March i, 1895.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
581 
In 18(9 coca plants were raised from seed at Kew, 
which came from the Department of Huauuco in 
Northern Peru. They belong to a distinct variety 
first described by Mr. D. Morris, the able Assistant 
Director of Kew, and named by him Xova Gvanatense. 
From this variety the plants are derived which are 
now growing in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad, and 
Cejlon. They were introduced into Jamaica and 
Ceylon in 1870. Experience derived from cultivation 
in our Colonies seems to indicate that the coca 
plant thrives best at low elevations, from the sea 
level to 8,000 feet; from the point of view of the 
largest yield of cocaine. But if the yield of crys- 
taliisable cocaine is considered, the plants grown at 
high altitudes are the richest. The Bolivian leaves 
yield 0'45 of cocaine, nearly all crystal lisable. The 
largest yield is recorded of a plant at Darjiling, in 
India, growing at 900 feet above the sea, namely 0 8 
per cent, of wuich 0 - 4i was crystallisable. The next 
highest yield came f om a plant at 100 feet above 
the sea in Jamaica, which gave 0'76 per cent., only 
0-33, or less than half, being crystallisable ; while 
Cevlon plants, at 2,300 feet elevation, yielded 06 
per cent, of cocaine, the whole being crystallisable. 
At Buitenzorg, in Java, which is 820 feet above 
the sea, the yield was 0'39 per ceut., of which 0 3 
was crystallisable. 
Tropsine.—I am indebted to Mr. Morris, of Kew, 
for the information that a new product has been 
obtained from the small coca leaves exported from 
Java, which is ca'led tropa cocaine or tiopsine, and 
has lately coine into use. It is described as more 
reliable and deeper in its action than cocaine, and, 
unlike the latter, it acts as an anaesthetic on in- 
flamed tissue. 
Yield of leave*. — doca 'eaves are now expected from 
Ceylon, 'Jamaica Mauritius, Trinidad, and Java, 
besides Peru ; and the Government of India is now 
proposing to grow coca for its own needs. Of course 
the yield of alkaloids is the main consideration in 
the growth of coca leaves for export ition, while 
the best kinds for home consumption are those 
which best suit the taste' of consumers. 
Deterioration and Fri r e of Leaves. — The deteioia- 
tion which the leaves surfer irom long journeys 
«nd fr.'in being kepi, cause I me to abandon the 
idea which I entertained many years ago, of pro- 
moting the importation of coca leaves for use by 
mountaineers and others in Europe. It now appears 
that there is a distinct loss of alkaloid in the leaves, 
caused during a long voyage. This circumstance 
has given rise to the manufacture of a crude alka- 
loid at Lima, containing 70 per cent, of pure 
ciystftllisable cocaine, which sells at 15s. per oz. 
The lewes fetch d from lOd. to Is. 6d. per lb. ii 
London and at New York, but now the price is 
much lower. Last week a parcel of 8,500 lb. was 
sold at 2d. per lb., but they had been under water 
for sever il hours. It seem', therefore, very unlikely 
that it will be worth while to export the leaves 
from India or the Coloi ies. The production in 
South America is so enormous that Peru will always 
b-t able to meet the demands of the markets of 
Europe and of the United States with the crude 
alka'oid, such as is now manufactured at Lima. But 
it will, doubtless, be profitable, both in India and 
in the Colonies, to gro.v sufficient coci for the pur- 
poso of manufacturing cocaine and tropa-cocaine to 
meet all local demands. 
(onrlutliiii/ remarks. — I trust, ihcn, that the reeog- 
n ; lion of the virtues of the coca fi af will be, in I 
the first p ace, beneficial io the Peruvians, it was 
the Peruvians who discovere 1 some of those virtues 
many cenluiies ago; it is due solely to their in- 
dustry and agricultural skill that coca was con- 
verted from a wild and useless to a cul ivatedand 
most valuable plant . and as to Hum belongs tha 
honour, so them should accrue tho princip I share 
of pr fit. Great benefit will be conferred upon an 
increwng number of people throughout the world 
by the use of this remarKah'e specific. Lastly, our 
oa n (lolooips and lWilis i India will be able, t' rougti 
the acliou of lv w Gardens, to rise sufficient io 
aupp > the needs of tteir tun p pulatijus. Thus 
vn. find, iu the history of coca cultivation, oue 
more instance of the benefits derived by the old 
World from the products that are i eculiar to the 
New World ; and one more example of the debt 
we owe to the Incas of Pern. If they had not, 
by the application of unrivalled skill and care, con- 
verted the coca_ and the potato plants from wild to 
cultivated products, we sluuld probably never have 
known either the virtues of the one or the value, 
as a source of food supply, of the other. The 
gratitude of the peoples of the Old World is, there- 
fore, due to the lncas of Peru, wh, >se civilisation 
secured to us such inestimab'e benefits. 
Home. — With the increasing remands on the 
mobility of troops, and the difficulties of supply 
which the satisfaction of thess demanris entail, the 
importance of some portable form of food which 
will enable men and horses to endure extreme 
fatigue and privation has greatly increased. We, 
therefore, < ffer no apology for reproducing almost 
in ■ ■ '• usa the following notes on a lecture delivered 
by Mr. Cb ments Markham a', the imperial Insti- 
tution on the Cultivation and the Properties of 
the " Coca " Plant. In the concluding paragraphs, 
Mr. Clements Markham cal s attention to the de- 
terioration of the leaves when siori d. This deteri- 
oration undoubtedly occurs, but even with this in- 
ferior article of commerce we can from personal 
experience as-ert that he endurance of either man 
or horse can be rather more than doubled by the 
use of this leaf. 
Personally, we prefer to use the Kola nut, which 
appears to possess identical qualit es. This also 
deteriorates in the process of drying, but for private 
expedi ionary pnrposes the full value of the fresh 
nut can be derived by using powders of theobromin, 
and caffein •, two grains of the former to eight of 
the latter. — Xatal and Jlihtanj Xotes. 
VEGETABLE FIBPvES IX THE ARGENTINE 
REPUBLIC. 
The United States Consul at Buenos Ayres says 
that one great drawback to the production of native 
fibre in the Argentine Republic is the lack of 
prop r machinery and the want of entei prise Suffi- 
cient to procure it. There ate numerous varieties 
of plants growing spontaneously in the country 
whicb produce a very superior fibre. To some 
extent these have been used, and are still used, 
not only for cordags and rope, but for bagging 
and other more delicate textile fibres. The most 
common of these are th ■ following: — The agave- 
which is calle I Pita in the country. It is the 
same plant as ;hat so well and so favourably known 
in Mexico, and it has all the same qualities and 
characteristics. Trie carayuato, the usual Dame for 
which is the chaguar, was employed by - the 
Indians before the Spanish conquest, "and has been 
used by the Argentine people of the interior in a 
primitive domestic way ever ► inc\ It grows with 
espjeial luxuriance in the Gran Chaco. and in one 
part there is a mttiral growth of it of upwards of 
100 square leagues in extent. The Indians produce 
from it a thiead with which they make their 
fishing nets, and also the few garmeuts which they 
wear, the latter being generally dyed in various 
colours. The Arcentine women "of "ihe upper pro- 
vinces, with their hand looms, a so make various 
fabrics, some of them of excellent quality. In 
| former years there was a question of the < xport of 
this fibre, but the difficulty was in preparing -X for 
I market in sufficient quantities, owing to the want 
of labjurers, and, in the second place, it was 
1 found tha the roads between the frontiers and the 
Parana or Paraguay rivers were so few and so bad 
that the cost of transportation would absorb all the 
prospective profr. Ii has been stated that the 
• fibre of the ctiafavdr will compote with the hemp of 
I Manila, which is said to be less unifoi m and durable. 
I In some of the upper provinces, ranamo, or hemp, 
| has, to some extent, been cultivated for many 
] years for its fibie. It grow, however, almost spon- 
, taneously, and although the -oil of the country 
gives it an excellent fibre, tlure is not yet aufiC 
cent enterprise to do much with iti Liuseed il 
