ABSTRACT  OF  A  REPORT  ON  THE  PITAYO  CINCHONAS.  475 
may  be  true  concerning  his  Q.  lancifolia,  about  which  no  one  cares 
much,  as  the  yield  of  quinine  is  often  too  small  to  cover  the  ex- 
pense of  collecting ;  but  as  regards  the  Pitayo  bark  there  is  one 
thing  very  certain,  that  at  the  present  time  there  is  more  difficulty 
in  collecting  1  lb.  than  there  was  formerly  in  collecting  1  cwt. 
The  Pitayo  bark  will  very  probably  be  found  the  best  of  all  the 
species  for  cultivation,  as  it  is  said  to  grow  very  rapidly,  which 
is  a  matter  of  great  importance.  It  may  certainly  be  barked 
when  it  is  6  feet  high,  although  it  would  not  be  an  advisable  prac- 
tice to  do  so  before  the  trees  are  at  least  30  feet  high.  Bark 
taken  from  large  trees  in  Pitayo  was  said  to  give  nearly  4  per 
cent.,  while  bark  taken  from  the  roots  of  the  same  trees  gave  5 
per  cent,  of  quinine.  All  the  bark  taken  from  Pitayo  is  said  to 
be  sent  to  France.  The  bark  sold  in  England  under  that  name 
is  not  true  Pitayo  bark,  but  comes  from  the  mountains  which 
border  on  the  valley  of  the  Magdalena,  and  from  Almaquer  and 
Pasto,  and  is  certainly  from  the  0.  lancifolia  of  Karsten,  which 
as  regards  quality  is  very  inferior  to  that  of  Pitayo.  True  Pitayo 
bark  may  be  known  in  England  by  not  being  much  thicker  than 
common  window-glass — because  it  is  all  taken  from  small  plants, 
the  large  trees  having  been  destroyed  long  ago,  and  by  its  being 
full  of  earthy  particles,  on  account  of  so  much  bark  being  taken 
from  the  roots  of  the  plants.  Professor  Jamieson,  of  Quito, 
analysed  the  Pitayo  bark,  and  found  it  to  contain  3*2  per  cent, 
of  quinine.  There  is,  therefore,  little  doubt  that  this  species, 
and  the  Cinchona  officinalis  of  Loxa,  will  prove  among  the  best 
for  cultivation.  The  climate  is  like  that  of  Loxa,  and  even  the 
vegetation  of  both  regions  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  each  other. 
Don  Narcso  Lorenzano  remarks  that  the  principal  motive  which 
induced  the  Government  of  India  to  commence  Cinchona  culti- 
vation, after  overcoming  so  many  difficulties,  was  the  fear  that 
the  Quina  trees  would  be  extirpated  in  consequence  of  the  waste 
that  is  allowed  in  the  woods,  where  they  are  destroyed  by  the 
barbarous  method  of  pulling  up  the  roots.  Fortunately  this  dis- 
tructive  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  for  making 
money  which  has  taken  possession  of  the  Indians,  who  own  the 
