934 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June i, 1892. 
easily be improved. We believe we are correct when 
we state that in Madras planters and private indivi- 
duals are at liberty to purchase quinine in certain 
quantities from the Neddiwattum Factory.— J/ac^ms 
Timet, May 4th. 
♦ 
QUININE AND JAVA CINCHONA. 
We pabliah on page 922 full statistics of the 
eatimated crop of Java cinchoua for 1892. The figures 
have beon collected by the Soekaboemi Agricultural 
AesociatioD, that energetic organisation of Java planters 
to whose efforts on behalf of the cinchona in- 
dustry we have often had occision to refer- This 
is the fourth year of publication of the Association's 
estimates, which have fairly stood the test of 
aoouraoy, aUhongh the actual output has always been 
rather in ezcesB of the forecast. On this occasion, we 
are told, special pains have been taken to render the 
figures as correct as possible, and the Association's 
efforts have been more ge iordlly seconded by individual 
planters than in any prev ous searon. The statistics 
show that of the 115 plantations known to exist in 
the island two have been abandoned sines lajt ypsr. 
while on three others all the trees have been upro jted. 
These three plantations only produced an aggrega'e of 
1 0,000 lb, of bark, or less than 3 per cent of the total 
production — a fact which dispot-es of the assertion 
that there has been a general uprooting of trp<=s in 
consequence of the low prices which have rulfd. Mor< - 
over, nearly all the uprooted cinchona averoged onlv 
3 to 3J ppr cent of quinine sulphate, a yield admittpHl' 
too low to hold out any prospect of suocepsful oom- 
peti'ion in the future. On the other hp.od, twenty-six 
plantations have either not yet come into bearing at all 
or only yield insignificant quantities, while six others, 
tbough still in existence and raady to ship bark under 
more favourable circumstances, did not harvest any last 
season. These figures indicate that thereis plentv of 
reserve 8*ook in the island to fall back upon when 
the market improves. Ano'her important feature f 
the return is that the quinine value of the bark 
on almost all the large estates is increasing. The 
manufacturing bark from Java, which averaged about 
Sjf cent not long »go, will next season repre- 
sent an average value of nearly 5 per cent in 
sulphate of quinine, and that proportion is 
likely to be still further increased later on. The 
main interest of the Soeksiboemi returns, 
however, lies in the fact that, for the first 'time in 
the history of the Java airchona industry, they presage 
a fal ing-off, poFitive as well ns relative, in the ship- 
ments from the island. If 'hp unit remains where 
it is now, the compilers expect the quinine output of 
the island to be fully 10 per cent, less than last season, 
and even if the unit should improve to IJd or l|d 
per lb., it is likely to fall below that of 1891 by 1 per 
cent or thereabouts. Private advices which have 
reached us simnltaneou.sly with the returns state t'la?' 
the actual ebipments will almost certainly fall below 
the minimum meotionad in the returns, unless, in- 
deed, in the unlikely event of a considerable im- 
provement in prices. What tie p'anters aim in the 
first place, however, is not so much a considerable 
advance in the unit value aa an assured steadiness 
in the market, and they will, then fore, endeavour 
to regulate tbeir shipments in such a manner that the 
quantities to he offered at the Amsterdam auctions 
hhall be as nearly <qnal «s p^seible, "experience 
having proved that the Amsterdam market is an un- 
usually sensitive one, and easily affected by ii regularity 
in the supply." 
The position of the Java planters todnv resembles 
that of their Ceylon colleague in 1886" in this 
ri:«peot — that the exoeseive ferdiog of 'he Euro- 
pean bark-market is boginninct to p-oluco the 
inevitable reaction — but the Biluaton is different 
from tr.at in Ooylon six years ago, £ir^t, inasir.uch as 
there is in Java a heavy supply of rich bark to fall 
back upon ; Sfjcon'lly, because the .Java growers have 
taken to heart the lesson that tho indiscriminate 
production of low-grade, quickly-growing barks does 
tiot pay ; and, tnv,\ly, beoause they have nut, as the 
Ceylon growers had at the time, looming before 
them the spectre of a new and rapidly growing source 
of production tho i dvent of wtiich they are bound 
to forestall at all hsza-ds. There is no important 
source of supply b hiisd the Java p'anters. They 
have taken the lead of the market, and can keep 
it if they like. That is a fact about which there 
cannot be two opinions. 
The threateutd f&Uing-off in the production of Java 
cinchona-bark woul.i, no (Joubt. under ordinary circum- 
stances make itseit fe t in the quinine market. But that 
market has beon ui li'nged to such a d< gree by speculative 
sales, that the effect of the laws which usually govern tho 
fluctuations of mauufaciur: d p.-oilurts may be ritarded 
for a considerable time , There is certainly no indica- 
tion yet of any upward moyfcment in quinine, though 
the signs which would wan ant such a tendeLcy are 
slowly aocumulaiiny at the horizon.— Chemist ani 
Drut/ffist, Api'ii 23rd. 
♦ 
THE CINCHONA ADMINISTRATION 
REPORT. 
Tbe Government of India, in acknowledging receipt 
of the Annual Repoit of the Governmeiit Oinohona 
Plantations on the Nilgiris for the year 189U-91, re. 
marked that the quantity of nark in stock at the 
close of the year amounted to 510,695 lb , which the 
Director of Plantations (Mr. Lawsiru) hoped to utilise 
!or tbe manu'aoture of quinine during the next few 
years. The Government of India trusted that these 
anticipations might be realiteii, and added: — " It has 
not been altogeiber ratiriacttry that manufacture 
has failed to keep pace with the increased demiud, 
and the Government of India is glad to observe that 
the Madras Governmeiit is calling for a special 
Report regarding the all'ged iuatiequacy of the 
machinery received fiotn England." 1' aho pointed 
out that one reason for tbe riiffioulty experienced 
in the sale of ihe q iinire powd?:s was prob- 
ably the high price chars d f>r tbeji namely, Spies 
each, or at the rate of R21 per lb., giving a profi of 
50 per cent on the cost of production. It was unable 
to believe that reluctance existed suywhere in India to 
take quinine. There was a wol'-founded repugnance, 
no doubt, to tli • cinchona febrifuge on account of its 
nauseating ^J' .oitic.':, bu'; no such objectfon was 
found to the use of quinine with the effects fnd 
potency of which the people were geceralls femiliar. 
With a view, therefore, to render the retail distri- 
bution of quinint^ successful, tbe Government of lodia 
thought the price eh^ uld be considerably reduced. 
Mr. Lawson, in c^mmsnting on the Supreme Go- 
vernment's letter, said that the larg*- amount of bark, 
in stock consisted cbeiflv of red tiark, which, when 
compared with crown bark, is poor in qui lini : so that 
to obtain a large amount of quin'ue it would be ne- 
cessary to use a much la; ger quantity than woald be 
the case if it were crown bark. la other words, 
the amount of bark in stock would tot j. o so far as 
the number of pounds given in the Report might 
lead Government to suppose. Of tbe crown bark re- 
maining, there was ground up a sufficient quantity to 
last till tbe end of July next, and of nnground bark 
enough to last till the end of this jear. During the 
next monsoon it is proposed to take a l^rte harvest 
of crown and crown hybrid bark fr jm the Dodabetta 
and Naduvatam estates; but although 150,'iOOlb. have 
been put down in the Budg( t Esiimate as the pro- 
bable outturn, Mr. L^iwson will be guided by what 
is f.iand nt'ceasary tor tho fictory, and then after 
'hat, by what he tl.inks desirable to tike from the 
trees. With reff rt noe to the remark that the manu- 
facture h<d failed to keep pace with the increased 
demand th'ough inadequate machincr\, Mr. Lawtoii 
said this was not quite tho case, ns after supplying 
all requirements there remained at ths close of 
the year 1 572 1b. in stock, all of whi h, fud 
moro, had heen pines intended for by the Vu,."! .» 
nui lu'lian Medic.il Departments, be-ides 1,200 lb. of 
febrifuge. Up to the Slat December, 1891, indents 
were received which amounted to R77,C0O- or B1,000 
