No. 350, REVENUE, 23RD JULY 1896.
for quinine, a larger outlay had to be incurred in the purchase of three additional
vats (G.O., No. 3561, Revenue, of 2nd September 1895), kerosine oil and charcoal.
The price of the acid sent by the Secretary of State also was higher than anticipated
by this office (G.O., No. 1559, Revenue, dated the 24th April 1896). It was found
therefore at the close of the year that the cost of the deputation of Dr. King would
considerably straiten the finances of the Cinchona department; and to avoid a deficit,
an additional grant was given under re-appropriations as specified in G.O., No. 139,
Financial, dated 3rd March 1896, of Rs. 2,500, thus raising the additional grant from
Rs. 82,400 to Rs. 84,900.
Against a budget estimate of Rs. 82,400 and a revised estimate with additional
appropriation of Rs. 84,900, the actual expenditure for the year has been Rupees
82,560–5–11 , including Dr. King's deputation charges of Rs. 2,383–14–10 as advised
by the Accountant-General. This shows an excess of Rs. 160–5–11 over the budget
estimate, but a surrender of Rs. 2,339–10–1 over the revised estimate ; and this is due
to a larger grant than was necessary having been voluntarily assigned by Government.
Compared with the actuals for the previous year, those for the year under review
show an increase of Rs. 4,249–4–3, and this is due to a larger outlay having been
found to be necessary in the purchase of additional material for the factory and
packing room, and also to the deputation charges of Dr. King being borne solely by
the Cinchona Department instead of being apportioned between both branches of the
department as originally contemplated by Government and proposed by this office,
but subsequently negatived by Government.
In paragraph 7 of G.O., No. 407, dated the 27th June 1895, Government, while
noting with satisfaction that the working of the plantations during the previous year
exhibited a small surplus, expressed a hope that this improvement in the financial
condition of the department would be maintained. How far this has been realized
during the year under review may be gathered from the following figures which
show the financial result of the year's working :—
RS.
A.
P.
Receipts
...
•••
•••
•••
•••
...
...
1,08,695 8 7
Expenditure...
.••
...
...
. . .
...
82,560 5 11
Surplus of receipts over expenditure ...
26,135 2 8
III. GENERAL CONDITION—( a ) Dodabetta . —This plantation, in the opinion of
Dr. King, is the most valuable of all those possessed by Government on these hills in
consequence of the large number of crown bark or quinine yielding trees growing
there. The natural situation of the plantation after a trial of thirty-five years has
proved itself to be adapted for the successful growth of this kind of cinchona, and
one of the elements of success must be attributed to the good management of the
estates under the present Superintendent. Ninety-one thousand and four hundred
pounds of bark were collected during the year from the coppicing of 12½ acres and
various thinnings. The severe frost of January, which killed over 3,000 trees in
No. I plot, rendered compulsory the harvesting of a large quantity of bark from this
part of the estate. It has become difficult to know where to take the crop on Doda-
betta, as some of the oldest trees still respond to high cultivation by giving richer
bark, and in very few plots are there any trees in such a sickly condition as to require
felling or uprooting. In order to overcome this difficulty to some extent, a system of
intermediate coppicing is being carried out. This system may be thus explained. A
plot is taken where the trees have reached the age of twenty or more years, and
the bark of which contains a maximum amount of quinine owing to the liberal
application of manure to the land about two years previously. A row of these trees
is cut out, and the bark harvested, and the stumps of the trees trimmed as in ordinary
coppicing. The next row of trees is left standing, but the alternate rows are all cut
down until the boundary of the plot is reached. The trees that are left continue to
grow, and the bark thickens, and at the same time they afford shade for the young
coppice shoots. When the shoots are sufficiently advanced, the old trees in their
turn will be ready to be coppiced and barked, and the succeeding coppice shoots will
3