May 2, T892.] 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURI»T. 
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. 
B. 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 it^lf to the grocery trade, if we 
may accept the views of the (iroeer's i 'hiimit lc. 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 
wliose homos are, to say the least of it, very un- 
atti aetive, Imt grocers have a perfect right to object 
to having their legitimate business taken away from 
them by clubs, whoso proper business is to supply 
rofreshraents, 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 thoir 
number by undermining the business of honest 
tradesmen.” 
Last Week’s Tea Mahkets. — 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 supplies. 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.- — H.aod March 18. 
TEA IN MOROCCO. 
When a party of fue-ts (nters the house or fho lent of 
a rich Moor, rno of 'he nc»r relatives rf the best is 
charged with the duty of making lea. He equats in one 
corner, having on either side of him a large server or 
platter. Upon one of these servtrs ere a lumber of 
cups and upon the other a sneer bowl, a box of tea. a 
pile of fragrant menihe leaves, a copper apparatus for 
heating waterand a tea urn. The tea-maker seta the 
watsr to boiling with a little fuel, and then ponrs the 
boiling water into his tea urn, quickly adding to it acme 
tea and semeeugsr, and allows the compound to steep 
a few moments. Then he pours out a enp of tea end 
tastes it, smacks his lips, enitl'a the odor of the liquid 
and draws a deep breath — all with an air which rays; 
“ I am going to get this tea just right.” The chances 
are that hedoea not find the compound to his taste at the 
firat attempt, tor bo pours the tea in his cup back into 
the tea urn, adds a little sugar ora little tea, and pours 
out another cup for a second test. This process goes on, 
the lea-msker tasting his tea and pouring it lack again 
until he gets it to bis mind. Then ibe guests are 
called, end if any one of them does not finish his rnp he 
is eipioted to pour it heck into the urn, for it is the 
custom in Morocco to taka three cups in succession, end 
the tea-making lias to he begun over again, — American 
Grocer, Veb. 2-1. 
IN A TltOlMCAL EOliKST.* 
Bv Allan Emc. 
It may not ho generally known that the cinchona 
plantations of the island ol Jamaica, in the West 
Indies, yield berk far superior to the lest grown in 
Ceylon. It is cimmctly supposed <h»t the Pernvien 
bark tree in Amirica gtowanosi readily cinly on tho 
slopes ot the Andes, bitwe-tn the equator arid ten 
degrees of north latitude and twenty degrees south 
* From the Noo England Jtrvggist, February. 
latitude. Thia was once correct ; but in the island of 
Jamaica, several years ago, Pernvian bark trees were 
found growing on the slopes of the Ouna Cura moun- 
tains, and while not pleutiful, the bark was found to 
be of excellent qnality. As both the olimate and 
soil of the) montetain slopes in Amecics|were found to 
exactly suit the Peruvian bark tree, the people, en- 
conraged by the wealthy planters anel rich merchants 
on the coast, have been propagating it, and have 
planted, within the last ton or fiftemn years, largo plan- 
tatirns of cinchona, which ate now producing bark 
which is taking s leading place in I ho markets of the 
world. Such a plantation I bad the pleasure of visit- 
ing while on the island a few months since. The 
Peruvian liark tree, to begin with, belongs to the 
naliual order ('I'ncAonacrre, which yields the bark so 
much valued in medicine, and otherwise known as 
Jesuit s bark, quina, quinquina, cinchona, ohinohons, 
etc.; and from which the important alkaloids quiuia ot 
quinine, einchonia or cinchonine are obtained. I have 
seen these trees while riding over the mountain paths 
iu Jama'CB, 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 small cnee, which appear 
as shrubs after the large trees are felled. It most 
be remembered that cinchona exist in many varieties, 
chiefly distinguishable by the different localities in 
which they grow, hnt whose quality is essentially and 
to ail practical purposes the same. They are all 
ever-green trees. They very closely resemble laurels, 
and the shrubs still more closely icsembele the "lamb- 
kill” of Ihe New England pastures. The cinchona 
hts entire opposite leaves, stipules which soon fall 
(ff,8nd panicles of flowers, which very closely resemble 
lilsc hlossoms. The flowers are white, rose-coloured, 
or pnrplieli, and very fragrant; and I now have 
some of the flowers, which were given mo by a nativa 
named Brave, 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 cf the flower is small and five-toothed, and 
tile capsule splits from the base upward. This 
is the true eincliuna. There is another of a similar 
speries which I have scon growing in some localities 
in the t'opics ; but 1 noticed that in this, the sub- 
genua Caearilltt, the capsiilc splits from the top 
downward. Tbo two look very much alike, but the 
letter has no commercial value and no trace of the 
valuable alkaloids is to le found in it. The cutting 
and peeling of the eincliuna trees are carried 
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 the barkbeing stripped 
off, is carefully dried, the qnilled form of the 
inner bark being acquired in drying. The bark is 
made up into packages of various sizes, but averaging 
IfiO 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 Fosp tree, SapinJun saponaria. is another tree 
that X frequently met with during my journey into the, 
interior; snd I frequently saw the native womeng 
etripped to the waist, etanding in tbe swift-runuin 
mountain streams washing their scanty clothing, and 
ns Dg the pulp of tbe soap berry in Hen of the manu- 
laclured article; and I am told that so great is the 
alkaline property of theie berries that they are cap. 
able cf clcan-ing as much linen ss sixty times thoir 
weight in .soap. The herriea each contain, embedded 
iu the pulp, a fhining and very bard black seed. The 
soap tree is found principally growing at the bases of 
Ihe mountain ranges, being hardly net with at a 
higher elevation than SOOO feet above sea level 
Before me I li ve a large glsss jar of alcohol, con- 
tain.ng a branch frem the anotto, or annatlo tree, 
which I gathered at M . Diabolo while the black 
driver of the Rojal Mail stage-coach was changinn 
bis mules. It has reddish, oblong, haitv eanonlo! 
about two inches in length, an*d f tithe's 
