished it yes- 
terday, as I was exceedingly busy all last month. 
Yours, &c. (Signed) Alfred G. Howard. 
John R. Jackson, Esq., A.L.S. 
Messrs. Burgoyne, Burbidgf.s & Co. to Royal 
Gardens, Kew. 
16, Coleman Street, London, E.' ., July 25, 1893. 
Dear Sir,— In reply to our favour of the 21st, 
inst., I cannot give you a very favourable reDort of 
the position of coca leaves at the present moment. 
Stocks in London, Liverpool, and cn the Continent 
are large, and the demand at present is very slow. 
Good green Truxillo leaves are held for 8*d, per 
lb., and fair Huanuco range from Is. 4d. to'ls. 6d., 
according to quality. I remain &c. (sigaed) H. Arnold. 
John R. Jackson, Esq., Royal Gardens, Kew. 
THE COST OP LABOUR IN PERAK. 
The information supplied to us by ,Y>r. A B 
Stephens, the Assistant Indian Immigration Agent 
at Perak, with regard to the cost of labor in 
the Straits will be perused with interest bv 
many here. For all practical purposes the dollar 
may be taken at the equivalent of two rupees 
so that 25 cents of a dollar is about the same 
as 50 cents of a rupee. This will enable our 
readers to follow what Mr. Stephens savs on 
the subject. According to him Mr. Wm. Forsvthe 
was inaccurate in stating in our columns "that 
Tamil cooly gets from 30 to 35 cents of a dollar 
per diem." He receives a little over 17 cents in 
the case of the statute or indentured cooly, and 25 
to 30 cents in the case of the free cooly Mr- For- 
sythe was no doubt referring to the latter ' and 
inasmuch as the price of labor seems to vary ac- 
cording to the distance from "anywhere" as Mr 
Stephens puts it— in all probability he spoke of the 
price in the particular district which he had pros- 
pected for planting purposes. At the same time we 
are pleased to hear that indentured labor is to be 
had at as low a rate as 17J cents per diem equal 
to, say, 35 cents of a rupee ; but we should 'like to 
have some information as to the ability of planters 
to obtain such indentured labor. If its C o t is 
much less than free labor, how is it that planters 
employ the latter? It can only be that indentured 
labour cannot be had in abundance or is unsatis 
, The \ ow f^ P rice quoted for free labor by 
Mr. Stephens is 25 cents, say 50 cents of a rupee 
for a day s work-a rate which the Ceylon tea en- 
terprise could not afford to pay for a single day. 
Sir-Some little time back I think in January 
there appeared in the Penang Gazette a copy of a 
letter from your paper, which had been written 
b ^ r i, W - ^ 01 ' b : yth f,' gmn S a Ascription of a v si" 
wu^ r e ? a i d ' 1 gether with Mr - F °rt, to Perak 
What I wish to point out to you is that the labor 
question is easier solved than Air. Forsythe wordd 
lead one to suppose when he savs " A U | Q 
get, from the Ranter 30 to sToenta %?.fifi 
a day, just double the rate given to a Ceylon h, 
bourer. The average cooly receives 9$ to 10S a 
month and grumbles at that." As I «Z i«L . j 
in statute immigration I would ifke ff^ 
you the octet of the labour of statute immigrant/ 
who are brought into this State under & Zee 
