Am,  Jour.riiaiiji.  } 
Jan.,  1882.  ]' 
Bed  Barh. 
35 
'tree  of  wonderful  growth.  It  i)roduce.s  eiiorinously  thick  bark  and  the 
tree  is  not  injured  by  wind.  Tlie  tree  from  whicli  I  now  send  you  tlie 
barlv  is  only  five  years  old.  It  is  26  feet  hi«<h  and  has  a  stem  of  10  inches 
circumference  at  the  ground,  and  the  bark  now  sent  you  is  taken  in  a  strip 
i"rom  the  stem  to  the  height  of  about  13  feet  from  the  ground. 
"This  tree  grows  at  least  twice  as  fast  as  the  C.  sffccirubra.  The  bark  of 
this  variety  which  I  sent  to  Dr.  de  Vrij  was  taken  from  a  tree  grown  at  a 
high  elevation,  and  from  a  W.  exposure.  The  bark  now  sent  you  is 
"taken  from  a  tree  growing  at  a  low  elevation  with  a  N.  E.  exposure.  Dr. 
-de  Vrij  found  the  bark  of  tliis  species  to  yield  10-07  of  total  alkaloids  with 
4*72  of  crystallized  sulphate  of  quinine. 
"  If  under  all  conditions  this  bark  be  found  to  yield  this  amount  of  alka- 
loids, and  especially  quinine,  it  is  certainly  the  best  plant  we  can  grow, 
being  hardy  and  of  rapid  growth  and  perfectly  free  from  canker  and  other 
'diseases  to  which  the  officinalis  and  especially-  the  ccdisaya  are  liable.  I 
therefore  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  be  able  to  contirni  Dr.  Vrij's  results, 
xmd  if  this  occurs  m  the  two  barks  taken  from  different  positions  and  ele- 
vations it  will  establish  the  value  of  the  species  beyond  doubt.  As  the 
matter  at  present  stands,  the  extraordinary  vigorous  habit  of  growth  and 
hairy  leaves  leave  on  my  mind  the  impression  that  it  is  a  species  of  rather 
doubtful  quinine-producing  qualities.  I  shall  therefore  be  very  glad  if  you 
^ire  able  to  confirm  Dr.  de  Vrij's  results." 
My  analysis  was  as  follows  : 
8ulph.  Quinine,      .  .  .      O'OO  per  cent. 
Sulph.  Cinchonidine,  .  .  5'00  " 
Cinchonine,  .  .  .      0"6()  " 
Ainorphous  alkaloid,  .  .  0*00  " 
12-20 
Thus  rather  beyond  Dr.  de  Vrij's  results. 
"  Oofacamund,  April  30,  1874. 
"  Allow  me  to  thank  you  very  much  for  your  letter  of  the  20tli  February 
last,  and  your  kindness  in  having  made  the  analysis  of  my  hairy'  leaved 
variety  of  C.  ofpr-inalis.  This  plant  is,  I  believe,  a  true  officinalis,  but  as  it 
had  the  aspect  of  a  bad  ([uinine-producing  species,  I  received  with  some 
<loubt  the  several  previous  analyses  I  got  of  this  variety,  and  therefore 
troubled  you  to  examine  its  bark.  I  am  now  quite  confident  that  this  will 
l>e  one  of  the  most  profitable  varieties  we  can  grow  on  the  Nilgiris,  and 
our  cultivators  here  will,  therefore,  be  much  indebted  to  you  for  the  infor- 
mation your  letter  contains. 
"There  are  two  strong  growing  varieties  very  much  alike,  the  one  hav- 
ing a  very  smooth  leaf,  the  other  (your  2^Kbescens)  a  hairy  leaf.  The  two 
l)lants,  a  few  yards  of!',  look  quite  identical.  They  are  so  in  habit  and  vig- 
orous growth,  and  it  was  two  years  ago  [therefore  in  1872]  that  my  atten- 
tention  was  attracted  by  the  hairy-leaved  variety,  on  all  occasions  on 
which  I  tested  or  got  it  tested,  yielding  a  much  larger  amount  of  (juinine 
aiul  total  alkaloid  than  the  other. 
"No  doubt  the  si)ecimens  sent  you,  and  to  whi''li  you  refer,  were  of  the 
.smooth  leaf  gr(. wing  variety.    Tt  is  to  be  regi'etted  that  your  pnhescens 
