6
No. 426, REVENUE, 2ND AUGUST 1898.
were re-coppiced some 3 or 4 years ago and are making exceedingly good growth.
From the healthy appearance of these trees in their third rotation, there is every
reason to suppose that if they are cut down in their 15th year, the shoots will be
equal to a fourth rotation. It has yet to be proved whether the cinchona is a long-
lived tree on the Nilgiris. The oldest trees on the plantations are now 36 years of
age and appear likely to live for many years yet if cultivation is kept up. The
largest tree on the Nedivattam estate, a succirubra, measures 46 inches in circumfer-
ence at a height of 3 feet from the ground., and is looking very healthy and vigorous.
Plots 14, 23 and 24, which contain young plants growing on old land, were weeded
five times during the year. Plots 3, 4 5, 10, 16 and 26 were weeded twice, and the
remaining plots were all deeply dug before the dry weather set in. The number of
plants put out during the year to fill vacancies in plots 14, 23 and 24 was 75,216, and
454 plants were planted in a small piece of new land to contrast with those planted on
old soil. At the end of the year these latter plants were looking very well. Every
possible care was taken with the planting of the vacancies. Each pit was manured,
the young plants which had been grown in plant baskets in the nurseries were care-
fully planted, and immediately after the planting they were shaded with ferns.
Notwithstanding these precautions a considerable number succumbed during the dry
weather, whereas the plants put out on new land did well. In view of the above facts,
it has been decided to spend no more money on the replanting of old land except for
the purpose of experimenting on planting with shade.
(c ) Hooker.—This estate which, on the abolition of the post of Superintendent
held by Mr. McFeat, was placed under the charge of Mr. E. Collins, the Superintendent
of Nedivattam, on the 1st July 1897, has improved considerably. In the last two
administration reports it was mentioned that the trees growing on ridges and on poor
soil were not doing well, and during the year it was found necessary to coppice most
of these trees. The number of trees thus coppiced amounted to 50,370, which yielded
65,309 lb, of bark. Nearly the whole of this estate is growing a second crop of
cinchona, and the trees thus grown are inferior in vitality to those planted on virgin
land. The whole estate has been well cultivated during the year. Plot 6 was
manured with cattle manure, and plot 2 was treated with lime. The trees on plot
14, which were planted on forest land in the year 1879, are looking particularly well
and present a marked contrast to trees of the same age growing on land which has
previously borne a crop of cinchona. Although the changes in establishment on this
estate did not take effect until 1st July, the total expenditure was Rs. 7,372–12–7
against Rs. 10,541–7–11 in 1896–97, the saving effected being Rs. 3,168–11–4.
IV. MANURE.—At Dodabetta 1,525 cart-loads of cattle and stable manure were
put out ; at Nedivattam 660 ; and at Hooker 580. On each estate also lime was
applied with very good results. The question of manuring cinchonas with a view to
increasing the richness of the bark has received attention during the year, and experi-
ments have been started to prove whether or not the cost of the application of
chemical manures is recouped by an increased yield of alkaloids. The numerous and
valuable experiments made by D. Hooper on the action of manures in raising the
quantity of alkaloids in cinchona barks, conclusively proved the desirability of the
application of fertilizers containing nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid, but although
it was shown that, in the cased of individual trees, the amount of quinine was increased
50 per cent. and sometimes much more by suitable manures, no steps have hitherto
been taken to profit by the conclusions drawn. Various manures, such as fish, bone-
meal, nitrate of potash and castor poonac have been applied from time to time, and in
every case the improvement in the richness of the bark has been considerable, but the
cost of the application was not recorded, nor were the experiments made on a suffi-
ciently large scale to be of much practical use. The experiments started during the
past year were conducted as follows :—Of 2,400 trees on the Dodabetta estate, 800
were treated with a mixture of nitrate of soda, nitrate of potash, bone-meal and castor
poonac, 800 received super-phosphates, castor poonac and nitrate of potash, and 800
were left unmanured. The stems of all the trees that were manured were covered
with grass in view of the fact that the exclusion of light favours the development of
alkaloids, and renovation pits were dug among the manured trees. The unmanured
trees were left uncovered and will receive no more cultivation than the ordinary