October 19,1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
303 
is a wide valley, measuring from crest to crest probably 
little less than four miles, but contracting towards its 
mouth. The southern side of the valley is formed in its 
upper (western) half by a high range continuous with 
Sinchul and not much inferior to it in height,* the 
slopes of which above the zone of cultivation are covered 
with a dense virgin forest of most luxuriant growth. 
About halfway down the valley, at v a point called Mun- 
goot, this high range curves away to the south-east, 
throwing out a low ridge called the Mungpoo spur, 
which running in an easterly direction forms the south¬ 
ern side of the Rungbee Yalley along its lower (eastern) 
half. In the valley intervening between this Mungpoo 
spur and the main ridge, runs the Ryang stream. The 
ridge along the north of the Rungbee Valley is, on the 
other hand, low and pretty nearly clear of forest. Its 
western part is indeed occupied by the plantation of the 
Pornong Cinchona Association, which is separated from 
that of Government by the Rungjo stream. The Go¬ 
vernment plantation forms an irregular belt at the bot¬ 
tom of the valley and along its southern side, and has 
therefore a northern exposure. This belt extends from 
the margin of the Rungjo stream upwards along the 
slopes to a height above the sea of about 3500 feet. 
Cinchona cultivation was first begun by Government at 
the western end of the valley, on the piece of ground 
known as Rungbee Proper, and has gradually been 
extended eastward or down the valley. The eastern 
portion covers the ground locally known as Rishap, and, 
as. will be subsequently explained, the extensions now 
being made are still eastward of Rishap. 
4. The climate of the Rungbee Valley is peculiar. Being 
so completely shut in upon all sides, it is protected in a 
striking, degree from wind, and up to the higher limits 
of the cinchona belt the air is rarely stirred by even the 
gentlest breeze—a state of things in striking contrast to 
that obtaining in the Nilgiris, where in exposed places 
great and permanent injury is done to the cinchona 
plants by the high winds. At the lower levels frost is 
completely unknown, and the climate is indeed sub¬ 
tropical ; while on the higher southern and western 
slopes frost, and even snow, are the order of the day 
during the cold season. Occasionally heavy hail-storms 
pass over the valley, tearing to pieces the thin broad 
leaves of the red-bark trees. The mischief thus done is, 
however, rapidly recovered from. The rainfail is heavy, 
but not equally so in all parts of the valley. The warm, 
vapour-laden air passing up from the plains has its 
moisture condensed into clouds by the cool, high, forest- 
clad ridges that form the northern and western bound¬ 
ary of the valley, and for a great port of the year the 
higher parts of these are enveloped in a drizzling fog. 
Even at the driest season one is struck by the amount 
of mist which, condensed at the higher elevations, almost 
every evening creeps well down their slopes, while the 
whole of the opposite side and of the lower part of the 
valley continue quite clear. During the monsoon the 
rainfall on these high southern ridges must be very 
great. Some idea of its extent may be formed from the 
fact that at a bungalow standing in the south-western 
corner of the valley, at an elevation of only 5000 feet, 
and thus far below the crest, the rainfall for the year 
averages about 200 inches. At lower levels in the valley 
the rainfall is very much less, and no part of the Go¬ 
vernment cinchona cultivation is exposed to such a 
downpour. For example, at the Rishap plantation hut 
(2000 feet above the sea), where a rain-gauge has been 
kept for some years, the average is shown to be about 
120 inches, and as the mouth of the valley and the 
Teesta are approached, the climate becomes very much 
drier. The northern side of the valley being itself 
comparatively low and cleared of forest, and being, 
besides, beyond the influence of the high ranges, shares 
in the drier climate. 
* The highest peak of Sinchul rises to 8600 f. above the sea. 
5. Now the greater part of the Government planta¬ 
tion lies under the high southern ridge just described, 
the drainage water of which consequently passes 
through it on its way to join the Rungjo. This 
drainage is carried off by numberless streams, most of 
which originate a good way up the slopes, but much of 
it also passes underground for a great part of its course, 
and comes to the surface only a short way above the 
Rungjo. Moreover, on becoming superficial a great deal 
of this water, scorning to be confined in channels, 
spreads itself over a considerable extent of ground and 
forms swamps. It is needless to say that in such places 
cinchona will not grow. The most disagreeable pecu¬ 
liarity about these swamps, however, is that they are 
sometimes unexpectedly formed at places which pre¬ 
viously appeared quite dry. This is probably due to the 
extreme irregularity of the surface, to the inequality of 
the soil and sub-soil, and to the frequency of the enor¬ 
mous boulders, both superficial and underground, which 
have been rolled down the mountain-side by the 
action of the weather. But whatever the cause may 
be, the effect is that wherever one of these swamps is 
formed, any cinchona that may have been planted 
there dies out rapidly. Further down the valley, and 
below the point where the higher range bends away 
to the south-east and throws out the low Mungpoo spur 
as its eastern continuation and as the southern side of 
the Rungbee Yalley, these conditions do not occur. 
The lower slopes there have not only a much lighter 
rainfall, but they have only their own drainings to get 
rid of, and are not required to transmit also that of a 
high forest-clad mountain extending several thousand 
feet above them. It is in these drier parts that the ex¬ 
tension of the plantation made during the past year has 
been carried on. 
6. Condition of the plantation. —The trees of red-bark 
cinchona ( C . succirubra ), of which the plantation mainly 
consists, are in my opinion in a state of health which 
on the whole may be considered as satisfactory. Many 
of the older trees are indeed extremely healthy and 
vigorous. Originally placed six feet apart, alternate 
lines of these have in some places been thinned out, 
and yet, standing at a distance, one is unable to detect 
where the thinning has taken place, so completely do 
the leafy heads of the trees hide the soil. Experience 
has shown that for the first year or two the plants grow 
slowly, but that as soon as their heads are large enough 
to meet and to give shade to the soil, they start away 
with great vigour. The reason of this lies in the ten¬ 
dency the plant has to throw out fine superficial 
rootlets, which ramify close to the surface of the ground, 
and for the very life of which protection from the sun’s 
rays is necessary. 
7. Cinchona officinalis. —The species yielding the crown 
bark of commerce has not answered well in any part of 
Sikkim; and so sickly were the plants at Rungbee 
during their visit in February 1871, that the Commis¬ 
sion appointed to report on the plantation recom¬ 
mended the abandonment of Crown bark cultivation. 
A large proportion of the plants of this species have 
died out, and over almost the whole area of permanent 
officinalis plantation succirubra has been substituted. I 
am not without hope, however, that on drier spots than 
have hitherto been tried the species may yet be got to 
grow. Only 100,000 plants of officinalis are now re¬ 
turned as in permanent plantation. 
8. Cinchona calisaya. —The plant yielding the yellow 
bark of commerce, and a sort second to none in value, 
promises to do well in Sikkim. From the difficulty of 
propagating this species artificially, the progress mado 
has hitherto been slow. A few trees have, however, 
now begun to yd eld seed. This is scrupulously saved 
for sowing, and every effort is being made to extend 
the cultivation of this most valuable species, which 
with succirubra must be our stand-by in Sikkim. There 
are now about fifty acres of calisaya planted out, but I 
