The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-09-17
Peruvian Bark.

PROBABLY no more important event IN
the history Of India, than the introduction
into the country Of Peruvian Bark, has
happened 10 modern times. Il matters
little whether we we're stimulated to this
necessary enterprise BY the circumstance
that :he Dutch had already tried the ex.
pertinent Ia Java. The yalue Of Bark as
an autidole 20 fevers IS essentially Euro
pean discovery, since the Indians Of South
America appear to have disregarded il, ex-
eept 10 the neighborhood Of Isoxa, South
Of Quito, where the tree is called Quiua
quina, sigaifying "bark Of barks." The
bark Is first recorded to have been used as
medic ia 1000. IL however derives
is common name Of chiuehona, as is well
known, from the Countess Of Chiuchou,
who was cured Of intermittent fever by
Quina, al Lima, in l63S. la 1910 she
brought supply Of the bark to Spain, aud
10 her honor Linngus named the genus
Chiaeho0a.
The Jnsails introduced the bark into
Italy, and its value was soon AFTER general
y recognized throughout Europe, though
for some time It's use was opposed by the
Prcles,ants The home Of the trees 10
South America was discovered BY the
French Expedition which measured an arc
Of the meridian near Quito 10 1885. The
trees we're felled without cessation, and in
Humbold,'S time the destruction was at
the rate Of q, 600 tFecsa year. The trees
extend along the curve Of the Andes for
at lcas. 500 miles, reaching as far as l0e
y. They never occur below a hight of
$500 feet, nor above 1900 feet, being
higher than the forests Of palms aud BAN
boos Ia this region there are many spe-
eies Of the genus, aud in Bolivia and south
of the 18th parallel of latitude the Chin
chOHa ealisaya abOHnds Ia the north Of
Peru, the gray baFks occur. The Chin
ehoBas in good soil become large forest
trees; oa higher ground run up tall with
our branch, and near the upper limit Of
their growth are dWarfed to shrubs The
number Of species is large, but the medi-
einal barks are only collective from FIVE
localities. The active principal Of th,.
bark was first separated in 1920 by the
French chemists Pellctier aud Caventon;
bu, il IS not every species of Chinehona
that contains much qaiHine, though Chin
chonidiue and Quiaidine are equally valu-
able as cures for fever, and Chinchonine
only little less powerful, The barks
grown in the neighborhood of LOxa were
called crown barks, as they were reserved
for the royal chemists at Madrid Another
region is the Western slope of Chimborazo,
which yields the red bark. The third re-
gion is Columbia, which yields the Cartha-
gena bark. The Huanuco region in
Northern Peru yields the gray barks, At
ter the bark is collected in the forest, it
requires to be carefully dried, since it east
IL becomes mouldy. Ia Bolivia, the Presi-
dent, in 1859, fixed the duty on bark at
% per cent. of the current prices, and it
furnishes about the fifteenth part of the
revenue of the Republic. A good tree
Yields from $50 to 170 lbs. of dried bark;
in the best trees it peels off with great
ease. The Dutch sent an expedition to
Peru in 1855 to collect Chinehona, but of
all the plants collected only two survived
the journey to Java. Other plants raised
from seed were afterwards added, but the
young Chinehona plants were at first un-
favorably placed, and large number rails
ed in Holland, from seed sent out in 1852,
furnished the beginnings ofthe subsequent
ly successful cultivation.
The entire cost of introducing the Chin
chona into India was 1857, and the plan
tations now yield the Government an in
come of many thousands year. The cul-
tivation of Chinchona in British India IS
partly carried on at Sikkim, but chiefly in
the South ofIndia and Ceylon. In Sikkim
alone the bark harvest is about 350,000
lbs. year. The introduction of this in
dustry into India gave great offence to the
South American Republics, who passed
laws prohibiting the expectation of plants.
The prohibition came too late, and although
the supply from India is not fifth of that
obtained from Columbia, it is already su-
perior in quality, and Indian bark has
sometimes brought as high price as los.
3d. pound.