December i, 1891] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
40J 
establiehment (worked I think it was Baid by a 
little French colony) waa pointed out to me, which 
not only is strictly enclosed, but is almost self- 
contained, so that no one unconnected is permitted 
to enter, and the occupants hold only the most scanty 
communication with the local outside world. The 
Waldhot Chemical Works are, however, seqluded 
enough in situation with quiet a frontage on the 
Rhine— which is not much frequented here by 
passenger boats— and with such poor land (tor soil) 
in the neighbourhood, that the cultivators are few 
and far between. No better or more convenient site 
—between railway and river— for extensive chemical 
works could well be chosen. The site waa chosen 
and the works commenced here some 40 years ago 
I believe ; but within the last ten years they have 
been greatly changed, improved and extended. As 
Dr. Sobafer mentioned, in respect of quinine alone 
there were some years ago, more people required to 
turn out one-eighth of the quantity now manufac- 
tured 1 We first visited the rolling and grinding 
mills where the cinchona bark is reduced to powder ; 
then came a series of chemical processes in 
eoormous vats, at various altitudes, up and down 
iton stairs, and with the aid more or less of 
petroleum &c., and of machinery (some of it 
hydraulic) in extracting and clearing the alkaloids. 
At one stage Dr. Schater pointed out how by an 
invention of his own (I think) one man with the aid 
of machinery, was able to do what it required 
twenty men to carry out before. The clarifying 
processes (with charcoal largely) and the whitening 
of the quinine were especially interesting. There 
were some centrifugal machines— a recent improve- 
ment I gathered— attended to by women — on which 
cables of the quinine were spun at the rate of 1,000 
revolutions a minute, in connection with the drying 
and orystalization of the finished product which 
were simply delightful in the completeness of their 
adaptation to the end in view. It would be a great 
mistake to suppose that ordinary sulphate of 
quinine " is the only or main product in this depart- 
ment : at Waldhof there are prepared no less than 
38 varieties of " quininae " from " quininae hypo- 
pospis " at 2s 8d the ounce (I quote from the 
September Price Current) down to " quminae 
tenues in lumps at 6d "—the bisulphaa and sulphas" 
being given at lO^, the " citras " at Is 2d, 
«' hydroohloras" at Is 2d, hydroohloras amorphous 
4id), " pure quininae" Is lid, "quininae arsemas " 
Is 3d, " arsenias la 9d," and " quininae valerianas 
free from cinchonidia at Is 5d "—that is for quanti- 
ties—the rule being tins of 25, 50 or 100 ounces 
free for package ; bottles " of 1 oz„ 2d per ounce 
extra, bottles of 4 oz. Id per ounce extra, cases 
of 250 ounces or more free." I have merely 
selected a few of the 38 combinations of "Quininae," 
besides several of " Oinohonidinae " and '.' Oin- 
choninae "—prepared to suit every variety of 
taste or prescription and for each and all of 
which, no doubt there is a demand in dif- 
ferent countries if not in all. The Assay 
Rooms, where two or three of the Dootor-Chemists 
are from year's end to year's end, busy analysing 
cinchona bark (and other raw material) of course 
with far more delicacy and accuracy than are 
known to us in the East, were not the least in- 
teresting ; and in Dr. Schiifer's own office, the 
collection of chemicals, all the product of the 
works was quite bewildering. One he showed us 
worth far more than its weight in gold; while a 
milligramme of another would be enough to kill 
a strong man. 
After the Cinchona Bark or Quinine Department, 
that for extracting Cocaine, which has now come 
BO much into use, was gone over. It will be of 
interest to <luote exactly the list in the Price Current 
under this head : — 
CoCAiNA gramme. Free 
Pure in bull! oz 24s 6d 1b Od 5 per cent, tubes of 1 
gramme 
CocAiNAE gramme. 
Benzoas Os lljd do do 
Bimurias os lOid do do 
Boras ...... Oa lOid do do 
Hydrobromas Os lid do do 
oz. 
HydrochlorasP. B.cryst.2ls6d do tins ot 25 on. 
do do 22s do botla. of 1 ob, 
do do 9d do tubes of 1 
gramme. gramm* 
do do Os lOid do do 
do do Is i|d do tubes oil giala 
do powdered at same prices do 
Special quotation for contbacts; 
Our Cocaine Hydrocblorate is in beautiful, well defined 
crystals and entirely free from amorphous matter. It 
is also free from Beuzoylecgonin. It stands Msolsgan's 
and every other test. 
CocAiNAB gramme. 
Nitras ...... Os lid 5 per cent, tubes of t 
gramme 
Oleiuas 50 per ceat Os lOd do do 
Salicylas Oa lOd do do 
Sulphas Oa 9sd do do 
Tartraa ...... Os 9|d do' do 
Tannas Oa 6§d do do 
The market report states (hat " Oooaine is in 
very good demand, the snpply o( leaves is very 
small and owing to the rainy season th^re can 
be very' little brought over during the next few 
months and we have therefore to look for higher 
prices," This should encourage some Ceylon plantera 
to pay attention to their plants of Erythroxylon 
Coca, though as yet the leaves received from Java 
and Oeylon have been poor (immature probably) 
as compared with the South Amerioan supply. 
Another preparation in large request for America 
and the Colonies it seems — for killing prairie dogs, 
bears and perhaps noxious vermin — is strychnine 
which in " pura crystals " ia sold at 2a Id per 
ounce, but is supplied in some ten forma altogether. 
Large supplies of " Nux Vomica " are required for 
this and some is got from Ceylon I believe. 
The preparation of Glycerine again showed ua 
very interesting processes, and also of " Salicylic 
Acid," so largely used in Chicago in meat pre- 
serving ; and finally we saw the recently constructed 
buildings for the preparation of Ether (from 
carbolic acid) in which a large buaineaa is done. 
Some of the glycerine is made " free from lime " 
specially " for soapmakers." Another preparation 
in which we were interested ia " caffeina," the 
essential chemical property of tea and oofiee, and 
the list of varieties under this head may also 
be quoted : — 
Caffeina lb. Free 
Pure 28 lb. 5s 9d in 1 pkt, 68 Od Net tins of 7 lb. 
Capfeinae oz. 
Arsenias 2s 2d do tins of 25 oi 
Bcuzaa Is 2d do do 
Carbolas 2s Sd do do 
Ciundmylaa is 3d do do 
lb, 
Citras; P. B. nov 5s 6d do tins of 7 lb. 
Citras 28 lb. 6s 9d in 1 pUt. 6s Od do do 
oz. 
Hydrobromas IsOd do tins of 23 02 
Hydrochloras 0s9d do do 
Laotas Is 2d do do 
Nalrio-beozoas Os 6d do do 
Natrio-bromid Os 6d do do 
Natrio-ciuuamyla3 Os 8d do do 
Natrlo-salicylaa Oa 6d do do 
Mitras Is Id do do 
Salicylas Oa lOd do do 
Sulphas Os lod do do 
Taimas Os lod do do 
Valetiaaas Os 3d do do 
Altogether there cannot be less than 360 to* 
380 diSerent chemical preparations or varieties 
quoted in the Price Current of Messrs. C. F. 
Biihringer & Soehne of Waldhof, and the elaborate 
arrangements made at the worlcs^ftpo) tb^ 
