The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1870-03-30

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practice. v..-. -. .rsgs2. 80. rss O.
Cinohona Cultivation ut the South.
We observe with pleasure that
thepeople of the Southern States are
turning their attention to the cult.
walton ofa fresi: variety ofproducts,
instead Of combining themselves, as
heretofore, to a few great staples.
1t has not escaped their notice that
among the most valuable of tho
vegetable creation is the Cinchona
tree, of Peru and Bolivia, and it ia
now asserted, on excellent anthor.
ity, that in the highlands of South
Carolina, are regions of country
perfectly adapted For the cultiva.
tion Of a plant which furnishes the
sole remedial agent in a large class
OF diseases. We refer to a letter
from Lardner Gibbon, ESQ.,, of
Greenville county, South Carolina,
to the United States Commissioner
Of Agriculture. Mr.. Gibbon was
formerly Lieutenant in the navy,
and in the year 1851 crossed tile
the Andes from the Pacific, in
company with Lieutenant Herndon
and descended the Amazon River
to the Atlantic. The very inter
esting reports made by these off.
GERS were published at the time.
and embodied valuable informa.
ton on the subject of the produc-
tion of the Cinchona tree. From
later researches we learn that in
its native State the tree it becom.
ing almost extinct. The most val.
liable variety (tlie Calisaya) has
entirely run out and the others
will not long survive the reckless
waste ofthe native method oftreat.
| ment. ..' ... -~...r ...
In Wow of the future need for
the now indispensable quinine of
commerce, an attempt which bids
fair to be successful has been made
to transplant the tree to India.
where there are now over q mil.
lion plants. The bark is said to
be stronger than that of Ecuador,
yielding twice as much alkaloid,
or eleven per cent.
Mr.. Gibbon believes that q like
success will attend the introduction
of the Cinchona into the United
States. He saws:
"The location Of the mountain
ous part of Greenville county, with
regard to wind, formation of land,
temperatnre-and perhaps soil
is not unlike the Province of Yum.
gas, in Bolivia.
81 respectfully call attention to
the value of the eastern side of the
Blue Ridge mountains for the in.
PRODUCTION and propagation of the
Cinchona tree. One hundred acres
Of land would accommodate about
%, 500 Cinchona trees. They can
be planted as near together as
peach trees.
s"1 In connection with the desire
expressed by the Honorable Com.
missioner to Congress, to "estab-
lish Cinchona Plantation under
the care of this Department." and
if what l have said in favor of
these mountains as the proper 10.
cation within these United States,
should meet approval-as an ex.
peri,nensal proof-so chat the Gin
chona tree may be fairly trans.
planted here, / would like to offer
for the acceptance Of the Depart.
,nent Of Agriculture, one hundred
acres of land situated near Table
Rock, at Marietta, free of charge. !"
We trust this liberal and we'll
timed offer of Mr.. Gibbon may be
accepted, and the experiment fair
ly tried. We have little doubt of
it's success, and The benefit to the
country would be simply incalcu.
liable. Professor Orton, in his re-
cent work, the "Andes and the
Amazon" states " that DIR. Taylor,
of Rio Bamba, found one tree
which gave So, 800 worth of qui.
nine" ...'..... -, -.- -.
The tree takes it's name from the
Countess Of Cinchon, who had been
cured By it of an Intermittent few
er, at Lima, about the year 1888.
1t was introduced into Europe by
the Jesuits, about the middle Of
the seventeenth century, and Mad
ame &c Sevigne, in 1879, mentions
II in way to show that it was
then in common use. 1t was not,
however, until 1920 that the
fFrench chemists extracted from
1.-The &" Jesuits Bark !" the inyalua
BILE quinias Of the modern pharma
copoia. Probably no single drug
known at this day is SO universal
ly recognized rs a specific in the
most prevalent malady In ouI
county; and It would be a loss te
| the whole Eorld should tha aponl 9