54° 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb.  r,  1893. 
in  Ceylon  if  the  value  of  the  rupee  is  artificially 
raised ; but,  fortunately  for  them,  Ceylon  is  a 
Crown  Colony,  and  nut  under  the  Government  of 
India,  and  they  mny  in  consequenee  escape  the 
threatened  evil.  But  the  people  ot  India  have  no  euch 
eeoape.  The  only  hope  is  that  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment may  not  jield  to  the  pre»“ure  being  brought  to 
bear  on  them  by  the  Indiau  offioials.  I do  not  think 
that  the  cruelty  and  injustice  of  the  measure  is  gene- 
rally known  ; but  the  great  mass  of  the  vast  popula- 
tion of  India  are  ‘ producers,’  and  it  is  clear  that 
if  theBe  producers  have  to  pay  their  rent,  their  labour 
and  all  their  costs  in  rupees  artificially  raised  in  value, 
they  are  placed  at  a rninous  disadvantage  as  compared 
with  their  foreign  competitors,  who  pay  all  their  costs 
with  silver  at  its  natural  price.  This  is  thegreat  evil 
of  the  Eobeme,  but  it  however,  affects  all  contracts 
and  all  debts.  All  debtors  would  be  required  to  pay 
their  debts  with  tha  dear  rupees,  all  agriculturists 
would  have  to  pay  land  rent  with  the  inflated  rupees. 
Can  a more  dishonest  act  be  imagined  on  the  pp.rt 
of  any  Government  than,  after  settling  the  land  rent 
in  rupees,  to  legislate  with  a view  to  enhance  those 
rupees  ? ” — II.  and  C.  Mail , Dec.  30,  1892. 
CINCHONA  BARK. 
(From  G.  M.  <&  G.  IVoodhouse's  Report.) 
London,  Doc.  22nd,  1892. 
The  statistical  position  continues  to  improve  stocks 
of  bark  in  London  being  under  40,000  packages, 
(more  than  half  of  which  consists  of  South  Ameri- 
can of  low  analysis  and  light  packages  as  compared 
with  Ceylon  and  East  Indian).  The  exports  from 
Java  from  1st  January  to  30th  November  shew  a 
deficiency  of  about  1,750,000  lb.  as  compared  with 
last  year,  and  although  Ceylon  shipments  are  larger, 
yet  this  may  be  partly  owing  to  the  fact  that  for 
some  months  past  East  India  bark  from  the  Travan- 
core  district  has  been  sent  to  London  via  Colombo, 
and  has  probably  been  included  in  Ceylon  exports. 
It  is  also  worthy  of  notice  that  at  the  last  sale  in 
Amsterdam  on  8th  instant.  4,543  packages  Java  were 
practically  all  sold,  thus  leaving  no  stock  to  be  carried 
forward  to  next  sales. 
In  spite  however  of  the  improving  position  of  the 
article,  we  have  to  report  a declining  market  during 
the  past  month.  The  demand  at  the  public  sales 
has  been  good  and  almost  the  whole  of  the  supplies 
offered  were  sold,  but  the  value  of  the  unit  of 
quinine  has  on  each  sale  day  been  quoted  slightly 
below  that  of  the  previous  sales  At  the  last  auc- 
tions the  value  of  the  unit  was  l|dto  1 3-16th  d per  lb. 
This  decline  is  probably  in  a great  measure  due 
to  the  prolonged  description  in  the  market  for  quinine, 
but  this  cannot  last  for  ever  and  as  consumption  is 
undoubtedly  increasing,  and  ive  are  now  coming  to 
the  eeason  when  during  the  last  two  years  there  has 
been  an  extensive  demand  for  quinine  in  conse- 
quence of  the  influenza,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  (if 
Java  exports  continue  moderate)  we  may  before 
long  see  an  improvement  in  prices  both  of  bark 
and  quinine. 
Telegraphic  advices  from  Java  state  exports  dur- 
ing November  were  747,000  lb.,  against  677,645  lb. 
in  1891. 
The  imports  of  quinine  into  British  India  for  the 
jast  three  years  has  been  : — 
1892. 
1891. 
1890. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
1st  April  to  30th  Sept.  . . 
13,646 
10,244 
9,115 
Imports  of  Quinine  intoUunited  States  : — 
oz.  oz. 
1st  Jan.  to  31st  Oct.  . . 3,004,105  2,200,606 
Imports  of  Cinchona  Bark  into  United  States  : — 
lb.  lb. 
1st  Jan.  to  31st  Oct.  ..  2,835,699  2,168, 77S 
The  Board  of  Trade  Returns  give  the  imports,  &c., 
or  bark,  as  follows  : — 
1893. 
1891. 
1890. 
Owt. 
Cwt, 
Cwt. 
Imports,  11  months 
94,987 
96,113 
103,253 
£ 
£ 
£ 
Valued  at 
204,938 
228,066 
305,717 
Cwt. 
Cwt. 
Cwt. 
Exported.  11  months  102,670 
97,126 
100,004 
£ 
£ 
£ 
Valued  at 
187,594 
169,520 
221,565 
The  present  value  of  British  sulphate  of  quinine 
(Howards’)  in  bottle  is  Is  2d  to  Is  3d  per  oz.  against 
Is  3d  to  Is  4d  per  oz.  last  year. 
The  present  value  of  German  sulphate  of  quinine 
(best  marks)  on  the  spot  is9|d  per  oz. 
SCIENTIFIC  NOTJJS. 
That  extreme  cold  paralyses  every  vital  function 
is,  of  course,  a piece  of  every-day  knowledge, 
but  it  has  been  left  to  Professor  Pictet,  who 
has  been  conducting  some  experiments  on  this 
subject,  to  discover  that  at  a temperature  of 
150  deg.  below  the  centigrade  zero  there  is  no 
chemical  action  between  nitric  or  sulphuric  acid 
and  potash,  or  between  oxygen  and  potassium, 
though  under  ordinary  circumstances  the  affinity 
of  the  latter  metal  for  oxygen  is  so  great  that 
it  will  burn  if  thrown  into  water,  owing  to  its 
combination  with  the  oxygen  in  that  fluid. 
But  if  the  electric  spark  is  played  on  bodies 
which  have  thus  lost  the  power  of  chemical 
affinity,  some  new  and  curious  combinations 
result.  The  latest  investigation,  the  conclusions 
of  which,  however,  have  been  theoretically  pre- 
saged for  some  years  past,  may,  says  the  writer 
of  Science  Notes  in  the  Daily  Chronicle , require 
us  to  reconsider  the  question  of  the  temperature 
of  outer  space,  and  the  possibility  of  an  atmos- 
phere composed  of  gases  in  combination  existing 
there. 
One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  trees  or  shrubs, 
says  the  Horticultural  Tunes,  grows  near  some 
springs,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Tuscarora. 
It  is  about  6 or  7 feet,  high,  with  a trunk  which  at 
its  base  is  three  times  the  size  of  an  ordinary  man’s 
wrist.  It  has  numberless  branches  and  twigs, 
and  resembles  somewhat  the  barberry.  Its  truly 
wonderful  characteristic  is  its  luminosity,  which 
is  so  great  that  on  the  darkest  night  it  can  be 
plainly  seen  a mile  away.  A person  standing 
near  could  read  the  finest  print  by  its  light. 
Its  foliage  is  extremely  rank,  and  its  leaves 
resemble  somewhat  those  of  the  aromatic  bay 
tree  in  shape,  size,  and  colour.  The  luminous 
property  is  due  to  a gummy  substance,  which 
can  be  transferred  to  the  hand  by  rubbing,  and 
with  the  transfer  the  phosphorescent  light,  while 
that  on  the  leaf  disappears.  This  luminosity  is 
thought  to  be  due  to  a parasitic  form.  The 
Indians  regard  it  with  supersition,  and  will  not 
come  near  it,  even  in  daytime.  They  give  it  a 
name  which  means  “ witch  tree.” — Overland  Mail. 
«. 
The  “ Kew  Bulletin  ” gives  the  result  of  certain 
enquiries  as  to  the  composition  and  use  of  a pre- 
paration called  meing  used  for  chewing  by  the  natives 
of  Siam.  The  plant  used  in  the  preparation  of  meing 
is,  it  appears,  none  other  than  Assam  tea.  It  is 
prepared  by  steaming  the  leaves  and  then  burying 
them  in  the  ground  for  14  or  15  days.  On  being 
taken  out  the  stuff  is  tit  for  use,  and  will  keep  good 
for  two  or  three  years.  The  chewing  of  meing  is 
almost  universal,  it  is  stated,  amongst  the  Laos  ; 
and  it  is  highly  esteemed  for  its  sustaining  qualities 
by  those  who  have  to  perform  hard  physical  work. 
On  more  grounds  than  one  it  would  seem  desirable 
to  exhaustively  enquire  into  and  practically  test 
the  qualities  of  this  meing. 
