YME tropical agriculturist. [March i, 1893. 
INDIAN GUTTA PEKCHA. 
The Panohotee tree, Bichopsis Ellipttca, grows 
plentifully in the Wynaad and yields an abundance of 
milk, and some of the plsntera have been askinjj for 
information on the subject and enquiring whether it 
could be made into a commercial article. The milk 
bag been known for some years to afford what was 
called Indian Gutta Percha or Palm Gum, and has 
been used as^an adulterant of Singapore Gutta. General 
Oallen brought it to notice about thirty-five years 
ago and Dr. Cleghorn when Conservator of Forests 
wrote an interesting memorandum on the subject. It 
was reported upon by experts in London who found 
that it was unfit tor water-proofing purposes as its 
solution in coal tar and turpentine dry up to such a 
brittle consistence that the fabric is quite useless." Mr. 
Hooper, the Government Quinologist, says, " it 
could be used aa a birdlime or cement, and beeps 
well under water, as a cable insulator, especially 
if missed with some genuine gutta and that by 
boiling the milk of the Panchotee tree, a white mass 
separates, which can be kneaded by the fingers, but 
which becomes hard and brittle by the cold," The 
brittle character of this substance Mr. Hooper says 
" is due to a large proportion of a crystaline eubstance 
found in the true gutta and called crystalban, or alban. 
Crystalban, according to Payne, occurs to the extent 
of from 18 to 19 per cent, in the best of gutta per- 
cha, but I have extracted as much aa 69 2 per cent, 
of crystalban from the secretion obtained from the 
Wynaad. The presence of a large quantity of crystals 
in this gum of course, would interfere with its utility 
but crystalban is easily removed by boiling alcohol, 
and the residue consists of a very good and pure 
Gutta Percha." Mr. Hooper adds that he cannot see 
why this process could not be used to purify the Indian 
Gutta Percha and so obtain an article similar to the 
Malayan gum." — South of India Observer, Jan. 23. 
INDIAN GOVERNMENT QUININE, 
The report for the year ending March 31st, 1891, 
of the Government cinchona plantations in India * has 
just been published, and we gather from it that the 
Naduvatam quinine-factory has emerged successfully 
from the most critical period of its existence, though 
it hta been by do means exempt from tne usual trials 
of infancy. In the spring of 1890 all work was tem- 
porarily suspended, owing to an outbreak among the 
workmen of an influenza epidemic, nn affliction which 
one would hardly look for m a quinine-factory. Then 
it was found that part of the new plant erected in 
the works was in SDob a bad condition that it was 
necessary almost to remake it before it could be used, 
a circumstance which seema to prove that the curse 
of Boamped work, so rife among certain Government 
departments at home, ia not unknown in India. After 
these difficulties had been surmounted a good part of 
the year was Kone, and in the meantime the stock 
of bark in the Government warehouses had lieeome 
BO large as to cause serious inconvenience. Then 
came another adversity. The Government hail made 
a contract in Hamburg for the supply of 20,000 lb. 
of fusel oil for the works, and by some means or other 
the shipment of this requisite was inexplicably delayed 
for many months. Similar delays occurred in the 
supply of caustic soda and sulphuric acid, and, by 
the end of June, the charcoal and filtering-paper alone 
of all the requisites ordered had tieeu received at 
Naduvatam. When the fusel oil began to arrive, nt 
last, it was found to be packed in drums instead of 
casks, a needless outlay of over 40i. being tlierebi 
caused upon the first shipment alone. After Iohr 
waiting, caustic soda and snlphurio acid had to be 
purchased in India at a cost much exceeding that 
which would have been incurred had the responsilile 
individuals, wht (;ver they 'were, been more alive to 
their duties. " A jirivate firm in Mndras," says Mr. 
LiwBon, compluiningly, " wonld have obtained the goods 
within four mouths ol tlioir writing for them "—as 
* Hotitbern India.— Ed. T. A. 
good, a oommentiiry as can be made upon the in- 
ability of our State departments, as now constitated, 
to compete against private enterprise, However, even 
official delay comes to an end ; and in the second 
h»lf of the year the factory was fairly started. Its pre- 
sent capacity, calculated upon the basis of uninterrupted 
work, is 4,000 lb, of sulphate of quinine per annum; 
but the total output for the finanoial year ending 
March 31 last only amounted to 2,928 lb. in addition 
to 1,050 lb., 'of febrifuge. It is now proposed to increase 
the capacities of the factory, experience having shown 
that the possibilities o£ iucreapcd consumption of 
quinine among the poorer classes of natives are practi- 
cally unlimited. The present output could be almost 
doubled by a slight extension of the vats and steam, 
pans. Many improvements in the plant have already 
been effected, and everything is ready to increase the 
usefulness of the factory as soon as the necessary 
funds are conceded by the Indian Government. The 
grinding room has been separated from i.he boiling and 
crystsllising room. The macerating vats and stills 
have been lodged in a separate building, and a second 
drying-room has been erected, which is heated by 
steam. A second boiler for heating the stills was also 
purchased during the year. A well has been sunk and 
a reservoir put up. The Naduvatam quinine is sold 
exclusively in India. In July last the first quarterly 
supply of 200 lb. was forwarded to the Medical Stores 
Department in Colombo, the superintendent of which 
expre-sed himself in no flattering manner about the 
drug. " The appearance of the quinine," he said, 
" is very much against it, and I hope that future 
supplies will be better crystallised. Unless this point 
is attended to, it can never compete with Howards & 
Sons' or other well-known quinine." These candid obser- 
vations were rather hard upon the Naduvatam people, 
especially as they had evidence to show that the 
quality of their quinine was excellent so far as freedom 
from impurity v;as concerned. They explained to 
their Ceylon critic that the crystallisation was really 
very good and the bad appearance due to the drug 
having been partinUy dried by pressnre instead of by 
absorption in consequence of which the crystals had 
been broken. Since then the process which gave rise 
to the criticism has been abandoned, and the quinine 
supplied leaves no further room for critici?m. Mr. 
David Hooper is now at work upon the acid sulphate 
process used in Holland and ("ormany, and by means 
of which, upon second crystallisation, nearly the whole 
of the cinchoniaine is eliminated from the quinine. 
Particulars of Mr. Hooper's investigations are not given, 
but they seem to have been satisfactory, for we are 
told that the process will probably before long be 
adopted when working upou red and hybrid cin- 
chonas. 
The greater part of the quinine produced 
at Naduvatam is supplied to the Govern- 
ment medical stores in Madras, Bombay and 
Colombo; but we gather that it is hoped that 
in coming years the factory will find its principal 
outlet among the natives, to whom it has lately com- 
menced 10 supply the drug in 5-grain powdtrs through 
the mediam of certain petty local officials. Packets 
ooctiiining 100 such powders are supplied to these offi- 
cials at 1 rupees annas each. They retail the powders 
at 3 pies each, and have a selling commission of 1 
anna per packet for themselves. Of the nine officials 
to whom supplies were pent by way of experiment 
two disposed of the wtiole lot, and earned from 3i. to 
4Z. commission each. Several others have shown great 
ajjathy, ^ut they are beini; stirrer! into activity ; and 
it is hoped that the villa,<s'er9 will praduallv be brought 
to ;.ppreciate the botn which the Indian Government 
are extending to them, or d which was the underlying 
oontiideration which led to ihe establishment of the 
Indian Government cinchona plantation and of the 
Naduvftlam iactory. Bm, it seems that, at present, the 
native appreciation of the 3-pie packets is interfered 
with pomewhat by tlie laot that the HiodnoB by walk- 
ing to the nearest town dispensary, and appealing 
there in forma pauperii, can (jet a quinine powder 
grntuitously. The walk to town is often a long one, 
and ilio native is naturally indolent ; but coppers, on 
