Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-08-01
WORLDS SUPPLY OF QUININE.
Java Has Supplanted South America
Difficulties of Introducing the Gin
chona Tree There.

The one staple drug that is now used the
world over is quinine. Wherever th'r" is
fever or malaria there natures autidOt"
stands ready to relieve tie sufferer. From
Patagonia TO Alaska ana from Ccvlpu TO
Siberia the prescription used ofteu"st is
the white powder that is the product of thu
cinchona tree. The discovery of luiune
by tho SpaniardS in South America Is an
old story but it is not generally known
that the worlds present supply OF quinine
comes from the Island of Java, whore tn
ciuchona tree is not Indigenous. but was
introduced only after many failures and
with infinite toll and patience on the part
Of the Dutch Government.
FIFTY years ago Dutchman named
IIaSskarl was sent to South America TO
obtain slips and seeds Of the quinine tree
After many adventures and two years Of
wandering near the head waters of the
An AEON. Hasskar returned to Java with
sixteen sapings. They were planted and
nouristed remarkably well, but when the
bark was first taken. five years later, great
was the disappointment to ind that HaSs-
karl has been duped. and that the saplings
were not Cinchnnas nj all
Another attempt was made Il few years
later. when an English merchant, Mr.
Ledger. sold to the Dutch Planters some
circhona seed h. had obtained in Bolivia.
w enty thousand trees grow from Led
gers seed, and many of them are still
standing.
The qunine forests are planted in clear
iugs in the jungle ard arc Kept as n.a
from weeds as Il flower sarlon IN this
country When "A tree is six years old it is
crt down and a new slip planted alongside
of its roots. 80 the qunine supply is
never diminished. The bark is strip, I
from the trunk by JaNauese women.
They cut it into short longths and dry it,
first in the sun and later IN ovens The
uricd bark IS then put drought crude
mill. wlich cuts it into small bits. These
are shipped i'm bags 10 Amsterdam or Ban
dcouc. the center of III, quinine industry
of Java
At the factory the bark is mixed with an
alkalod and ground again. 1t is then
pumped into immense tanks filled with hot
crude petroleum. which dissolvcS the ak -
loG from the bark. The oil in turn il
washed out with sulphuric acid to remove
the alkaloid and the crude quinino crYs-
talizes when it is cooled. The crystals are
then placed in trays 10 Cry. In l0o-pound
cans the finished qunine is now read" tcr
the market
The cutting down Of the cinchona tree IS
the distinctive feature of Dutch quiniue
culture. The old South American method
was to peel the bark end thcn wait four or
fv" years until it grew on again But this
process proved tCo slow for cinchona gath
crers, and during the last decade thoUs-
ands Of trees have been cut down without
any new ones being plpntod In their places
A. "a re suit. the acc. ~hir qulnine fore =
Of South America are greatly depleted and
&c mppr;uiNclN little Of the general supply
GENES from tho part Of the world where
ii was discovered.
Qunino OF an inferior quality comes
from Ccylou. and the British Government
supplies its army and navy hospitals from
plantations If its own in the Hima iaya