May 2, T892.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
841 
in the Echo of certain Tee To Turn clubs formed 
in the poorer neighbourhoods of London, in which 
teetotal principles and practice were to be inculcated 
and bars for the sale of tea a leading feature. Mr. P. 
R. Buchanan's name was mentioned in connection 
with the scheme, and, according to the Echo, he 
was " able to raise the necessary capital from among 
his friends." The idea of these clubs, or at least Mr. 
Buchanan's connection with the experiment, does 
not commend itself to the grocery trade, if we 
may accept the views of the Givcrr's Vhiomdc. In 
an article entitled " Philanthropy in the Tea Trade," 
the writer says :—" Certainly no one can object to 
the establishment of comfortable clubs for those 
whose homes are, to say the least of it, very un- 
attractive, but grocers have a perfect riglit to object 
to having their legitimate business taken away from 
them by clubs, whose proper business is to supply 
refreshments, but who are going outside their pro- 
vince when they take up the work of retail distri- 
bution. If Mr. Buchanan is really a disinterested 
philanthropist, he ought to take care, whilst doing 
good to the poor, that he does not increase their 
number by undermining the business of honest 
tradesmen." 
Last Week's Tea Makkets.— There is still a pleasure 
to sell the low and common qualities of Indian (says 
the Grocer), which form the bulk of the existing 
supply, and these have been disposable only at easy 
and irregular rates, as the trade are too full of stock 
to bestow much attention upon them, and the pre- 
sence of these teas constantly on offer gives the 
market a flat and drooping aspect, that can be 
relieved only by an immediate and prolonged curtail- 
ment of supphes. The quality of Ceylon has reached 
a poor average during the past week, and this 
feature is a serious drawback to the trade. Growers 
would profit well by sending forward better teas, 
also by reducing the number of breaks. Small breaks 
are generally sold at low rates, as many buyers do not 
trouble about tasting them— E. and C. Mail, March 18. 
TEA IN MOROCCO. 
When ft psrty of gue' ts cctersihe houFs or ihe tent of 
a tich Moor, rne of ilie neer rclativps tf the beet is 
charged with the duly of mnkirg lea. He Bqnels in one 
corner, hnving on either side of biro a large server or 
platter. Upon one of iheee servtrs are b 1 umber of 
cupB and upon the other a sngar bowl, a box of tea, a 
pile of fragrant mentbe leaves, a copper apparatus for 
beatinc; w ater and a tea urr. The tea-maker sots Ihe 
wattr to boiling with a little fuel, and then pours the 
boiling water into bis tea nrn, quickly af'ditig 'o it some 
tea and stmefugnr, and allows the compound to steep 
ft few moments. Then he pours out a enp of tea irnd 
tastes it, tmacks Ins lipp, sniftH the odor of the liquid 
and draws a deep breach — all with an air which eaye: 
" I am groirg to get this tea just right." The cbnuees 
are that he does not find the compound to his taste at the 
first attempt, for he pours the tea in his cnn back into 
the tea urn, adds a little sugfr or a little tea, and pours 
out another cup for a fecond test. This proeeEppoes on, 
the leB-maker tasting his tea and pouring it back again 
until lie pets it to his mind. Then the guests are 
called, (icd if any one of them does not finish Lis rup he 
is expi cled to pour it hack into the urn, for it is the 
cu(.t< m in Morocco to lake three enps in (-nccefflion, iind 
the tea-making has to te begun over again. — Amcncan 
arocci-,Vf\i. 24. 
« . 
IN A TROPICAL FOKEST.* 
By Allan Eric. 
It may not fo generally knc.wn lliat the cinchona 
plantations of the islard of Jamaica, in the West 
Indies, yield bark far puperior to tlio lest (.rown iii 
Ceylon. It is ct mini nly su|iposed 'hat the Pernviaii 
bark tree in Aniirics grows noi't readily <nly onthn 
elopea of the Am'ts, lutwetu the cqn.'itor nrd ten 
digieea ol north laiilnde and twenty dogrei^s south 
'* From the iVtm England Drut/yiat, February. 
latitude. This was once correct ; but in tbe island of 
Jamaica, several years ago, Peruvian bark trees were 
found growing on t^^e slopes of che Ouna Cur a moun- 
tains, and while not plentiful, the bark was found to 
be of excellent quality. As both the climate and 
soil of tbe mountain slopes in Americajwere found to 
exactly suit the Peruvian, bark tree, the people, en- 
couraged by the wealthy planters and rich merchanta 
on the coast, have been propagating it, and have 
planted, within the last ten or fifteen years, large plan- 
tations of cinchona, which are now jiroducing bark 
which is taking o leading place in Ihe markets of the 
world. Such a plantation I had the pleasure of visit- 
ing while on tbe island a few months since. The 
Peruvian hark tree, to begin with, belongs to the 
natural order Chichonaca-e, which yields the bark so 
much valued in medicine, and otherwise known as 
Jesuit's bark, quina, quinquina, cinchona, chinchonai 
etc.; and from which the important alkaloids quinia or 
quinine, cinchonia or ci/ichonine are obtained. I have 
!-een these trees while riding over the mountain paths 
in Jamaica, scattered among growths of cocoa, cabbage- 
palm and pimento, fustic and logwood; but it is most 
usually found near some spot practically clear of other 
trees. Some of the cinchona trees are very large ; but 
the best bark cones from email ones, which appear 
SB fhrubs »fter the large trees are felled. It must 
be remembered that cinchona exist in many varieties, 
chiefly distinguiebable by the different localities in 
which they grow, but whose quality is essentially and 
to all practical purpotes the same. They are all 
ever-green trees. They very cloEely resemble laurels, 
and the shrubs still more closely resembele the "lamb- 
kill" of Ibe New England pastures. The cinchona 
bp 8 entire opposite leaves, stipules which soon fall 
cff.iind panicles of flowers, which very closely resemble 
liUo blossoms. The flowers are white, rose-coloured, 
or pinplid), and very fragrant; and I now have 
some of the flowers, which were given me by a native 
earned Brava, and which I pressed in my note- 
book which 1 carried in my saddle-bag while riding 
through the Jamaica mountains; and even now, 
pressed and dried, they retain much of their fragrance. 
The calyx of the flower is small end five-toothed, and 
tlie capsule splits from the base upward. This 
is the true cinchona. There is another of a similar 
species which I have seen growing in some localities 
in thetiopics; but I noticed that in this, the snb- 
genus Casarilla, the capsule splits from the top 
downward. The two look very much alike, but the 
letter has no commercial value and no trace of the 
valuable alkaloids is to te found in it. The cutting 
and peeling of the cinchona trees are carljied 
on by the natives in the dry season. The trees 
are felled as near the roots as possible, that none 
of the bark may be lost and tbe barkbeing stripped 
off, is carefully dried, the quilled form of the 
inner bark being acquired in drying. Tbe bark is 
made up into packeges of various sizes, but averaging 
150 pounds in weight, closely wrapped in woollen 
cloth and afterward in hides, and conveyed to the 
points of shipment on the coast, on the backs of 
mules and burros. These packages are called seroons, 
or drums. 
The foap tree, Sapindiis sapotiat^ia, is another tree 
that I frequently met with during my jonrney into the, 
interior; and I frequently saw the native womeng 
(■tripped to the waist, standing in tbe swift-runnin 
mountain streams washing their scanty clothing, and 
ns'ng the pulp of tbe soap berry in lieu of the manu- 
laclured article; and I am told that so great is ihe 
alkaline property of these berries that they are cap- 
able of cleansing as much linen eg sixty times their 
wfight in soap. The berrips each coutaiu, embedded 
in the pulp, a shining and very hard blnck seed. The 
soap tree is foui d principally grrwiup at the bases of 
the monntrin ranges, being hardly raot with at a 
higher elevntiou than 8000 feet above sen level. 
Before me I b ve u large plnssjar of alcohol, con- 
taining a briinch fnm the anotto, or anratto tree, 
wl,ich I faihirid at Mt. Diabolo while the black 
driver of the Kojal Mail stage-coach was changing 
bis mules- It has reddish, oblong, hairy oapsnlea 
alh'ut two inches iu length, and from tbe dried 
