Evening star., 1939-05-04
BY w. H. SHIPPEN, Jr.,
Star Staff Correspondent.

ABOARD THE STEAMSHIP
URUGUAY.-The potential strength
of the tiny plants which DR.. Walter
T. Swingle nourishes in his state
room may equal that of battleships
and armies.
The Department of Agriculture
horticulturist is going south in this
ship to help Brazil get back her own
again-quinine and rubber. The
scientist also is importing adecora-
tive palm discovered by President
Roosevelt.
1t seems incredible that plants
which originated in Brazil and
neighboring countries, and which
are so much needed in South Amer
lea, should be returned now from
the other side of the world-from
the East Indies, where they have
been cultivated and improved for
almost century.
How DR.. Swingle got his quinine
seed from the East Indies is some
thing he won't talk about. The
East Indians have a monopoly;
they control the output, and the
price is high-too high, often, for
the poor of Brazil, who need quinine
badly in the malarial areas. The
export of the seeds of the best
quinine species is jealousy guarded.
Story Of Quinine.
The Indians of South America
knew the curative quality of quinine
before the Spaniards and Portuguese
arrived. They taught it to the white
man. The discovery of the best
quinine ever found is an interesting
story. DR.. Swingle says:
About 1860 an Indian found
particularly potent cinchuna tree,
from which quinine is derived, in
the high country Of Bolivia. He
gave the seeds to his English master,
an exporter of Peruvian bark. who
sent them to London. Later, it was
said, the local officials learned about
1t. They beat the Indian who had
given away the seeds so badly that
he died. No one else has been able
to find that tree.
The British, who (since the days
OF Capt. Bligh and the good ship
Bounty have been alive to such
opportunities, sent the seeds to In
dia and started quinine culture
there. The Dutch in some man.
ner acquired them for their posses
sions In the East Indies. For gen.
erations they have cultivated the
trees and kept the price at a sub
stantially high level.
DR.. Swingle, who has friends in
all parts Of the world, got his qui-
nine seeds from a collector in the
East Indies whose name he will not
mention. DR.. Swingle for years had
been after the collector to get him
the seeds of vigorous species of
litchi. delicious fruit with rough,
paperlike shell inclosing an aromatic
pulp. The Washington scientist is
q persistent man.
A Gift Grows.
Then one day CDR. Swingle won't
say where or when) the collector
came to him and said: Here's a
gift for you. Now will you shut up
dUOue lllOoC U1dI1hCOy -bldkAA AVSlA
seeds?"
when I learned what I had
(quinine seeds)," DR.. Swingle said,
II shut up"
DR.. Swingle's seeds were planted
In a departmental greenhouse in
Washington. They matured enough
last year for export to Puerto Rico,
but a thousand plants Of the two
most desirable varieties were sent
to Brazil.
One Brazilian planter, upon learn
ing the seedlings were arriving, flew
to Rio to meet the ship Since he
was first, he was allowed few
plants by the Brazilian government,
although his region, from what was
then known of quinine culture, had
too low an altitude. DR.. Swingle,
however, is convinced that this
planters seedlings (as well as others
planted in the higher regions of
BraziD will do we'll
DR.. Swingle said that recently