500  Notes  on  Cinchona  Bark,  {Am  1°™;^™* 
characters  above  mentioned  clearly  point  to  its  being  an  Andira.  This 
opinion  is  further  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  some  other  Andiras 
possess  parasiticidal  properties,  and  that  the  natives,  who  call  the  A. 
anthelmintica  "  Angelim  de  folha  grande,"  the  Andira  Fraxinifolia 
"  Angelim  doce,"  and  the  A,  stipulacea  "  Angelim  Coco,"  also  call  the 
A.  Araroba  "  Angelim  amargoso,"  thus  recognizing  a  close  alliance  in 
the  plants. 
With  regard  to  the  production  of  the  araroba,  the  author  gives  it  as 
his  opinion  that  it  is  formed  by  the  oxidation  of  the  resin  which  exists 
in  great  abundance  in  the  tree,  the  oxidation  being  facilitated  by  the 
canals  made  by  insects.  He  explains  the  presence  of  the  larger 
cavities  in  the  tree  by  the  corrosive  action  of  the  araroba  on  the  wood. 
He  has  not,  however,  as  yet  confirmed  his  theory  by  experiment.  The 
araroba  is  collected  throughout  the  year,  the  older  trees  being  selected 
because  the  powder  occurs  in  them  in  greater  abundance.  The  trunk 
is  cut  into  sections  transversely  and  these  are  then  split  longitudinally. 
The  portions  containing  powder  are  then  chipped  or  scraped  off  with  an 
axe,  which  is  done  the  more  easily  as  the  wood  in  these  parts  offers  but 
little  resistance.  The  color  when  freshly  collected  varies  from  that  of 
the  flower  of  the  cotton  plant  (pale  primrose  color),  becoming  by  the 
action  of  the  air  darker,  to  that  <?f  rhubarb,  and  finally  dark  purple. 
The  commerce  of  this  article  is  now  chiefly  developed  in  Camamu 
and  Taperoa,  although  the  tree  exists  in  abundance  in  all  the  southern 
part  of  the  Province  of  Bahia  and,  according  to  Drs.  Bomfim  and 
Agnello  Leite,  also  in  the  forest  of  Sergipe.  The  tree  is  not  culti- 
vated, but  propagates  itself  spontaneously. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans. > 
July  19,  1879. 
NOTES  ON  CINCHONA  BARK. 
By  David  Howard. 
Recent  importations  of  East  Indian  cinchona  bark  have  thrown 
light  on  several  points  worthy  of  the  notice  of  those  interested  in  the 
subject. 
The  officinalis  bark  from  the  Government  Plantation  at  Dodabetta 
gives  us  some  valuable  information  as  to  the  effect  of  age  on  the  value 
of  the  bark.  The  date  of  the  plantation  from  which  each  parcel  was 
obtained  was  given,  and  we  thus  have  a  series  of  barks,  classed  as- 
