May 2, 1892,] 
THfc TROPJCAL AGRJGULtURIST. 
817 
oing this opinion we are guided in a great measure by 
what is called the labour difficulty. Only a short time 
aRo the .Magistrate iu one of the recruiting Districts 
drew a sketch which was doubtless slightly the outcome 
of imagioation. At tlie same time it conveyed much 
truth, namely, ten sirdars or recruitiog agents staliiiug 
one coolie as a recruit, and these ten sirdars represen - 
ted ten different garJena within a rmg fence of about 
20 miles. If, on no other groundp, this alone to ns 
seoma conclusive proof that the labour difficulty is 
much in the planters and agents' own hand?. Combi- 
nation of plautois and agents has been tried time after 
time, but either th^ir iuterests are so coallicting, or 
their jealousies so great, that it his hitherto proved a 
failure. Shareholders are impassive ; many of them 
have so long been accustomed to uo return on their 
investments, that all efforts in that direction seem to be 
hopeless. 
The only chance of tflootiug the further economy 
we have suggested is by a few resolute men who 
are deeply interested in the tea ioduatry acting as a 
committee and formulating a series of schemes that 
by amalgamation will show a sensible decrease in 
the coat of production, and thus aim a great blow 
at one of the presout curses of tea gardens, the cost 
of either imported or what is called free labour. 
Thcu it may bo hoped that the difference between 
the cost of production and the value received for 
the manufaotured article will show a margin com- 
mensurate with the outlay iuvolved. It is with pro- 
found regret that we read in many of the reports 
that so much of the present misfortune that has 
fallen on the tea industry is laid at the doors of the 
unfortunate managers. Only those who have actually 
undergone the hardships, anxiety, and solitude of a 
planter's life can form an iiiea of what such an 
existence is, and, considering the email pay that they 
receive, and in most cases how much their emoluments 
depend on their exertions, it is not iu that direction 
and by offering them up as the priucipal scapegoats 
that shareholders and proprietors must depend in 
future for some return on t^eir money invested. 
Our advice, therefore, is to unite, and thus force 
down the cost of production by the saving in European 
supervision and the present reckless aud ospeusive 
process of scrambling for labour.- Corresjjoadent of the 
" Ewjlishman." 
CINCHONA IN MADEAS. 
No iodastry in India has presented so many features 
of doubt aud uucertainty as the cultivation of cinchona 
Thirty years have elapsed since Mr. Markham advised 
and directed the introduction of this South American 
tree into the Nilgiris, and l\ir. Mclvor gave practical 
effect to his advice and instructious, and yet the ques- 
tions anxiously discussed at the present are of an ini- 
tiatory character—what are the best varieties to grow, 
how to grow them, aud in what manner is the harvest 
to be gathered and placed upon the market ? This un- 
certainty is all the more singular because cinchona 
planting is carried on by a fairly intelligent body of 
Englislimen and by the Government, which makes a 
Speciality of the subject, employing highly trained ex- 
perts to watch its progress and record the results of 
investigations in the field, the factory, and the labora- 
tory. Thirty years may not seem a very long time 
for the conduct of a State undertaking ; but for an 
W7>t)'i»i««t it is a fairly reasonable period, that ought 
to produce decisive results of one kind or another, 
encouraging or discouraging. With such advan- 
tages as have been enumerated, wo have not advanced 
beyond the throshhold of euquiry, and notwithstand- 
ing the groat uncertainty on important matters, the 
cultivation, most uaudaol as it is, has advanced with 
rapid strides, and a vast area has become covered with 
a tree of which the growers know really very little. 
The Uudi-ii.-; Mail and the J/adra.s Times had a 
)rM/»io of the annual report on the Nilgiri plantation 
for 181)0-91 with some commonplace observations 
thereon. It is true that, iu maintaining its cinchona 
plsntatiuns, (lovirument is doinij for the planter what 
individual eU'urt, or, for the matter uf that, ourpurate 
«lIort, could nut acoompliBli— uamely, tho iuveetiga- 
tion of the numerous problems and difBouIties that 
have to be solved and overcome by tho successful 
cinchona planter. Our present object is rather to 
dwell upon a few points of interest to the cinchona 
planter, which the labours of the Director and the 
Quinologist in the past have made prominent. From a 
number of experiments conducted on the Nilgiri planta- 
tioas there is little room to doubt that the best variety 
of cinchona for the Hills is ihe Marjidfolia. It is the 
hardiest and quickest-growing olall tiie varieties, attain- 
ing to a oon.siiierable size comparatively, and forming 
thick bark rich in albaloidal value. A recent analysis 
of the bark of the Santa Fi — to which Mr. Cross 
devoted attention when lie Was in India — shows it to 
be hardly inferior to C. Ojjicinalis in quinine, and 
much superior to C. succiruMra. Like the Jlicranllia, 
there was an utter absence of quiuidiue in the bark, 
a constituent present in all einchonas. The carthagina, 
it a<ems, is worthless on the Nilgrii*, It was imported 
originally oa an analysis of the Jlac/dahna, but it is 
possible the latter never reached this country. Ana- 
lytes both in Madras and in Bengal prove it to be 
entirely deficient in quinine. Mr. Hooper's enquiries 
into the constituents of the batk of the Verde and 
the Jlorada, two valuable vaiielies of tho oalisaya, 
lead him to predict a grand future for these 
kinds. Some seeds were obtained many years 
ago for Government from Bolivia, aud pUnts raised 
from them on the Nilgiris and at Darjeeling. 
The elevation ot the Nilgiris appears to be inimi- 
cal, butthuy have thriven well in Wynaad at 3,000 feet 
above sea level. A specimen of the Verde six years old, 
grown in the Wynaad, yielded seven per cent of sul- 
phate of quinine, and more recent analyses confirm this 
excellent result. With such a high percentage the 
Verde IS almost better than the Ledgeriana, and deser- 
ving of extensive propagation. The experiments con- 
ducteJ on the Madras plantations with manure are 
particularly interesting and tend to show that suit- 
able materials produce decidedly profitable results. It 
has been found that manures act more energetically on 
young trees than on old ones, aud that the Urger 
outturn of bark is from the faster-growing varieties, 
like the tmccirubran, the ledfjers, and hybrids 
and not from the slow ones us the officinalis. 
Cattle manure proved to bo the most powerful fertilizer, 
raising the yield of quinine by about 50 per cent over 
that of uumanurcd trees. Lime, and lima aud cattle 
manure mixed, were the next best, increasing the 
quinine by 20 per cent. Woodashes the least stimu« 
iatiug, — only increasing the sulphate by ten per cent. 
Pconac was tested as a manure, firetly, six mouths 
afte- application, and next twelve months after. 
In both cases there was benefit — in the latter to 
the extent of 22 per cent. In this experiment a 
singular effect was noted — the poonac reduced the 
quantity of cinchonine, the least valuable constituent 
of the barb. Fish manure applied for a consider 
able time proved to be as valuable as cattl- 
manure, causing an increase of quite 50 per couet 
of quinine. Bone used with cattle manure produced an. 
increase cf 30 per cent, and bone alone 23 per cent 
— Indian A/jriculturiat, Feb. 20th. 
South Sea Arrowroot [is the product of Tacca 
pinnatijida, Foret. This is a perennial herbaceous 
plant, with a tuberous root. As a source of 
arrowroot the plant is of great value. The tubers 
when fresh resemble new potatoes, and contain a 
groat deal of starch. Tacoa arrowroot is preferable 
to any other in oases of dysentery and diarrhoea, 
— L'lieiiiist and Drmjijht. 
Bananas seem to have been imported in great 
quantities into England this year. Of all the vege- 
tables which furnish food to man this fruit is the 
most prolific. A single olusier often contains from 
ICiO to 180 pods, aud weighs from 001b. to 80lb. 
Humboldt says that a piece of land of 120 square 
yards will produce l.dOOlb. weight of fruit, while 
the same area will rarely produce more than 301h. 
>Yeigbt of wheat or 801b, of potatoes.-:;/Yi';ia'Sf| 
