902 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIST, 
[June i, 1892. 
oultioc attendauft on the first introduction of cinchona 
as a cultivation. Until recently South America wsa 
the sole, and often difiioult and uncertain, source of 
supply, and while Spanish rn'e continued there the 
QtBiost cauticn was exerted, to prevent the Ciuebona 
forest from being exposed to the curiosity or cupidity 
of foreigners. In fiot, Markhsm, the greitcst oi all 
the authorities on oineboua, ssys: — ^''Wedid not eveu 
have a desoription of the Quinquina tree lilijnssien, 
the botanist, aceompsnkd the memorahlo Fienrh 
expedition which went to Juito to meaanre an are 
of the meridian, and so determined the thspo of tiie 
earth. M. M. De la Oondamiue joined Jusaien, and 
for IS years they remained toiling in the forests, only 
to be robbed of their plunts in mistake for gold 
Butenes Ayres tn routi tu France. Tliis was about 
1785, and for about another ICO jeirs the cinchona 
forests were all but forgotten, when it struck the Dutch 
Uovernmeut that Java, being of a similar liittitude and 
olimate to Peru, might become a still more valualde 
possession to them if it eould produce cinchona trees, 
the bark by this time haviug hecoine a large and im- 
J Qrtant art’o'e of commerce. Afons. lirstksrl. of the 
Bva butanioal gardens, was tliorelocn despatched in 
185S, with a permit and guide to the forests, but sgsin 
comparative misfortune overlook the enterprise, for 
the guide wilfally or ignorantly misled him into se- 
lecting the seed of such a worthless vsritty, i. r„ so 
poor in alkaloids, that even } et a watchful eye is kept 
to uproot auy plant betraying by a grey baitii ess be- 
neath the petiole its inferior place io the genns oic- 
obona. Since the discovery of Ihe alkaloid quinine, 
and of several other leas powerful alkaloids, such as 
ctDclionine, iu the bark, the hark it'olf has al- 
mott fallen into disuse powdered directly, and is 
therefore sold not as formerly, according to its regular 
and handsome appearance, butou tliu merits of sample 
analysis, Henre the extreme caution necessiry in 
selecting for cultivalion varieties which have proved 
themselves richest in slk^Iouls. Of all oinchonas yet 
known, the most valnahle in this respect are the 
osliraya or yellow bark, aud of these C Ledgeriana, 
named from its importer Afons. Ledger, is so far 
supreme. It has this advantage, that while it not 
only secretes a very large percen'age of quinine, ‘t 
alto does so in a remarkably pure state aud in the 
outer oells of the bark. 
The seed of this variety Alons. Ledger found very 
tare, even in Sooth America, and a few years ago it 
was literally worth its weight iu gold. In Javo, whore 
M. Ledger sold the bulk of hie seed, the plantation from it 
proved one of the moat succesrful uuderiakings cn reooi d. 
A paragraph from an interesting mnnualin Cinchona 
Cullhatian, by Mr. T. 0. Owen. Csylon, the procur- 
ing of which should be the initial stop iu experiiner.tirg 
with the product, will give a fair idea of how valuable 
the Dutch have found this varii ty. Kourleen acres 
of 0. Ledgeriana planted io 1866 showed "arsiurn 
of 10,126 florins i>er sore during the seven years, 
from 1872 to 78, or M48 fiorins per annum. In spile 
of this enormous return the p'autatiou shows no 
signs of thinness, and were it now uprooted would 
give a return of at least 112,000 per acre. The hark 
of one tree of this temarkably plaiitarion. No. 67, 
baa bceu found to contain the wonderful propcr'iou 
of 13 per oent. of pere qninine besides other a'ksic ids. 
Another 78, has yitided a baik cuntnniug 10.5 per 
cent of quiuine, and no other slkaloid.” This was 
written before the very considerable fall in Ihe prioo 
of bark, but as bo goei on to say ‘ By the method 
of burvesling now employed, Ibis remit will tm 
greatly iurreared," the immense value of healthy 
plaotaliooB of a good variety of CJincbot a is even 
now indisputnble. Tbemetbol of hsrro-t ' v alluded 
to by Air, Owen was invented by Mr. Mociim the 
director of the Java plantslions, and i> bo li curious 
and inlereatiug. It is a system ol r mi.iiug the bark 
in strips from the living tiee. This is dr.nc hy a sore 
of spoke, shave eo regulated that whether uperaiing 
on a thiok iur tbin bark the knife avoids lunci iiig the 
oambium, or layer of mncilaginoua viscid matter, 
which is intercepted between the wood layers and the 
bark. When oare is exorcised in this particular, not 
only docs the bark renew, but also eecretes even a 
larger peroentago of alkaloids. A covering of rough 
grass is ususlly tied o»cr 'he wound to protect it from 
the sun. On account of the Dutch success in Java a 
proposal was iu 1853 laid before the Indian Oovorn- 
msnt to attempt a similar undertaking. It isas calcu- 
lated that 1,000,000 of people died annually of Icvoc in 
India, and that neatly a halt of their lives, besides 
an iccalculsble amoiiut of suffering, might be spared 
if only some low priced alkaloid could be made avail- 
able in every village. The bviulahle idea was therefore 
seized upon with cuthusiasm.und the Government spared 
neither time, trouble uor expense, even to especial stea- 
moi to ciiry thn coHeoiions directly across the Pacific. 
Air. Markhoiu happened atlho time to beoxploring Peru 
in search of objects of an antiquarian aod ethuologioal 
character, and to him, assisted by Air. Oioss, was 
enirnstert thogrial undertaking. At nuirh personal 
toil and peril they penetrated the vast primeval 
forests, carefully rlii lied the conditions under which 
they fouud the parent trees growing when lliey 
collected seed, as well as tlio soil and temperature 
natural to the various varietiis, pcsevering through 
every difficullv and discouragement till they had not 
only succeeded in esialishing the now world renowned 
Government plantations of lujia, but also, as st a 
later period, in coi-junctiou with such rat-u as Messrs. 
M'lvor nnl Gammie, found ihoio factories which 
work np the so-called inferior alka'oids into febri- 
fngOK iuexpensivo enough Io be within loachof'ho 
poorest villagers. Howard, tbo great quinob gist, 
expressed tlie highest opinion of some of these 
preparations. These are yearly imt roviog, as factories 
iucresse. which is espscia ly the osee sines Govern- 
ment, meeting the complaint ihattliey were conipotiug 
with private industry in this cultivaiion, withdrew their 
bark harvests from the open market, end with great fsir- 
ne'a agreed to uscup Govcriimout bark for Government 
purposi a only. South India aud Ceyiou hava leeu 
the great centres of private enterprise in the east. 
There is sonio cultivatiou also iu Bolivia and Peru, 
while in Jamaica it is uu.lcr the suepices of the 
Government, who were fortunate in securing as diroolor 
Mr. D. Mrris, rns. Pes'dcs his general extensive 
knowledge of Lotanical subjrots ie look very specisl 
knowledge of cinchona cultivatiou with him from 
Ceylon, and Jamaica iv w b ds fair to bo the quinine 
produoing country of the western heniisphero. Some 
of the bardii r vari- tins have grown ai d harvested iu 
Ceylon at sn 1 tude of over 5,000 feet above sea level. 
It has heel, - rule there lo avoid any appiatance 
of a damp Bubaoil, aud some of tiie finest trees to 
be seen iu that isUnd are on poor li.Igis of 
moist liis'riotf. The experieoce of tinchona cultiva- 
tion among the hills of Ceylon woul.l therefore, 
of all cultivating oountihs, be Ibe safest basis 
for Victoria experiments. From large stock of hi rk 
flooding ihe msikat, and including a S -nth American 
bark called Cuprea, of wliich it waa said there was an 
inexhanstible supply, oinohon a bark fell suddenly and 
disappointingly, to that even yet only the finer clasaes 
pay. The South -American indigenous supply is, how- 
ever, failing, and till lately little effort, if any, was 
madoto lestore the foresls. Cuprea has been proved 
Io socreieavery small quantity of quiriie, and from 
its hardness presents so much difficulty iu exiracting 
Ihe alkaloid that it can only come freely into the 
L ndoii market when prices are high. Ceylon has 
chiefly lurned its altenliiu to tea, aud. as has been 
said, the Indian Government usea its hark for Govern- 
ment purpofO'. The product ia thus bound ere long to 
find ita true level again, and any serious check to its 
ptodnoliou would be an incalculable loss to ha- 
mauily and to the hto'e orealiou. The boon oi 
a ebi sp effective fobrifoee has yet to be piscou 
withiu teach of the ordinary veterinary 
Quin ne, the only spec'fic yet known for iralacioi 
fever, must fruily find its way to the ternblo coas s o 
Africi, to Iho fevnr sirickeu portions of Amerioa 
Norlh Australia, and the day is al.-o likely to 
CODlO 
wTen' quTnino wilf reidaoo opium, now the least ex 
pensive, but most rniiicns cf fever cures —ono 
icemieg miUionR of Ohiua- 
a ax.,,., among 
Wherevorj then forOf 
