310  Cultivation  of  Cinchonas  in  Bolivia.  {^jfine^'ilS^'""'- 
CINCHONA  CULTIVATION  IN  BOLIVIA. 
By  Dr.  H.  H.  Rusby. 
From  a  Lecture  delivered  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  December  1, 1887, 
stenographically  reported  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Morgan. 
At  about  the  time  that  the  plants  exported  to  India  had  begun  to  produce 
seeds,  the  native  supply  of  South  America  had  become  exhausted,  and  those 
whose  business  had  thus  failed  were  obliged  to  invest  their  capital  in  the  planting 
and  culture  of  the  trees.  So  it  happens  that  at  the  present  time  no  bark,  except 
an  occasional  bale,  reaches  the  market,  which  is  not  the  product  of  cultivated 
trees.  All  the  barks  I  show  you  here,  with  about  three  exceptions,  are  the 
product  of  cultivated  trees.  I  had  men  out  for  two  months,  searching  the 
forests  for  wild  trees,  and  so  scarce  is  it  that  I  assure  you  I  succeeded  in  obtaining 
only  three. 
This  brings  me  to  the  subject  of  its  cultivation.  Regarding  the  selection  of 
a  site  for  the  plantation,  I  have  already  covered  the  subject  in  speaking  of  the 
conditions  of  its  growth.  After  a  suitable  place  has  been  selected  the  land 
must  be  cleared.  This  is  done  by  felling  the  trees,  and  cutting  away  the  under- 
growth and  burning  it  during  the  season  of  dryness,  which  occurs  in  quite 
different  months,  in  localities  even  quite  near  to  one  another.  The  clearing 
process  is  not  so  difficult  here  as  upon  the  level  ground,  owing  to  the  ease  with 
which  the  trees  can  be  made  to  fall.  It  often  happens  that  these  trees  in 
falling  will  carry  down  immense  tracts  of  forest  with  them.  The  place  where 
the  trees  are  planted  is  very  steep.  On  such  a  place  I  have  seen  a  tree  weighted 
down  with  water,  go  crashing  down  to  a  point  so  far  below  us,  that  to  reach 
that  point  by  the  road  it  would  occupy  an  entire  day,  whereas  the  tree  reached 
the  bottom  in  a  single  instant,  carrying  with  it,  not  only  all  the  trees  and  vines 
in  its  way,  but  immense  masses  of  rock  and  earth,  an  avalanche  of  vegetation 
blocking  up  the  stream  below.  These  trees  will  contain  a  very  great  amount 
of  water.  You  will  readily  understand  this  when  I  explain  to  you  that  you 
seldom  see  a  portion  of  the  trunk,  or  larger  branches  of  the  tree  as  large  as  the 
palm  of  my  hand.  It  is  so  completely  covered  by  parasites.  Upon  a  single 
tree  you  may  count  sometimes  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  different  species  of 
plants  growing  as  parasites,  so  that  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  which  might  be  three 
feet  in  jdiameter,  becomes  five  feet  in  diameter.  The  branches  which  them- 
selves are  about  as  thick  as  a  man's  leg,  become  so  large  with  the  mass  of  vines 
and  mosses  by  which  they  are  covered,  that  a  person  could  very  easily  make 
his  bed  upon  one  of  them,  and  sleep  without  danger  of  falling. 
Among  this  vegetation  you  will  see  that  a  great  deal  of  moisture  could  be 
held,  and  when  one  of  these  trees  gets  loaded  down  with  the  rain  it  often  falls 
with  its  own  weight.  The  burning  process  is  never  complete  owing  to  the  only 
partial  degree  of  dryness  which  can  be  secured,  and  the  labor  is  performed 
amid  great  dangers  due  to  the  steepness  of  the  land.  A  level  loamy  spot  is 
selected  for  the  nursery  and  here  the  seeds  are  planted.  When  the  plants 
have  from  three  to  seven  leaves  they  are  transplanted,  the  varieties  being 
selected  with  great  care.  The  ground  between  the  rows  is  kept  very  clean, 
the  weeding  being  performed  twice  annually.  The  planting  is  usually  done 
by  contract,  the  contractor  agreeing  to  charge  for  none  but  valuable  varieties 
brought  to  a  certain  age.   The  mode  of  counting  the  trees  is  as  follows :  com- 
