Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1901-08-29
HOW 1T is THAT GERMANY
CONTROLS QUININE OUTF

y Immense quantities Of einchona bark,
/, from which quinine is made, are used
in Wilmington during the course Of a
year. Not only is its use prescribed by
physicians, but persons use 1t without
prescription for many ills to which hui
man flesh is heir. In view Of the fact
5 of its extensive use. description of
| how the bark is obtained is interest
ing to Wilmingtonians.
The island Of Java now practically
Supplies the cinchona bark from which
the worlds supply of quinine is made.
slIhere are about $4,000 acres of this
land used in growing cinchona.
/ About the middle of the last century
the Dutch Government concluded that
, 1t would try to get some cinchona seeds
and experiment with the cultivation of
this article in the colonies. To this
end they sent one Hasskari to Peru to
secure seeds and plants, from which
they could raise the valuable drug. He
was in Peru and Bolivia altogether
about two years, having almost lost his
life by fevers common to that section
of the country, and having been i'm
prisoned twice by the Peruvians and
Bolivians who were at war with each
lother. and took him to be a spy from
J. their opponents, but he finally got
away on Dutch warship, which was
sent to Peru for him and the few seeds
and plants he had secured. The ship
ICQ1IpI IN U,f -.
lrequired several months, and upon
reaching there he found that only six
teen of his trees had survived the voy-
age. These were set out and the seeds
were planted. After a long wait he
had his sixteen original trees and sew
enty-two additional, which had grown
from the seed. and upon analysis of the
bark from these trees it was his mis-
fortune to find that there was not a
grain of quinine in any of them.
This was discouraging after so much
labor and expense. but about this time
ia native named Manuel Incra Mamani
went to a man named Ledger, who was
doing business in Bolivia, and told him
that the seed which the cascarrileros
las the bark gatherers are caEed) had
,lgiven Hasskari were no good, and that
he had some seeds which had been col
llected from good trees. Ledger, who
was an Englishman, bought the seeds
from the native-twenty pounds in all
and sent them to his brother in Lon,
don. Ledger notified the Dutch Gov,
lernment that he had such seeds, where.
upon they paid him the sum of 600
rupees, which is about $3.50, and the
seeds were sent to Java to be plant
led. Ledger gave the native some more
money and told him to secure more of
the seeds for him, but the cascarrileros
lcaught him upon his return to the Gin
chona forests. and. knowing that he
had taken seed to be sent away, they
imprisoned him and whipped him so
that he died.
Something over 10000 trees grew
from these seeds. and a large number
of them are still standing. These
trees are used solely for their seed, as
they are now about forty-five years old,
and a tree is harvestable at six years
This seed Is planted in what is known
las the nurseries. although in that
country a nursery does not comprise a
glass-covered establishment, as the
lcOldest Winter days are like our July.
and they have to be covered with leaf
shelters to keep Off the rays of the SUD
lrather than TO be covered with glass
to keep them warm.
Both Ledger seed (the name Ledger"
Having been derived from the man
Ledger from whom the seed was pur-
lchased) and Succirubra or red bark
seed are planted, and the Ledger is
lgrafted onto the succirubra for the
reason that the Ledger does not grow
lwell in the soil. while the red bark tree
lprOspers and flourishes, though it does
not contain much quinine. It was a
wise procedure to graft the rich Ledger
op onto the poor succirubra root, and
as a result as high as II per cent. of
uinine sulphate has been gotten from
he bark of such combinations.
The so-called forests" arc clearings
made from the jungle, and the ground
is kept as clean from weeds and rub
bish as would a nice flower garden
The trees are planted in rows sys-
Dramatically, and the ground is work
ed so that the rains penetrate TO a
great depth. The tree is allowed tC
grow until it is six years old, wneu il
is ready to be harvested, and, unlike
the old system (Which many people
: think is still in vogue), the tree is moi
peeled alive. but is sawed Off at the
roots. Invested of its bark, and a new
tree planted nearby, thus making the
process continuous. The new trees de-
velop nearly as soon as the bark woulC
grow on again. and are much richel
in quinine and healthier in growth
, making It more profitable to follow
this process than to strip the trees