510 
THE TROPICAL 
AGEICULTURIST. 
[Feb. 1, 1902. 
is very much cheapear than fusel oil, but the machi- 
nery ill llie old factory U not adapted for shale to 
that when the stock of fusel oil ran out the manu- 
facture of quinine had to be suspended. The in- 
troduction of the new machinery, which is now in 
course of erection, was not pi iiclicuble without some 
interference with tl-e woik in the old factory but 
it is confidently expected that the saving effected 
by the introduction of new and improved machinery 
will amply compensate for the extra cost of the 
quinine and febrifuge madf> during the past year. 
The quantity of hark purchased during the year 
fiom private growers was 1G7,200 lb. and the price 
paid was Ks. 53,863-12-2 or As. r,~l-S6 per lb. The 
outtern of sulphate of quinine from this bark which 
was of poorer quality lhau that purchased in 1899- 
1900 was 2 78 per cent, so thnt the price paid for 
each unit was As. 1-10'24. The average price of 
the unit in the London market during the year 
was 2d. In 1899-1900 the average cost of each pound 
of bark purchased was As. 5-2'lS and the cost per 
unit of sulphate of quinine was As. 1-C'16. The 
estate crown and hvbrid barks (including the bark 
from Bikkatti) which were worked up amounted to 
124,869 lb. These barks yielded 2-3f) per cent sul- 
phate of quinine, the average cost of Ihe bark was 
As. 5-4 57 per lb. and the cost of each unit of sul- 
phate of quinine was As. 2-3. The poor quality of 
the bark is explained by the fact that th greater 
portion it was fiom sickly and dying hybrid trees 
copiced at Hooker and Nedivattam prior to 1899-1900. 
The high cost per pound of bark is owing to the 
small crops taken in 1897-98 antl 1898-99 and this 
high price taken together with a low quinine yield 
ihiaed the cost of the unit per pound of bark and 
the cost of the quinine. At the time when bvik 
was to be purchased at id. per unit it was con- 
sidered advisable to husband the resources of the 
estates by taking small crops. The consequence 
was natuially a high price per pound for the Lark 
harvested in those years. If this high priced bark 
had been woiked up at the time when cheap barK 
was being purchased the average cost per pound 
and per unit of all bark worked up would have 
been low, but as it has been manufactured when 
baik Whs purchased at a comparatively high figure, 
the result is an increased cost per pound of quinine. 
It is purposed to so regulate the cost of the estate 
crops in future with reference to the price paid for 
purchased baik that there may be no great fluctua- 
tions in the cost price of the quinine from 
year to year. When the mai ket price of bark ia 
high the plantations should be made to yield a 
laige crop a low cost and this low-piice bark should 
he worked up with the higher priced purchased bark. 
When baik can he bought cheaply, a smaller crop 
of more expensive baik can betaken fioni the planta- 
tions and worked up with the cheaper purchased bark. 
During the past year the cost of the quinine in the 
crown and hybrid baiks used in the factory was Rs. 
12-8 6 per pound before manufacture. 
BANANAS UNDER IRRIGATION. 
StkuctUi!E— The banana is a herbaceous plant, 
that is, the stem is composed of green, fleshy matter, 
as opposed to the woody substance of a tree. The 
true stem is iniderground, as in the gieat family of 
lilies, to which the S anana is closely allied. V\ hat 
we ^all for convenience sake the stem is composed 
of the biises of the leaf stalks. 
The Thee i ut Ovue. — When a banana tree is 
cut over, we can clearly see the method of its for- 
nii'tion. Taking from the cent;e and working out, 
we find h-aves tightly rolled up, or in the case of 
more mature trees the continuaiiou of the flower 
htalk : then what appear to be ciUe, but are really 
intercellular spaces, enclosed by walls made up of 
cells prf)per. These tpaces increases in size as we 
aijproach the outer part of the tree. 
Leave.s. — The leaves are long sometimes as lorg as 
nrteen feet, with a distinct channel down the mioale. 
J-bey come out of the stem rolled up as we have seen, 
unfold, and in the case of the earlier leaves, finally 
break down and dry up ; iheir bases going to make up 
tne stems. lu ihe earlier stages of its growth, the 
tiee sheds off the outer coverinjiS formed by the 
m'''* "•^ earlier leaves, as it increases in girUi. 
The I'lowee.— The flower comts out fr. m the 
stem, fiom what 13 gtnenilly called the heart, in 
appearance just iike a cob of corn. It ia enclosed 
in an envelope or spathe, which envelopes the whole 
bios^om. Immeoiately prior to the appearance of 
the flower, indeed almost immediately simuit neously 
with it, we see a short leaf, from one to four ftet 
lung, which seems desigi^ed to hang over the bunch 
ana protect it ficin the direct rays of the tun. 
The Hands.— The first spathe fallen, ve tee a 
bract concealing at its base the object cf most 
interest 10 the planter, the first haud. This con- 
sists of ihe female fioHers, as do its succetsors in 
varying numbers according to the size cf the bunch 
to be, liiact after bract drops off disclosing hand 
after hand, this process conduuing till the bunch 
is ripe. Taking a nine-hand bunch as an example 
We find, the first nine-hands composed as has been 
stated, then two or three hands of hermaphrodite 
flowers ; and then a succession of pollen-bearing 
flowers. These may easily be recognised by noting 
the difference in length between the ovaries, or 
apparently solid green parts at the base of the 
flowers. 
Feutilization. — This arrangement of the flower 
seems to make cross fertilization certain ; as, when 
the pollen-btaring flowers are exposed nearly all the 
upper flowers are past the stage when they can be 
fettilized. 
Feuit.— Any description of the fruit would be un- 
necessary, except to state that many fingers con- 
tain undeveloped seeds. In some cases, these seeds 
are no doubt fully developed, and experiments are 
being made as to the possibility of raising different 
varieties from seed, with a view to improving the 
productiveness and general utility of the banana. 
One point of interest in connection with the fruit ia 
that at first they stand out at right angles to the 
stem and afterwards turn up. 
Roots. — The root is fleshy, containing little fibre. 
Hence we see the importance of a free open soil. 
It branches little. The branches are covered with 
fine, hair-'ike rootlets, which are the feeders. 
Cutting the ends of the roots tends to increase 
brsnching, and to increase the number of hair-like 
roots, and therefore the feeding powers of the root 
system. The underground stem or bulb is a white 
mass, composed of fibre. From this are given oft 
the suckers by which the plant is propagated. In 
their earlier stage, these suckers feed on the parent, 
at the same time putting out roots for themselves ; 
and when the parent is cut down feed ou tne 
reserve laid up for them in the bulb. Such then 
is a general description of the plant. The Botana- 
cal Department have 21 varieties of the banana 
growing at Hope Gardens. That cultivated in 
Jamaica is the Martinque variety. 
Soil —In his " Text .Book of Tropical Agriculture," 
Dr. Nicholls eives the composition of the best soil 
for bananas as follows : — 
Clay . . . . 40 Per Cent. 
Lime .. .. 3 „ 
Humus . . . . 5 ., 
Sand .. ... 62 
loo 
This he classifies as a rich loam wiili lime. The 
banana will, however, prow on very pc or soils, pro- 
ducing inferior bunches ; some containing tnly 
three fingers. The foil described above would be 
fiee and w's^im, two qualities indisjenbable for the 
