Nov.  2,  i_'g6.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
325 
been  to  allow  the  oopiMce  shoots  to  aequire  suffi- 
cient size  to  aff(jvd  shade  to  the  soil  ; and,  when  this 
has  been  secured,  eitiier  to  fill  up  vac.ancies  or  to 
replant  entirely  with  seedliiif' cro  \ n barks,  removing 
the  coppice  when  the  seedling.s  have  grown  large 
enough  to  afford  shade  to  each  other.  This  plan  is, 
in  my  opinion,  an  excellent  one.  It  is  founded  on 
the  principle  that,  in  growing  cinchonas  on  those 
hills,  the  surface  of  the  soil  must  be  protected  both 
from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  and  from  the  wash 
that  is  the  inevitable  result  of  heavy  rain  fall  on 
b.are  soil.  Another  prominent  feature  in  the  mode 
of  cultivation  which  has  of  late  years  been  followed 
is  the  cultivation  of  weeds  and  their  utilization  as 
green  manure.  During  my  visit  to  these  plantations 
in  1878  I was  struck,  as  was  also  Dr  Bidie,  by  the 
absolute  freedom  from  weeds  in  certain  parts  of  the 
plantation,  and  by  the  consequent  douudat  on  of  the 
superficial  soil  by  the  wash  of  heavy  showers;  and 
I called  attention  to  the  matter  in  my  evi- 
dence before  the  Committee  (page  Hlj.  The 
same  facts  had  evidently  impressed  Mr.  Lawson 
for  the  soil  of  the  Dodabetta  plantation  vvhich  used 
to  be  conspicuously  bare  is  now  w'ell  covered  wdth  a 
fair  crop  of  surface-rooting  weeds.  The  plantations 
at  Nedivattam  and  the  Hooker  estate  are  all  fairly 
well  covered  with  weeds  of  a good  type,  with  the 
e.xception  of  a few  barren  patches  wliich  are  now 
under  treatiucnit.  .Mr.  Law.son  has  also  carried  out 
extensively  the  system  of  digging  trenches  near  the 
trees  wdiich  serve  as  receptacles  for  any  soil  wdiich 
may  bo  washed  into  them  by  the  I'ain,  also  for 
surface  soil  which  may  be  scraped  into  them,  and 
for  green  weeds  which  may  he  buried  in  them.  The 
results  of  this  sy.stem  of  pitting  or  trenching  appears 
to  have  been  excellent.  The  manure  of  all  cattle 
living  in  the  estates  has  also  for  yejtrs  been  care- 
fully conserved  and  spread  on  the  patches  most  in 
want  of  nutriment.  A considerable  quantity  of  bazaar 
manure  has  also  been  carted  from  Ootacamund  for 
the  Dodabetta  plantation. 
.5.  Working  uxrENniTURR  on  Tin:  pi.ant.ition. — The 
cost  of  European  establishment  is  high  in  proportion 
to  the  annual  disbursement  on  cooly  labour.  This 
is  due  to  three  causes  : — 
(1)  to  the  fact  that  the  plantations  aro  broken  up 
into  so  many  detached  jiieces; 
(2)  to  the  entertainment  of  a whole-time  officer  as 
Quinologist ; 
(.^)  to  the  fact  that  the  plantation  is,  from  unavoid- 
able causes,-  worked  below  i s full  producing  power. 
Tho  latter  cause  would  be  removed  by  any  success- 
ful endeavour  to  increase  the  demand  for  quinine 
and  febrifuge.  The  rapid  spread  of  the  sale  of 
quinine  in  small  doses  at  Post  ofliccs  and  oTier 
])ublic  offices  ajipear.s  to  offer  a new  outlet  for  an 
indefinite  amount  of  the  former  drug.  The  cooly 
labour  does  not  appear  to  me  to  be  costly  and  I can 
suggest  no  way  in  wdiich  rates  might  be  reduced. 
().  PAcTOi.r. — The  factory  is  organised  on  the 
same  lines  as  that  of  the  Bengal  Go\ernmcut, 
the  process  of  extraction  of  quinine  depending 
on  the  use  of  fusel-oil  and  of  kerc:sine.  The 
grinding  of  the  b.irk  is  done  by  a Carter’s  disintc- 
grater  of  which  the  motor  power  is  a vortex  tur- 
bine which,  owing  to  deficiency  of  water  during  the 
dry  season,  can  be  w'orked  only  half  the  year.  'The 
disintegrate!'  is,  however,  cap  dde  of  grinding  4,0i)0 
lb.  of  bark  per  day  ; and,  as  it  can  bo  worked  for 
IbU  days  in  the  year,  (ibO,000  poaaiiu  of  baik  can 
be  annually  giound,  an  amount  which  is  more  than 
thrice  as  great  as  the  vats  in  the  factory  are 
capable  of  co..veiting  into  the  quinine  of  febrifuge. 
'Tile  factory  buildings  arc,  ho'wevor,  cuipable  of  ex- 
tension wiimie' er.  more  vats  aie  required  to  meet 
the  deman:  for  their  outturn.  At  present  the  vats 
are  capable  of  turning  out  annually  only  4,800  lb. 
of  quinine  and  about,  ikOOi)  of  febriftigo— amounts 
whicli  up  to  date  h ivi-  exceeded  the  demand.  SiiOr.i  l 
thij  demand  exceed  £he  present  grinding  power 
of  the  dihnr.egraiter,  arr..ngeuKmta  can,  the  Direc- 
tor assures  me,  be  made  for  leading  water  from 
anofiier  strc-Din  so  .as  (o  increase  the  mimbrr  of 
working  days  and  the  output  of  ground  bark  by 
one-third.  The  factory  is  thus  111  all  its  depart- 
ments capable  of  expansion.  Tho  present  accommo- 
dation for  storage  for  bark  is  ample  and  it  also  is 
cap.able  of  expansion. 
TThl. — Fuel  for  the  factory  is  at  present  obtained 
from  a shola  behind  the  Hooker  estate  and  about 
two  and  a half  miles  distant  from  the  factory.  This 
shola  was  made  over  to  the  Director  by  a former 
Conservator  of  Forests  with  the  distinct  intention 
that  it  should  be  worked  copince  fashion  as  a source 
of  fuel  for  the  factory.  The  policy  of  coppicing 
standing  forest  with  the  object  at  once  of  utilizing 
the  timber  on  it  and  of  providing  for  its  reproduc- 
tion by  coppice  is  largely  followed  in  France,  and  it 
forms  the  basis  of  a well-known  and  liighly  accredited 
system  of  treatment.  Of  late,  however,  this  policy 
does  not  appear  to  have  commended  itself  to  the  for- 
est authorities  on  these  hills,  and  I understand  the 
question  is  now'  under  consideration  whether  the 
above-mentioned  shola  should  not  be  resumed  by 
the  Forest  department  and  the  Director  compelled  to 
buy  fuel  for  the  quinine  factory.  If  this  arrange- 
ment be  carried  out,  the  Forest  department  pro- 
pose, as  I am  informed,  to  supply  Enrali/plus 
fuel  at  a cost  of  R()  per  thousand  pounds,  at 
a sjiot  over  ten  miles  distant  from  the  f.ictory. 
'The  rate  of  carriage  to  tlie  factory  from  this 
spot  would,  the  Director  says,  be  R2  per 
thousand  pounds.  Tiie  cost  of  fuel  from  the 
present  source  of  supply  he  estimates  as  at 
Re.  1 per  thousand  pounds.  'The  proposed  increase 
w'ould  therefore  form  a not  inconsiderable  addition 
to  the  net  cost  of  the  outturn  of  the  factory,  i 
must  say,  I thiulc,  it  would  be  a mistake  to  increase 
the  net  cost  in  this  adventitious  way.  The  object 
of  the  maintenance  of  the  quinine  factory  is  the 
good  of  the  whole  jiopulation  of  the  country  and 
tho  allotment  to  the  factory  of  a piece  of  natural 
forest  to  be  exploited  in  the  interest  of  the  Cinchona 
rather  than  of  the  Forest  department  does  not  ap- 
pear to  me  to  violate  any  principle  of  political 
economy.  If  the  management  of  tho  shola  in  ques- 
tion by  the  Director  w'ere  to  involve  its  destruction, 
there  might  be  a case  against  its  remaining  in  his 
hands;  but  conversion  into  coppice,  not  destruction, 
is  the  idea  of  his  treatment  of  it.  I would,  however, 
with  the  view  of  preventing  inconvenience  fmm 
changes  in  forest  policy  in  future,  strongly  recom- 
mend that  as  large  an  area  as  jiossible  of  the  land 
in  the  cinchona  reserves  which  is  unsuitable  for 
crown  barks  should  be  utilized  for  tho  production 
of  fuel  for  the  factory.  I may  meution  that,  ou  the 
Sikkim  plantation,  there  is  a large  area  of  forest  at 
tho  entire  disposal  of  Cinchona  department,  .and 
that  there  is  besides  a fuel  plantation  which  now 
covers  800  acres,  and  which  is  being  aiinu-ally  ex- 
tended during  the  seasons  when  plantation  work 
is  slack. 
8.  Grazinc.. — Attached  to  each  of  the  plantations 
there  is  a certain  amount  of  grass  land  on  which 
the  plantation  cattle  and  also  the  cattle  belonging  to 
the  estate  coolies  are  allowed  to  graze.  Such  land 
carries  uo  timber  and  can  be  of  no  use  for*  strictly 
forest  purposes.  These  cattle  are  kraaled  at  night, 
and  their  dung  is  carefully  collected  as  iiiaiiure 
which  is  of  great  use  in  the  improvement  of  the 
poorer  parts  of  the  plantation.  I think  it  would  be 
a great  mist'ake  to  diminish  the  area  of  these  planta 
tion  grazing  grounds.  If  any  change  is  to  be  made, 
it  should,  in  iny  opinion,  be  in  the  direction  of  ex- 
tension rather  than  of  contraction.  I would  however 
strictly  proliibit  the  grazing  of  cattle  in  sholas. 
9.  jlaVACrEs  OF  Ga.ue. — There  is  no  doubt  w’latever 
iliat  young  plants  and  young  copince  of  crown  barks 
and  of  crown  bark  hybrids  are  nincb  eaten  down  b\' 
sambur  and  jungle  sheep.  This  is  nnlhing  new.  'The 
late  Mr.  Mclvur  complained  bitteily  of  it  to  me  in 
1871  and  showed  me  large  areas  of  young  planting 
which  had  been  practically  ruined  by  the  ravages  of 
these  animals,  I also  heard  loud  coinpilrints  about 
the  matter  during  my  visit  in  1878.  Dui'iiig  my 
jH'Csent  visit  I li  ive  questioned  the  Superinte  iderits 
and  some  of  the  n.xtives,  resident  on  tlie  v.ii'ious 
plantations,  and  I liave  seen  for  myself  ample  evi- 
