858 
CINCHONA  NEWS. 
mountains  in  the  island  are  particularly  well  suited  for  the 
growth  and  propagation  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  cinchonse, 
C.  succiruhra.  The  Pharmaceutical  Journal  for  last  month 
also  contains  several  notes  on  the  subject  of  the  cinchonae.  A 
paper,  read  by  Mr.  John  Eliot  Howard  at  the  January  meeting 
of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society,  states  that  recent  importations 
of  Calisaya  bark  from  Bolivia  contain  an  unprecedented  ad- 
mixture of  the  root  bark,  which  is,  however,  easily  distinguished 
by  its  peculiar  characteristics,  more  especially  its  curly  shape. 
A  very  favorable  specimen  gave  only  from  8  to  10  parts  of 
alkaloids  per  1,000,  or  about  one-tenth  the  richness  of  ordinary 
Calisaya  bark.  The  suicidal  Bolivians,  who  have  hit  on  the 
most  certain  method  possible  of  extirpating  the  finest  species  of 
bark  from  their  forests,  are,  it  appears,  much  disappointed  at 
the  low  estimation  in  which  the  root  bark  is  held  in  Europe. 
Mr.  Howard  and  Professor  Bentley  afterwards  entered  into 
some  very  interesting  particulars  with  regard  to  the  formati  on 
of  the  alkaloids  in  the  living  plants,  for  the  details  of  which 
we  must  refer  the  reader  to  the  original  paper.  The  same 
number  contains  the  report  by  Mr.  Howard  to  the  Under  Sec- 
retary of  State  for  India  on  the  bark  and  leaves  sent  home  in 
October  last  from  the  Government  Cinchona  Plantations  at 
Ootacamund  by  Mr.  McI\or,  the  superintendent.  In  a  note 
accompanying  the  bark  and  leaves  Mr.  Mclvor  states  that  they 
were  removed  from  the  plants  during  the  rains,  that  is  to  say 
when  the  sap  was  in  full  flow,  the  object  being  to  ascertain  how 
far  the  period  of  the  year  at  which  the  bark  was  gathered 
affected  the  supply  of  alkaloids.  The  plants  under  cultivation 
give  unmistakable  signs  that  they  do  not  require  so  rainy  a 
climate  as  they  are  represented  to  thrive  under  in  the  Andes, 
the  grey  barks,  especially,  having  suffered  from  the  unusually 
wet  season.  In  speaking  of  the  leaves,  Mr.  Howard  says,  «  I 
regret  to  be  obliged  to  confirm  the  opinion  I  expressed  in  my 
last,  that  the  leaves  will  not  supply  material  for  the  extraction 
of  quinine."  The  first  rough  precipitation  from  an  acid  solu- 
tion only  amounts  to  1-31  per  cent.  The  alkaloid  seems  to 
exist  in  the  leaves  in  intimate  connexion  with  the  coloring 
matter.  The  latter  substance  promises  to  be  very  interesting, 
being  somewhat  analogous  to  indigo.    Its  solution  by  reflected 
