20 
ON THE ROOT-BARK OF THE CHIN CHON,®. 
trees of Chinchona, lias been pat into my hands by Mr. Markham. It shows 
very satisfactorily that the reprobation of the practice of extirpating these 
trees, which has found utterance in England, is beginning to produce a salutary 
effect in South America. 
The letter is from Don Harciso Lorenzano, and is dated Bogota, March 4th, 
1864. He writes to his correspondent (—■ Griffiths, Esq.) as follows :— 
“ I have to thank you for having sent me a copy of the ‘ Edinburgh Review ’ 
of last year, in which I have had the satisfaction of reading the article on the 
cultivation of the quina trees in the East Indies. Permit me to congratulate 
you on the successful result of this undertaking, which partly ensures the supply 
of so precious a drug for the future. It appears to me that the principal mo¬ 
tive which induced the government of India to commence this cultivation, after 
overcoming so many difficulties, was the fear that the quina trees would be ex¬ 
tirpated, in consequence of the disorder and waste that is allowed in the woods, 
where they are destroyed by the barbarous method of pulling up the roots. 
Fortunately this destructive method, which, without any doubt, would extirpate 
this precious plant in a few years, is only practised in the forests of Pitayo, 
where it is due to the immoderate desire of making money which has taken 
possession of the Indians who own the greater part of the land. But in none of 
the other establishments for the collection of bark, in this country, has a similar 
scandal been repeated. On the contrary, beneficial rules are observed for the 
conservancy of the woods, more especially in those where I have a proprietary 
interest. The method consists in leaving a part of the trunk, about three feet 
in height, whence shoots may sprout, and in clearing away the surrounding 
trees to enable the rays of the sun to penetrate. By this means most of the 
trees that are cut down quickly shoot up, and the rays of the sun penetrating 
to the cleared ground, the seeds which fall from the tree germinate freely. 
Thus we have the satisfaction of seeing, in the forest worked on this principle, 
that the trunks of cut trees send out new shoots, and that the young plants 
grow vigorously. This result gives us full confidence that the good kinds of 
quinas , which exists in the country, will be permanently preserved. 
“ From the above considerations we may conclude that there need be no fear 
that humanity will see itself deprived of this precious medicine, seeing that as 
well in Bolivia as in Peru, Ecuador, and Hew Granada, the rule of cutting the 
bark according to a fixed plan is observed, and care is taken that the woods are 
replenished with increased numbers of plants of the best species, while some ex¬ 
periments have been made in forming plantations on land where the best con¬ 
ditions for their growth are found. From all this Ave hope that in a few years 
we may see magnificent results.” 
There can be but one opinion as to the inexpediency of continuing the 
“ barbarous practice ” referred to, whatever comes of the question as to the com¬ 
parative produce of the root-bark. My observations apply to the root-bark of 
the Calisaya as found in commerce accompanying that of the trunk and branches. 
The low price which this brings, amid all the keen competition of the bark sales 
here, is sufficient evidence of its inferiority. I have just examined a favourable 
specimen, which is probably still unsold. This contains some better bark of the 
trunk mixed with a preponderance of that of the root. Separating this last, I 
found that it would be worth about half the price of flat Calisaya. 
This question ought certainly to be set at rest, as it easily might be by the 
sacrifice of some half-dozen trees out of the million plants of the Chinchona 
JPahudiana which the Dutch possess in the island of Java. If, from the root- 
bark of these a competent proportion of commercial sulphate of quinine can be 
obtained to defray the expense of cultivation, then the important fact of their 
value will be established ; but I believe this has not yet been done. 
In time for the next number I hope to send a paper on the so-called “bark 
