Feb. 1, 1902.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
509 
tained was 61,686 lbs,, the cost of which was 1 anna 
4-37 pies per poond. The low expenditure on the 
Hooker estate is due to the fact that it is managed 
by an overseer under the orders of the Superiuten- 
dent of the Nedivattam estate. Taking tlie .two 
estates together the expenditure amounted to R. 40-6-3 
per acre and the cost of the bark from both estates 
was 2 annas 7'29 pies per pound. 
IV. Manure. — Oa the Dodabetta estate 1,875 cart- 
loads of cattle and ftable manure were put out on 
different p'.ot^^, at Nedivattam plots 9, 14 and 28 
were manured with cattle manure and at Hooker 
plot No. 1 was thus treated. In the last adminis- 
tration report mention was made of an experiment 
with a mixture of fish and chemical manures. The 
mixture consisted of 1 ton fi^h. 2 ow'. superphos- 
phate, 4 cwt. of basic slag, 4 cwt. of potash and 
1 cwt. of sulphate of iron. This quantity whs evenly 
distributed over one acre and lightly forked in. The 
cost of the manure inclndiug the cost of application 
.was Ri. 165-6-4. The stems of the trees were covered 
with grass at a cost of Rs. 58-2-10, so that the total 
cost of the experiment was Rs. 243-9-2. The bark of 
the trees thus treated yielded 6'9l per cent, sulphate of 
quinine, while the bark from unmanured and un- 
grassed trees on the same plot gave 5-11 percent. 
There was thus an increase of I'SO per cent. Sul- 
phate of quinine. Of this increase '78 per cent, 
may be attributed to the covering with grass, so 
that the net gain from the manuring was 1-02 per 
cent. Taking the yield of the acre at 4,000 lbs. there 
was an increased yield of 4,080 units due to the 
manure which at the present rate of the unit (IJe?.) 
represents Rs. 416-4 0. The cost of the manunng 
was Rs. ) 85-6-4 and the net gain was consequently 
Rs. 260-13-8. It WAS shown in paragraph 3 that the 
net increase in value of bark from covering the 
stems with grass amounted to Rs. 283-1-2 per acre, 
so that the total gain per acre by the combination 
of manuring and grassing was Rs. 543-14-10 per 
acre. With a unit of Jt?. the experiment would 
have shown a slight loss, but with a unit ot 
the net gain would bo Rs. 93-14-10. 
V. Nurseries, — At Dodabetta the nurseries did 
well. There has been no mortality among the seed- 
lings, the seed germinated freely and the young 
plants are thriving well. At Nedivattam and Hooker 
the nurseries are well stocked with heallhy seedlings. 
Ten lb. of eucalyptus seed and 1 lb. of gievillea 
seed wore put down in the nurseries in order that 
there may be an ample supply of plants for the 
fuel reserves. The Java Ledger grafts referred tD 
in last year's report are doing well in a sheltered 
position on No. 2 extension at Hooker. No attempts 
at grafting were made during the year and it 
is doubtful if the succirubra seedlings will be large 
enough to graft upon iu 1901-1902. There is a good 
stock of these seedlings in the Nedivattam nurseries 
and as soon as they are sufficiently well grown 
experiments iu grafting will be made. 48i Ib^. 
of seed were sold during the year at the rate of 
Rs. 4 per pound. The amount of officinalis seed 
sold was only 8|lbs; the largest demand was for 
hybrid seed of which 22J lbs. were sold and the re- 
maining 17i lbs. was snccirubra seed. 
VI. Ckop. — Tlie total quantity of bark hnrvested 
during the year was 194,414 lbs. or 54,135 lbs. in 
excess of the previous year's crop. The actual 
cost of harvesting and drying this crop w;>s Rs. 
2,678-1-0 as shoun in statement 3 or 2 64 pies per 
pound. The crop included a large quantity of bark 
from prunings. On Dodabetta the result of pinning 
82 90 acres was a yield of 36,933 lbs. of bark or 
1,122 Iba. per acre. The bark from br.uiches of 
officinalis trees does not contain more than about 
2 per cent, of sulphate of quinine ; but although 
this is a very small yield it can easily be shown 
that in the Government estates with a quinine 
factory at hand it is profitable to harvest such bark 
when the market value of the unit is high. With 
branch or other bark costing only 2 64 pies per lb. 
to harvest and analysing 2 per cent of sulphate of 
quinine the cost of each unit i^ 1'32 pies. Bark 
analysing 1 per cent, would cost 2'64 pies per unit. 
The present price of the unit in the London market is 
lid or 21 pies. When pruning is being done the 
quetion arises whether or not to harvest the branch 
bark, and in this connection it has to be liorne in 
mind that although the cost of the unit of quinine 
in such bark may be very low the cost of manufacture 
per unit or per lb. of q iinine is, roughly speaking, 
four times as high in the case of 1 per cent, bark 
as in the treatmeut of 4 per cent. bark. The follow- 
ing statement shows that when the price of the unit 
in the iondon market is l^d or higher it is profit- 
able to harvest even 1 per cent, bark when it can 
be delivered at the factory at the low rate of 2'64 
pies per unit: — 
3 & 
o 
u a 
ft ft 
O 
B7. A. P. R3. A. P. R3. A. P. 
lOOlb.9. bark cost .. ... 1 6 0 43 12 0 37 8 0 
Manufacture of 100 lbs. 
birk costs 10 0 0 10 0 0 10 0 0 
Total cost ... 11 6 0 53 12 0 47 8 0 
Cost of 1 lb. sulphate of 
quinine ]1 6 0 13 7 0 1114 0 
The year's crop of 194,414 lbs. consisted of 144,106 
lb?, crown and hybiid barks and 50,308 lbs. red 
bark<. The total cost of the crop was Rs. 48,147 
which was the whole expenditure on olJ plantations 
and head office and the cost of each pouud of bark 
was theiefijre 3 annas 11-54 pies. The amount of 
bark purchased dunng the year was one 167,200 lbs. 
which coit Hi. 53,803-12-2 or 5 annas 185 pies per 
pound. Statement 7 shows that at the com- 
mence nent of the year the stock of bark was 305,822 
lbs., while at the end of the year the stock was 
350,404 lbs. 
VIII. Pactorv. — The total quantity of bark worked 
up in the factory during the year was 316,469 lbs. 
consisting of 292,069 lbs. crown and hybrid barks 
and 24,400 lbs red birks. The alkaloids extracted 
from these barks were 7,6484 lbs of sulphate of 
quinine and 2,972 lbs. of febrifuge or a total of 
10 620| lbs. The output was 4 182| lbs. less than 
in the previous year, the reduction, in the quinine 
output being 2,539J lbs. and that of febiifug 1,643 lbs. 
The consequence of this reduce! output has been 
an increase in the cjst of the products obtained duiing 
the year. 
At the close of the year 18S9-1900 there remained 
a balance of ll,400Jl)s. ot quinine and 13,213 lbs. 
of febrifuge in store. The issue of quinine and 
febrifuge during 1899-190J were 7,378i lbs. and 2,6764 
lbs. respectivelv, so that with a norjnal demand 
there was in store about two years' supply of quinine 
and five years' supply of febrifuge. In these cir- 
cumstauses the opportunity was considered favourable 
for taking the preliminary steps towards a radical 
change in the working in the factory. No fusel oil 
was purchased during the year, and the sum provided 
fur its purchase was utilised i i procuring an entirely 
new and up to-date quinine manufacturing plant. The, 
reserved stock of fusel oil was used for manufacture 
and altl ough it was found that there was not a 
sufficient stock of this oil to manufacture 10,000 lb. 
of quinine, it was considered better that the large 
stock of quining should be drawn upon than thait 
an extra supply of oil should be procured. The 
011 to be used in the new factory is shale which 
