May  i,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
701 
THE  QUININE-FACTORY  AT  NADU- 
VATAM. 
An  Indian  subscriber  to  the  Chemist  and  Druggist 
hns  been  visiting  the  Government  quinine-factory  at 
Naduvatam  [or  “ Neddiwuttum,  as  be  calls  it  unity 
of  spelling  is  sadly  required  in  Indian  geographical 
designations!,  and  sends  us  the  following  account 
of  the  establishment “ The  factory  at  Neddiwuttum 
is  a building  70  feet  long,  constructed  on  the  site 
where  convicts  were  housed  when  the  plantation 
was  in  process  of  formation.  One  new  shed  was 
added  for  the  scalper,  and  another  (heated  by  steam) 
for  the  drying  process.  Water  is  obtained  from  a 
well  25  feet  deep,  attached  to  which  is  a reservoir 
connected  with  a 6-horse  power  turbine,  working  a 
Carter’s  disintegrator,  that  pulverises  the  bark  at  the 
rate  of  about  25,150  lb.  a month.  An  engine,  also 
nominally  6-horse  power,  does  the  boiling  and  works  a 
still  for  recovering  the  fusel  oil  from  the  bark-refuse. 
The  disintegrator  turns  out  the  bark  in  impalpable 
powder,  about  200  lb.  of  which  is  put  at  a time  into 
a cylindrical  vat  6 feet  by  3,  fitted  with  revolving 
winged  stirrers.  A mixture  of  water  (100  gallons), 
paraffin  (96  gallons),  fusel  oil  (24  gallons),  and  caustic 
soda  (141b.)  is  then  placed  into  the  vat  and  beaten 
up  for  three  hours.  This  is  allowed  to  stand  undis- 
turbed overnight,  and  in  the  morning  the  oil  is  drawn 
off  into  another  cask,  called  an  agitator,  in  which 
water  acidulated  with  sulphuric  acid  is  worked  up 
with  it  for  ten  minutes  to  dissoh  e the  alkaloids 
held  in  suspension  in  the  oil.  The  acidulated  water 
is  then  drawn  off  by  a tap  at  the  bottom  of  the  vat. 
More  acidulated  water  is  added,  and  the  washing 
of  the  oil  twice  repeated  to  exhaust  it  of  the  alka 
loids.  The  acidulated  mixture  with  the  alkaloids  in 
solution  is  then  filtered  through  charcoal  and  stored 
in  a separator  or  conical  tub,  till  a sufficiency  is 
collected  to  fill  the  three  boiling-pans  of  50-gallon 
capacity,  in  which  it  is  made  to  boil  for  fifteen 
minutes,  when  a handful  of  animal  charcoal  is  thrown 
in  with  caustic  soda  to  neutralise  the  liquor.  After 
filtration  into  cooling-pans  quinine  crystallises  out, 
leaving  the  other  alkaloids  in  the  solution  ; but  tfie 
crystals  are  only  a crude  product,  with  an  admixture 
of  16J  per  cent  of  cinchonidine,  requiring  further 
treatment  the  next  day.  After  drying,  the  crystals 
are  powdered,  dissolved  in  boiling  water  s ightly 
acidulated,  and  boiled  for  another  fifteen  minutes 
with  charcoal,  then  double  filtered  into  cooling-pans, 
where  the  pure  quinine  is  again  crystallised,  tb,is 
time  containing  only  4 per  cent  of  cinchonidine. 
Mr.  Hooper  recently  worked  out  the  acid-sulpba/te 
process  as  employed  in  Germany  and  Holland,  .by 
which  on  the  second  crystallisation  the  whole  of  the 
cinchonidine  is  eliminated,  thus  rendering  the  quinine 
absolutely  pure.  The  pure  crystals  obtained  are  now 
drained  and  dried  by  being  placed  on  blotting-paper- 
spread  on  blocks  of  plaster  of  Paris  which  absorbs 
the  moisture,  and  a final  drying  is  given  them  on 
filtering- paper  spread  on  calico  trays  placed  in  t^ie 
hot-room,  where  a temperature  is  maintained  of 
15  deg.  to  20 deg.  above  that  of  the  atmosphere,  by 
means  of  hot-water  pipes.  When  dry  the  quinine  is 
ready  for  packing  after  the  crystals  are  broken  up. 
That  supplied  to  the  Bombay  Government  is  coloured 
with  a roseanilin,  which  gives  ita  beautiful  and  attrac- 
tive appearance.” 
The  initial  outlay  on  machinery,  buildings,  &c.,  in 
Naduvatam  was  between  15,000r.  and  16,000r.— Chemist 
and  Druggist , March  18. 
A New  Rain  Compeller.-- -Mr.  H.  W.  Allen, 
formerly  of  the  Nizam's  Publio  Works  Department, 
is,  says  a contemporary,  the  inventor  of  another 
spray  rocket  rain-produoer  capable  of  rising  to  a 
height  of  one  mile  or  more  and  then  descending 
slowly,  liko  a parachute.  “ It  has  been  admitted 
by  learned  scientists  that  intense  cold  must  cause 
a oloud  to  disoharge  rain,  but  as  to  its  continu- 
ing to  rain  for  any  prolonged  period,  there  are 
still  different  opinions  expressed  on  this  point.” — 
Indian  Engineer,  April  1. 
GREEN  AND  BLACK  TEAS. 
BY  ROBERT  O.  FIELDING. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  enter  into  an  acoount  of 
the  different  processes  of  manufacturing  biaek  and 
green  teas,  but  to  fiud  a reason  for  their  chemioa! 
differences.  By  green  ts  a I do  not  mean  the  highly 
colored  article  which  is  fold  in  this  country,  but  the 
pure  green  teas  of  the  Northern  tea-growing  d striots 
of  China,  to  the  Namuna*  teas  of  India,  very  little  of 
wbiob,  if  any,  are  ever  seen  here.  I may  also  state 
that  the  finer  grades  of  Formosa  Oolongs  are  rea'ly 
green  teas,  and  they  are  often  tpoken  of  in  the  trade 
as  “ a black  tea  with  a green  tea  flavour.”  It  is  a 
curious  faot  that  the  tea  bushes  grown  in  the  colder 
and  higher  altitudes  produce  the  finest  green  teas. 
The  word  green , to  the  Chinese  and  tea  growers  of 
Iudia,  has  no  reference  to  color,  but  m>  ans  ‘‘im- 
mature,” “not  of  full  growth,”  and  is  used  in  some 
wbat  the  same  sense  as  we  say  “ green  corn.” 
The  characteristic  differences  between  green  and 
b'ack  teas — the  differences  of  color  and  flavor,  and 
the  effect  produced  on  some  constitutions  by  gteeu  tea, 
such  as  nervous  irr  tabillity,  sleeplessness,  etc.,  which 
are  distinct  from  those  produced  by  black  teas — are  so 
marked  that  they  need  no  comment,  but  they  possess 
pfeuliar  chemical  properties  wbioh  have  always  been 
attributed  to  the  effeot  of  high  heat  in  the  process  of 
manufacture. 
From  whence  do  these  distinguishing  pecularities 
arise,  and  to  what  are  they  to  be  attributed  ? It  is 
found  that  many  medical  herbs,  principally  those  of 
a nitrogenous  nature,  such  as  atropabelladonna,  hyo- 
scyamus  niger,  etc.,  when  brought  in  fresh  and  cool 
by  the  grower  or  collector,  dry  a bright  green  color, 
but  if  they  have  beeu  delayed  in  transit,  or  remain  in 
a confine!  state  for  any  length  of  time,  they  become 
heated  from  a species  of  spontaneous  fermentation, 
and  when  loosened  aud  spread  open  remit  vapors  and 
are  sensibly  waim  to  the  hand.  When  such  p'ants 
are  dried,  the  whole  of  the  green  co'or  is  found  to 
have  been  destroyed,  aud  a red-brown,  and  sometimes 
a blackish  brown,  result  is  obtained.  When  a dear 
infusion  of  such  leaves  is  evapor.ted  to  dryness,  it 
is  not  ail  indisaolved  by  water,  but  there  is  left  a 
quantity  of  brown  oxidized  extractive  matter,  which  is 
denominated  apotliene.  A similar  result  is  obtained 
by  the  evaporation  of  a clear  infusion  of  black  tea.  The 
same  action  takes  place  in  the  inius-ons  of  other 
vegetable  substances  when  exposed  to  the  oxidizing 
irfluence  of  the  atmosphere.  They  bee  me  darkened 
• To  these  who  may  not  be  acquainted  with  the  term 
“ Namuna”  used  in  the  above  artie'e  I wish  to  offer  a 
few  words  of  explanation.  The  word  ‘ Namuna”  means 
in  Hindustani  “sample,”  and  its  application  to  the  pecu- 
liar description  of  teas  which  row  go  by  this  name  hap- 
pened in  the  following  manner:  a planter  sent  to  Eng- 
land some  boxes  of  this  tea  ticketed  “Namuna,”  aDd  the 
Loudon  brokers  being  unacquainted  with  the  meaning 
of  the  term,  have  always  since  applied  the  same 
“Namuna”  to  this  olass  of  tea.  They  are  made  from 
the  unfermented  leaf,  as  is  the  case  with  Oolongs  and 
Greens.  The  leaf  is  generally  of  a dark  olive-green, 
though  some  inoline  to  a greyish-black  tinge.  The 
liquor  is  very  pale  and  slim  looking,  but  its  quality  is 
stronger  by  far  than  ordinary  Pekoe  (Indian  or  Ceylon); 
in  flavour,  it  is  between  a Flowery  Pekoe  and  a gieen 
tea,  quite  distinct  from  Fiowery  Pekoe,  possessing 
somewhat  of  the  rasping  catching  of  tho  green  tea 
class,  with  the  flavour  a little  refined.  The  out-turn 
is  generally  greeD,  sometimes  with  brownish  leaves 
mixed.  These  leas  are  often  oulled  “ Indian  Oolongs’’ 
or  “Indian  Mandami  1’ekoes.”  They  are  chiefly  pro- 
duced in  the  Darjeeling  and  Kumaon  districts.  Toe 
indigenous  plant  of  India  is  untuited  tor  the  pro- 
duction of  Namunap,  nor  is  the  hj  brid  suitable,  hut 
the  pure  Chinese  plants  which  have  been  transplanted 
to  India  make  fine  Namunas,  Bad  with  this  variety 
of  the  tea  bush  are  the  estates  of  Darjeeling  and 
Kumaon  chiefly  planted,  the  original  having  been 
broughtthere  by  Messrs.  Bruce  and  Fortune  in  the  “Fif. 
ties.”  These  teas  are  invaluable  for  bleudiDg  purposes. 
