44 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
[July  i,  1896. 
hundred  thousand  ounces.  They  realized  that  the 
only  way  to  reach  the  desired  end  was  through  the 
medical  profession.  They,  therefore,  sent  out  traveller.s 
to  call  upon  physicians,  they  published  and  distri- 
buted a large  quantity  of  literature  on  the  thera- 
peutic value  of  the  alkaloid,  and  spent  thousands  of 
dollars  in  postage,  distributing  at  least  100,000  ounces, 
if  not  more,  to  the  profession.  In  due  season  came 
their  reward,  and  cinchonidia  assumed  its  place  in  the 
ranks  of  the  drugs  of  known  value.  With  quinine 
selling  at  ^.50  per  ounce,  they  were  very  glad  to 
dispose  of  cinchonidia  at  p.30  per  ounce.  Uith 
comparatively  little  use  for  it  in  Germany,  the  makers 
there  were  only  too  glad  to  dispose  of  their  product 
to  the  United  States,  and  thousands  of  ounces  per 
annum  were  imported  into  this  country. 
In  a few  short  years,  or  in  1877,  quinine  com- 
menced to  decline  in  price,  owing  partly  to  improved 
E recesses  of  manufacture,  and  naturally  cinchonidia 
egan  to  be  affected.  It  h.td  been  sold  at  one-half 
the  value  of  quinine.  When  it  had  reached  twenty- 
five  cents  an  ounce,  the  manufacturers  thought  it 
was  unprofitable  to  them,  nevertheless  they  continued 
to  save  it,  and  marketed  many  hundred  thousand 
ounces  at  two  and  one-half  cents  per  ounce  in  bulk. 
The  lowest  price  it  ever  reached  being,  so  far  as  we 
know,  one  and  five-eighths  cents  per  ounce. 
With  cheaper  quinine  came  a decrease  in  the  de- 
mand for  cinchonidia  from  the  profession,  but  a demand 
had  sprung  up  from  makers  of  patent  medicines,  which 
steadily  increased  and  prevented  an  accumulation  of 
stocks  for  any  length  of  time.  A certain  prejudice  had 
arisen  in  the  minds  of  many  persons  against  qui- 
nine, which  presented  an  opportunity  to  many  ven- 
dors'of  proprietary  medicines  that  they  were  not 
slow  to  take  advantage  of,  and  many  nostrums  made 
their  appearance  as  chill  remedies  “ containing  no 
quinine,"  and  obtained  a wide  sale.  It  is  these 
remedies  which  will  be  hard  hit  by  the  changed 
conditions,  and  doubtless  the  demand  for  quinine  will 
be  correspondingly  increased. 
Cinchonidia  has  to  some  extent  been  used  to 
adulterate  quinine,  but  probably  not  to  the  extent 
that  is  popularly  supposed.  The  manufacturers  of 
ills  cannot  be  accused  of  using  it,  as  each  one 
eeps  such  a close  watch  on  the  products  of  tlio 
other  as  to  preclude  the  possiblity  of  any  chances 
being  taken.  Cinchonidia  pills  are  sold,  however, 
being  ofttimes  prescribed.  Indeed,  some  physicians 
prefer  them,  believing  this  alkaloid  to  be  equal  to 
quinine  as  an  antiperiodic.  Possibly  it  might  have 
ranked  with  quinine  in  many  other  respects  had 
not  the  impression  been  prevalent  that  a much  lar-ger 
dcse  than  that  of  quinine  was  necessary  in  every 
case  in  order  to  produce  the  same  effect.  For 
years  there  has  been  a growing  prejudice  against 
large  doses,  and  in  favor  of  administering  drugs 
in  the  most  concentrated  forftis  possible.  Many 
physicians  prefer  cinchonia.  It  has  been  found  to 
produce  a more  perfect  cinchonism  hence  a better 
lasting  effect,  but  the  large  dose  necessary  to  pro- 
duce the  desired  effect  has  precluded  the  possibility 
of  its  extended  use. 
With  the  relegation  of  cinchonidia  to  the  ranks 
of  past  favorities  will  go  quiuidia  and  cinchonia,  for 
the  same  reason,  leaving  the  field  to  quinine. — Oil 
taint  and  Diw/  Jieportcr,  New  Y’ork,  May  1. 
BECHUANALAND  AND  ITS  PLANTING 
POSSIBILITIES. 
Mr.  Prior  Palmer,  of  Dotel  Oya,  Aranayaka, 
writes  to  a contenqxnary  : — 
“ The  best  proof  of  whether  there  is  any- 
tliing  in  what  Mr.  Macleod  says,  is  that  when 
our  expedition  w.as  nearly  over.  Government 
offered  any  of  us  K»,b0U  acres  of  land  free  for 
ever;  provisions,  rille,  and  ammunition  for  two 
years,  also  a horse,  on  condition  that  we  would 
lie  liable  to  be  called  out  for  .service  at  any  Lime. 
Now,  to  my  knowledge,  not  one  took  uii  the 
grant.  I saw  a good  deal  of  the  country,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  a few  cases,  where  tliere 
was  some  heavy  timber,  cliielly  mimo.sa  trees, 
there  was  nothing  hut  jioor  sandy  soil  tliat  would 
take  *2(t  acres  to  fee<l  a cow,  and  the  only  means 
of  wateiing  cattle  would  he  by  making  huge 
dams,  which  are  Idled  by  means  of  artesian 
wells,  worke<l  by  wind-mills.  The.se  are  gene- 
rally near  large  stores,  wdiere  everytliing  can 
be  brought  from  a needle  to  an  anchor.  What 
rivers  and  streams  we  saw,  were  quite  dry 
to  the  naked  eye  ; but  by  scraping  down  a foot 
or  so  you  got  gooil  water,  and  at  long  distances 
there  were  deep  jiools,  where  we  used  to  catch 
large  lish.  As  to  growing  coffee,  I saw  no  land 
for  that,  and  where  is  the  rain  ? There  winter 
is  a hot  sun  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  with  hard 
frost  at  night.  I have  often  seen  six  men  lyine- 
together,  so  as  to  get  them  six  blankets  to  help 
for  w’armth,  and  in  the  morning  their  mous- 
taches and  whiskers  were  • stiff  wdih  hoar  frost. 
That  is  a tine  place  for  coffee  ! I was  shew  n 
one  coffee  tree  near  a Boer’s  hou.se,  and  it  looked 
very  well,  and  had  a good  crop ; but  it  was 
watered  every  day.  1 should  think  that,  if  Mr. 
Macleod  hapi)ens  to  take  any  of  my  countrymen 
out  to  farm  there,  he  will  "et  a dose  of  mercury 
for  his  trouble  ; and  I would  strongly  advise  anj" 
Ceylon  man  to  be  very  careful  to  give  it  a wide 
berth,  as  far  as  I saw  of  the  country.  There 
was  good  shooting  in  [larts  of  Bechuanaland,  and 
that  is  pretty  well  ])layed  out  since  I was  there, 
• 1 hear.  One  of  the  great  things  they  grow'  there 
is  ‘ water  melons’  which,  as  you  know',  require 
a very  dry  climate  and  soil.” 
MB.  OTA  NT  ON  TEA. 
The  Oriental  Economist  prints  an  interview' 
that  a representative  hail  with  Mr.  Otani,  the 
leading  tea  merchant  of  Yokohama,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  tea  industry.  Tea  manufacture,  Mr. 
Otani  confe.sses,  is  still  very  imperfect,  ow'ing 
to  the  ignorance  of  Jaiianese  manufacturers  olf 
foreign  taste.  Manufacturers  in  Japan  have 
left  the  liring  and  packing  of  lea  to  resident 
mercliants  from  the  very  outset,  until,  it  has 
come  about  that  tea,  no  matter  how'  excellent  in 
quality,  has  to  undergo  re-liring  at  Yokohama  or 
Kobe.  Japanese  tea  before  it  reaches  the  latter 
jiorts  is  in  a half-manufactured  state.  There 
is  no  question  that  Japanese  tea  must  be  im- 
inoved  in  quality,  and  that  before  long.  A 
law  issued  by  the  United  States  GoveriHiient 
in  188.3  against  the  import  of  deteriorated 
tea,  w'as  a signal^,!®  teamen  in  Japan  that 
urgent  step  must  be  taken  to  improve  the 
quality  of  their  output.  In  that  year  the  prin- 
cipal tea  manufacturers  and  merchants  of 
•lapan  held  an  extraordinary  general  meeting  at 
Kobe  to  discu.ss  the  best  way  of  lifting  the 
industry  from  its  low  level.  The  result  of  that 
meeting  appeared  next  year  in  the  form  of  the 
Tea-Guild  llegulations.  In  1887,  a Government 
notification  dealing  w-ith  the  matter  in  a 
comnrehensive  form  w'as  issucil.  These  efforts 
of  the  tea  men  and  the  Government  have 
acted  more  or  less  beneficially  in  .Shizuoka, 
where  marked  improvement  has  been  achieved! 
I’oints  in  w’hich  improvement  is  now  needed 
are  as  follows  ; — (1)  liiyiiig  ; ('!)  preservin''' 
from  impregnation  w'ith  smoke ; (3)  steaim 
big;  (■!)  storage:  (.I)  .adulteration  ol  new  tea 
with  old  ; (0)  di.si-ontinnance  id'  the  practiee  of 
picking  leaves  grown  alter  the  3rd  piid^ing ; (7) 
discontinuing  the  immufaeture  of  inleiior  kinds 
of  te.a.  Interior  teas  mentioned  in  t he  7th  clause 
uie  ino.stly  niaiiniacturod  in  Miiu)  aiul  iiorlhcru 
Ise,  and  are  sold  for  mixing  with  tea  of  a superior 
