376 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  i,  1892 
This  allows  all  plants  to  become  well  developed 
before  they  are  transplanted  in  the  field.” 
The  interest  of  planters  in  the  Government  cin- 
chona plantations  centres  in  the  quinine  factory. 
Here  Mr.  Lawson  is  doing  splendid  work.  Though 
Government,  so  far,  has  reaped  all  the  advantage,  we 
believe  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  these 
quinine-manufacturing  operations  will  prove  of  real 
benefit  to  the  cinchona  industry  of  Southern  India. 
On  the  31st  March,  1891,  the  amount  of  bark  in  stock 
was  510,6951b.,  and  53,8331b  were  harvested  during  the 
year,  bringing  the  total  to  564,528  lb.,  of  which 
147,6701b.  were  disposed  of,  the  bulk  144.5001b.  being 
used  in  the  factory,  thus  leaving  a balance  in 
stock  on  the  31st  March,  1892,  of  416,858  lb., 
of  which  more  than  60  per  cent  was  Succirubra,  or 
red  bark,  showing  a very  poor  analysis.  There  were 
at  the  commencement  of  the  year  ( i.e .,  on  31et 
Maroh  1891)  1,572  lb.  of  sulphate  of  quinine  and  1,200 
lb.  of  febrifuge  instock.  Durirg  tbe  year  4,425  lb. 
14  oz.  of  quinine  and  3,174.  lb.  of  febrifuge  were 
manufactured,  making  a total  of  5,997  lb.  14  oz.  of 
quinine  and  4,374  lb.  of  febrifuge.  Of  these  amounts 
3,345  lb.  4 oz.  and  3,019  lb.  respectively,  were  dis- 
posed of  during  the  year,  leaving  at  its  clo'e  a balance 
of  2,052  lb.  10  oz.  of  quinine  and  1,355  lb,  of  febri- 
fuge.  From  tbe  foregoing  figures  it  will  be  noticed 
that  144,500  lb.  of  bark  gave  an  outturn  of  4,425  lb.  14  oz, 
of  quinine  and  3,174  lb.  of  febrifuge.  Turning  to|the  cost 
of  production,  we  fiud  the  expenditure  for  the  year 
aggregates  B75,805,  of  which  R51,899  were  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  general  establishment  and  the 
upkeep  of  the  estates,  while  the  Quinologist  De- 
partment cost  R23.906.  The  receipts  amounted 
to  R77,066,  of  which  no  lees  than  R75,262 
were  realised  by  the  sales  of  quinine  and  febri- 
fuge, which  ehculd  apparently  give  a very  hand- 
some profit  on  the  working  of  the  factory  during  the 
year. 
When  the  quinine  factory  was  started  at  Nada- 
vatam  it  was  hoped  that  in  a very  Bhort  time  the  result 
of  the  manufacture  of  sulphate  and  febrifuge  loca  ly 
would  lead  to  a largely  increased  consumption  of  these 
drugs  in  this  country  owing  to  their  being  placed 
within  the  reach  of  the  very  poorest  classes.  Mr. 
Lawson  has  spared  no  pains  to  bring  this  about,  but 
so  far  his  efforts  have  not  met  with  the  success 
that  they  deserved.  For  instance,  we  find  iu  the 
present  report  this  short  part  graph The  sale 
of  quinine  in  paper  packets  has  increaeed  dur- 
ing the  year  in  most  of  the  districts,  but  to  no 
considerable  extent.  From  one  district  the  whole 
of  the  packets  were  returned  with  the  remark  that 
‘ Next  to  no  use  is  made  of  this  medicine  in  this 
district;’  also  in  another  report  it  is  gravely  stated 
that  the  quinine  causes  itch  ” As  it  has  been 
pointed  out  by  the  Surgeon-General,  tbe  sale  of  the 
powders  depends  quite  as  much,  or  perhaps  even  more, 
upon  the  interest  which  officials  of  the  lower  grades 
take  in  distributing  the  medicine  than  in  the  reduction 
of  the  price  at  which  it  is  to  be  sold.  The  cost  of  the 
powders,  as  now  sold,  is,  we  understand,  a trifle  under 
cost  cf  production.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  in 
this  direction  nothing  further  can  well  be  done  to 
popularise  tbe  medicine,  but  that  now  it  resls 
with  the  subordinate  District  officials  to  make 
known  to  the  people  at  large  what  a wonderful  safe- 
guard can  be  purchased  for  a few  pies  against  the 
fevers  which  are  prevalent  at  one  time  or  other  of 
the  year  in  well-nigh  every  village  in  Southern  India. 
Mr.  Laweon  quotes  an  extract  from  the  Chemist  and 
Druggist  which  tabes  exception  to  the  sale  of 
Government  quinine  to  private  individuals,  as  “ such 
a course  is  undesirable  for  moDy  reasons.”  It 
adds:— “In  Madras  vie  believe  planters  and 
private  individuals  are  at  liberty  to  perobase 
quinine  in  certain  quantities  from  the  Naduvatam 
factory.  The  English  quinine  makers,  however,  are 
about,  it  is  rumoured,  to  protest  against  a continu- 
ance of  this  practice.”  Up  to  the  present  time  Go- 
vernment quinine  has  been  sold  only  to  planters  and 
other  persons,  when  it  has  been  ascertained  that  it 
was  tbe  intention  of  the  purchaser  to  administer  the 
yvhole  of  it  to  the  coolies  on  his  estates,  and  none  has 
been  sold  to  the  public  direct.  Such  sales  ced  only 
help  to  increase  consumption,  a consummation  for 
which  no  one  should  more  devoutly  wish  than  the 
English  quinine  makers  themselves.  Tne  whole  future 
of  the  cinchona  industry,  in  so  far  as  European 
capital  is  concerned,  depends  on  a largely  increased 
consumption  of  quinine,  and  it  is  os  much  to  the 
advantage  of  the  manufacturer  as  of  the  planter  that 
nothing  should  be  left  undone  which  would  tend  lo 
this  result.  Since  Mr.  Lawson’s  Report  was  written, 
we  understand  work  has  been  going  on  steadily  at 
the  quinine  factory,  and  in  bis  next  Report  we 
expect  to  be  told  that  bis  stock  of  bark  las  been 
still  further  diminished.  We  hope  also  to  find  that 
the  sales  of  quinine  powders  will  have  beeD  very 
considerably  larger;  but  this  does  not  depend  on 
the  Director  of  the  Government  Cinchona  Planta- 
tions but  on  the  District  Officers  and  their  subor- 
dinates.— Madras  Mail  Oct.  29. 
Mace  and  Nutmegs  in  Banda. — The  spice  grow- 
ers on  the  island  of  Banda  (Dutch  Indies)  had  a 
very  prosperous  year  in  1891  ewirg  to  the  rise  in 
the  market  value  of  nutmegs  and  mace.  There 
are  thiity-four  nutmeg-plantations  in  the  island, 
and  the  recent  sale  of  two  of  these  showed  that  this 
kind  of  property  has  increased  very  largely.  The 
total  output  of  nutmegs  and  mace  in  the 
islands  of  the  Banda  group  in  1891  was  about  14,580 
piculB.  The  cultivation  of  nutmegs  is  extending  to 
many  of  the  neighbouring  islands,  but  the  trees 
there  are  cot  yet  in  bearing. — Chemist  and  Druggist, 
Oct.  22. 
An  American  Fruit  Dbter. — Messrs.  Ph.  May- 
farth  & Co.,  of  Frankfort-on-the-Main  and  of 
Mincing-lane,  have  already  shown  their  evaporators, 
Ryder’s  Patent,  to  the  Fellows  of  the  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Society,  and  yesterday  and  the  day  before 
they  gave  another  demonstration,  at  the  Society’s 
gardens,  Chiswich.  The  machine  is  an  ingenious 
combination  in  which  maDy  of  the  mistakes  of 
former  inventors  have  been  avoided,  and  will  even 
in  this  country  be  of  some  use  to  producers  in 
enabling  them  to  postpone  the  Bale  of  their  produots 
at  times  when  the  markets  are  glu  ted,  and  to  make 
a saleable  article  out  of  their  windfalls.  MaDy 
evaporators  are  made,  and  the  speciality  of  that 
exhibited  is  in  the  slope  lines  given  to  the  flue  or 
hot  chamber — an  arrangement  which  materially 
assists  the  passage  of  the  drying  agents,  currents  of 
hot  air  ascending  from  a nicely-adjusted  furnace. 
The  stove  burns  coke,  coal,  or  wood ; and  the  air 
which  it  has  raised  in  temperature  passes  under 
the  rows  of  wire  trays  in  wooden  frames  containing 
the  fruit  to  be  dried.  The  chamber  in  which  these 
trays  are  placed  rests  on  the  stone  at  an  angle 
slightly  inclined.  The  fruits  being  desiccated  at 
present  are  apples,  which  remain  from  two  to  three 
hours  in  the  chamber.  The  only  preparation  apples 
require  before  being  dried  is  peeliDg,  coring,  and 
elicing,  which  is  done  simultaneously  by  a parer, 
corer,  and  elioer.  There  is  no  waste  as  the  oores 
and  peel  are  converted  into  apple  jelly.  Different 
fruits  require  varying  periods  of  exposure  to  the 
ovaporator— thus  pears  are  dried  in  four  to  five 
hours,  whilst  plums  take  eight  to  ten.  Not  only 
fruits,  but  vegetables,  oan  be  preserved  in  the  same 
manner,  Messrs.  Mayfarth  show  samples  of  spinach, 
turnips,  red,  white,  and  green  cabbage,  broad  and 
French  beans,  pears,  parsley,  and  prepared  julieDne 
vegetables  that  have  undergone  this  process  of 
desiccation.  In  preparing  dried  vegetables  for  food  it 
is  not  necessary  to  .soak  them,  but  merely  to  boil 
them  gently,  whereas  fruits  require  steeping  in 
water  for  about  ten  hours  before  they  oan  be  cooked 
satisfactorily.  During  the  evaporation  the  starch 
and  sugar  are  converted  into  gluoose,  which  retards 
the  process  of  decomposition,  so  that  the  fruits  cau 
be  kept  for  years.— London  Times,  Oct.  7. 
