THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
July i, 1897 .] 
“QUININE AND CINCHONA BARK/' 
We have been greatly interested in a very 
full and carefully )jrepared historical and com- 
mercial resume recently published under the 
above heading by the New York Oil and Drug 
Reporter. It begins with 1871 , the year when Ihe 
journal was lirst issued, and it deals freely with the 
American quinine manufactories, at Philadel- 
phia and elsewhere, all of which we personally 
visited in 1884. In 1871, quinine was about 11 
shillings an ounce, irrotected in the States by a duty 
of 45 per cent ; reduced in August 1872 to 20 
per cent. “ Chills and yellow fever raged in 
the summer of 1872,” we are told and the con- 
sumption of the alkaloid was large. It was even 
proposed to grow Cinchona bark in the South 
Western States of the Union ; but Ceylon and 
India, withtlieir cheap supplies, soon settled that. 
In 1877, however, the cost of quinine advanced 
to 18 shillings an ounce — but only very temporarily. 
Early in 1879, the price began to go down and 
the ta.x on imported quinine was abolished. 
The New York then published tire follow- 
ing poem on the “emancipation” (?) of that por- 
tionof the human race domiciled in the United 
States : 
Rejoicings ring throughout the land. 
Quinine is free ! Quinine is free ! 
Its bonds are burst, its shackles fall. 
Send the glad news to one and all, 
Through shanty, tenement and hall— 
Quinine is free 1 Quinine is free ! 
Malaria flies in v/ild alarm. 
Quinine is free 1 Quinine is free ! 
And fever hides her burning head. 
And ague totters off in dread — 
Economy quinine had wed ! 
Quinine is free ! Quinine is free! 
* * *- * 
♦ 
Now all one saves in Jersey rents — 
Quinine is free I Quinine is free ! 
In dollars, dimes, in cents and mills, 
Won’t go to pay the doctors’ bills. 
Or druggists’ for Peruvian pills. 
Quinine is free I Quinine is free ! 
Hope dawns again upon our laud. 
Quinine is free ! Quinine is free ! 
All joyful shout from near and far, 
“ Hail, quinine, sugar-coated star.” 
And ague trills “Hurrah I Hur-r-r-rah I” 
Quinine is free ! Quinine is free ! 
Some of the minor alkaloids came into use after 
this and still further affected the price of quiniiie 
pills of which, howci er, were getting into univer- 
sal use throughout the States. 'Tlie demand in 1881 
increased by 25 per cent, and American manu- 
facturers turned out 1 million ounces^ — other 
makers’ returns being as follows 
Ounces. 
Howard . . • . .S.50,000 
Whiffen .. .. .. 122,000 
Jobst .. .. .. 815,000 
B. & S. Mannheim .. .. 315,000 
Brunswick . . ■ ■ . . 210,000 
Zim-mier .. .. .. 210,000 
F. Koch Oppenheim . . . . 52,000 
Pelletin . . . . . . 140,000 
Tiillardieo .. .. .. 140.000 
Schissmaiin .. .. .. ."5,000 
Dufour Fratilli (Genoa) . . 105,000 
Lombard, Milan .. .. 1,400,000 
The capital stock of the last-named concern was 
$800,000. 
Here is one interesting bit : — 
Early in the year 1884 Stallman & Fulton became 
agents for Zimmer’s brand, which was put out in an 
entirely new dress. On Feb. 28 occurred the fire in 
Powers & Weightman’s factory, which started in the 
bark grinding department. The damage amounted to 
$300,000, and affected the quinine factory, the bark 
mill and the opium and morpliiue warehouse.s. Mr. 
Alexander Boehringer had just arrived from Europe, 
and been taken off on a tug in the lower bay, by his 
friends, so that his presence here might not be 
generally known. He went direct to Philadelphia and 
offered the use of the Milan factory to Powers & 
Weightman, pending the rebuilding of the works. His 
offer was accepted, and in Marcli Dr. John F. Weight- 
man sailed for Europe to perfect arrangements for 
placing goods on the market as soon as possible. In 
the summer the Milan factory failed, v/ith liabilities 
of 18,081), 043 francs, and assets of 12,017,489 iianc.s. 
The capital of 0,000,000 francs had disappeared. 
Our proposal .at this time in tiie Ceylon Ohserter 
to introduce ijuinine into China as a substitute 
for opium, and also to use it for horses and 
cattle, is specially noted by the leviewer. A 
little latei, the price was down to 2s 3d the ounce 
and the yield from the Ceylon barks alone was 
five times the consumption. In 1887, we read: 
Toward the end of the year people began to talk of a 
combination. Keasby & Mattison issued a circular in 
which they stated th.it quinine could, and would 'be 
sold at 25o. (Is lid) at a profit, and that Java barks 
would make this possible. 
Passing on to 1892 : — 
Apparently the Java planters did not tire trying to 
improve their position, as they formed a syndicate 
early in 1892, to which 500,000 florins was contributed 
which was to be used to bolster up the bark market at 
the auctions. They succeeded in bidding up the price 
but it appears that the higher bark went the lower- 
quinine went, as there seemed to be no prospect of a 
combination ot the manufacturers being formed. 
Furthermore, the Baring failure had compelled the 
throwing on the market of a large lot, which had a 
depressing effect. 
Finally, of 1896, we read 
The year just closed witnessed a complete collapse of 
the market, in spite of which the agreement between 
the manufacturers remained unbroken. While Ceylon 
had become of little or no account as a produotm- of 
bark, the exports from Java had increased enormously 
and manufacturers found that they could not take all 
that was offered. They therefore allowed the market 
to take its course, with the result that the lowe.st price 
on record was reached during the year. European 
competition was threatened, and with a promise of 
the early operation of the Java factory, they determined 
to lednce the price ot the alkaloid as a measure of 
self-protection. As indicating the view of the situation 
which was held by dealers, large sales were made at 
25 cents in July from second hands. The first official 
drop was announced Aug. 17. It amounted to 3 cents 
which brought the price down to 25@27 cents, according 
to brand. A week later there was a further drop of 
3 cents, and on Nov. 2 the price was still further re- 
duced, this time 4 cents, making it 18@20 cents. Second- 
hand holders were completely demoralized at each 
successive drop, but they followed the market in its 
downward course. There are several holders of 
quinine who purchased large quantities of it on specula- 
tion at prices ranging from $1.50 down to about SO 
cents, and many of them still hold liic-u- stocks, in the 
hope that some day or other conditions will improve to 
such an extent that they may be able to dispose of 
them, if not at a profit, at a smaller loss than they 
would be compelled to submit to if they sold at the 
price at the close of the year. 
