The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-04
ABOUT QUININE TREES.
Germans own Many Groves I'm
Bolivia.
From lhe Chleago Recor!

From The Chicago Record.
sucre, Bolivia. Sept. 1.-THE quinine
plantations. or quinales, as they are called.
which have been started In this country
by the Germans, are usually found on
rough and broken mountain sides and at
attitudes of 5000 or 400 feet above the
sea. The trees will grow as high as 5000
feet, but they flourish best at an elevation
of about 1900, for they require a great
deal of sun. rain and wind to reach per-
lection.
Most Of the groves have been raised from
the seed, which is gathered in the early
summer months and planted In hothouses.
When the plants are about six inches high
they are transplanted upon the hillsides,
which have been cleared of underbrush
and plowed up beforehand, 80 that the
young roots can secure the benefit of all
the moisture and plant food in the soil and
the heat of the sun. For shelter they are
partially covered with twigs, straw or
other light stuff, which also serves 10
keep the moisture and heat in the ground.
After about two years this shelter Is
raked off. the plants carefully inspected,
and those which are not promising are re-
placed by new ones. The ground around
them Is kept clear of weeds and the young
trees are carefully trimmed twice year.
In five, or six years the tree win have
reached the hight of twelve or fourteen
feet and its trunk Will be straight and
slender with a diameter of about six
inches. 1t resembles the orange tree In
size and shape and the peculiar gloss of
las leaves.
Two on three times a year three or four
strips of bark about two inches wide and
from two to eight feet long are cut from
the trunk and thrown upon a paved yard
to dry, where as the moisture evapora ties
they curl up like cinnamon. Within a
year or so nature replaces The bark that
has thus been stripped off and the tree IS
stripped again in other places. As soon as
1t grows Older smaller strips can be taken
from the stronger branches. and a mature
tree will produce an annual average of
about four pounds of bark.
The bark dries in a few days and is
packed for shipment in rawhide bales. The
most OF it is shipped from africa and Mol
lendo.
The Indians regard the coca with ex-
treme reverence. Won Tchudi. the Aus
trian scientist who made a most thorough
study of the ancient customs of the Incas,
says: During divine worship the priests
chewed coca leaves, and unless they were
supplied with them II was believed that
the favor of the gods could not be pro-
pitiated. 1t was also deemed necessary
that the supphcator for divine grace
should approach the priests with an 'acul-
lico in his mouth. II was believed that
any bUsiness undertaken without the ben
ediction of coca leaves could not prosper,
and to the shrub Itself worship was rem
dered. During an interval of more than
300 years Christianity has not been able
to subdue this deep-rooted idolatry, for
everywhere we find traces of belief In the
mysterious powers of this plant. The ex-
cavators in the mines Of Cerro del Pasco
H.
metal in the belief that IL softens the ore
and renders II more easy to work The
Indians even at the present time put coca
leaves in the mouths of dead persons in
order to secure them a favorable reception
on their entrance into another world, and
when a Peruvian on journey falls in
with a mummy, he, with timid reverence,
presents to 1t some coca leaves as his
pious Offering"
One of the scientific explorers who has
been working up in this region told me of
his experience with a coca chewer. "a
man was employed by me-" he said. "in
very hilarious digging. During the FIVE
days and nights he was in my service he
never tasted food and took only two hours
sleep each night, but at intervals Of two
peatedly chewed about half an ounce Of
coca leaves and kept an 'acultico' continu-
ally in his mouth. / was constantly be-
side him. and therefore had the oppor-
tunity of closely observing him. The
work for which had engaged him being
finished, he accompanied me on a two