Cultivation in Guatemala­ A Brief Historical Review up to 1943

WILSON POPENOE Director, Escueta .Agricola Panamet·icana, Tegucigalpa, Hond>Uras

• 'l'~UNTJm nr u. s. .l.'' Re:vrmtt.>cl !rn1:11 ECI)NQW:C lrol' NY, April-Jtme, 1949, Vol. 3, No. 2, page~~ ·lso-UI'/. Reprinted from EcoNOMIC BOTANY, April-Junc, 1949, Vol. 3, No. 2, pages 150-15.1.

Cinchona Cultivation in Guatemala­ A Brief Historical Review up to 1943

The first American planting of cinchona was in 1860 in Guatemala and Jamaica. Subsequent investments in Guatemala by private and governmental agencies, negligible until stimulat ed by the recent war, have culminated t oday in plantations aggregating only about 1,000 acres with 1 3/ 4 million t rees.

WTLSON POPENOE Director, Esm¿ela Ag1·icola Panamericana, Tegtwigalpa, Honcltwas

Introduction tion, but the Briti h were not far be­ At fir t glance it seems remarkable hincl. The year that IIasskarl left for that two hundred years should have the Ande. ( 1852), e.fforts were made to elapsed between the discovery of cin­ get the British government to send out chona (about 1630) and its acloption as an expeclition. These did not bear fruit a cultivated plant. But this is not so until 1859 when Clements R. Markham strange when we pause to recall that was instructed to organi e an explora­ cinchona, in it more valuable forms, is tion of all important cincbona-procluc­ not an easy tree to cultivate, and that ing regions ancl bring to India planting there were ample supplies of wilcl bark material-seed and young trees-of as to meet demands in Europe ancl Amer­ many pronusmg forms as possible. ica. Thu began one of the most dramatic It was not until the British and Dutch and important series of events in the undertook the development of the Asi­ entire history of plant introduction. atic tropics that the necessity for bring­ 'l'he work was succes ful; but it re­ ing cinchona into cultivation became ap­ mained for Charles Ledger, an English­ parent. Throughout the ludies malaria man living in pper Perú (now Bo­ wa a scourge a.ffecting millions of livia), to lay the foundations of the people. Serious-mincled investigators modern cinchona indu try in the Far who visited the cinchona forests of the East by obtaining seeds of a superior Ande returned to Europe stating that strain from the region of Coroico in the upply of wilcl bark was clwindling, 1865. the trees in danger of complete exter­ Cinchona in Jamaica mination. Markham clid not limit his program In 1813 Dr. Ainslie bemoaned the to India; he included Jamaica. So far fact that J ndia did not grow her own as we have been able to ascertain, this cinchona bark, a sentiment reiterated by was the beginning of cinchona cultiva­ Dr. Royce in 1835; ancl in Java the tion in the American tropics. In his botanist Fritze, Miquel ancl others classic work, "Peruvian Bark" (Lon­ urged the introduction of the tree into clon, 1880). Markham states that the that i lancl. :fir t eeds were ent to Jamaica in 1860 'l'he Dutch were the :first to take ac- and planted on the Blue Mountains near 150 CINCHONA CULTIVATION IN GUATEMALA 151

Bath. About 1868 a further supply of to foster the introduction and establish­ seeds was sent to tbat island from Cey­ ment of cinchona trees. In 1 7 Pre i­ lon. The later history-and ultimate dent Barrios issued a decree ponsoring failure-of cincho na planting in J a­ the project, and offered prize to those maica need not be recounted here. who would make plantings. Under the terms of this decree, the Sarg brothers First Attempts in Guatemala received in 1882 the sum of $1,500 for Though Markham ent seeds to Mex­ their planting of 2,200 trees, which at ico, where they were planted near Cór• that time ''ere two years or more of doba in 1872, nothing carne of the ef­ age. Pilli states that the Alcalde of fort; and we can turn our attention to Cobán, who had the. e trees examined, Guatemala, the only tropical American reported that they were of two species, country where serious attempts were Calisaya and S1tccintbra. made to grow cinchona in these early In connection with the taxonomy of days. Cinchona, not only in the early day Emili Pilli, who brought together in but right clown to the present time, the 1942 much documentary material re­ greatest caution mu t be exercised. garding the history of cinchona culture Early studies suggested, and more re­ in thi Republic, states that Julio Ros­ cent investigations have amply demon­ signan was the first to plant the tree strated, that in the wild are here. The date is given a 1 60, the subject to such extreme variation-and location near Cobán. Rossignon is there are so many hybrid -that pe­ lmown also for havincr been the :first to ci:fic names may mean very little. send seeds of teosinte (E1whlaena) to 'l'he next step of importance seems to Europe. Pilli states that Ro signan 's have been taken by the government of cinchona trees received little attention Guatemala which in 1 83 contracted and :finally disappeared. the services of \V. J. Forsyth, an Eng­ The :first serious attempt to grow cin­ lishman who had worked with cinchona chona commercially in Guatemala seems in the Asiatic tropics. Under the terms to have been that of the Sarg family, of of hi contract, Mr. Forsyth went to which we have reliable details in the Ceylon and brouO'ht back eed with memoirs of Franz arg, "Deutschtum which nurseries were established in a in der Alta Verapaz", 1938. number of places. Since the ucciru­ Our chief interest in those early bras which were obtained by Richard plantings is to trace tbe origin of the Spruce on the slopes of Chim borazo in seeds employed, since it is from these Ecuador were at that time being culti­ seeds that many of the trees growing in vated extensively in Ceylon and India, the Republic have descended. Sarg it is reasonable to believe that much of tates de:finitely that the stock used by the For yth stock wa · of that strain, an bis family was obtained from Ceylon assumption borne out by the appearance through the good offices of Prince Niko­ ancl the alkaloid-pattern of many trees laus of Nassau, and tbat the year was now in Guatemala which originated in,

187 o or have descended from, the For yth in­ In thi same year the l\'linister of troductions. Agriculture, Manuel Herrera, addre sed Pilli presents some interesting :figures, a lengthy memorandum to President as of 1884, regarding the location and Justo Ru:fino Barrio , pointing out tbe extent of the Forsyth plantings. These advantages of cinchona cultivation and data are of value to us in connection urging that the government take steps with the history of the material with 152 ECONOMIC BOTANY which we are working today. Of par­ "History of the Cinchona Project of ticular importance is the planting at Merck and Co. Inc., and Experimental Finca El Porvenir, made under the Plantations Inc., 1934-1943", from clirection of President Justo Rufino which I quote the following paragraph: Barrios, who was the owner of the prop­ "In early 1932 Merck and Co. Inc. erty and who rightfully may be called considered the advi ability of develop­ the father of cinchona cultivation in ing Cinchona in the "\Vestern Ilemi­ Guatemala. This honor, however, should spbere, at the sugge tion of, and in co­ perhaps be shared with others-notably operation with, the State Department of the Sarg brothers of Coban, and Don the United States. It was deemed ex­ Manuel Herrera, Minister of .A.gricul­ pedient to build up supplies of cin­ ture. chona bark in the .A.mericas in order to .A.fter the death of Barrios the Re­ become independent of the Dutch Qui­ formet, cinchona culture entered a nine 1\Ionopoly. It was lo"'ical that period of decline due to several fac­ Merck and Co. Inc. sbould have been tors, sorne of which can with difficulty keenly interested in bringing cinchona be evaluated at this late day. Colom­ cultivation back to the .A.mericas, in view bia wa shipping large quantities of of the fact that thi. Company, through wild bark, much of it better in quality its predeces ors, had maintained an un­ than that being o-rown in Guatemala; broken interest in the extraction of qui­ Java was coming into production with nine from cinchona barks since 1822, its fine Ledgeriana bark ; prices were when Farr and Kunzi commenced the falling in world markets; and coffee operation of a quüune factory in Phila­ was King. delphia, two years subsequent to the isolation and identification of The Beginnings of a N ew Era as a crystalline compound by the Throughout the 1890's and the first French chemists Pelletier and Caven­ three decades of the 1900's, cinchona ton" . cultivation in Guatemala was in the dol­ .A.fter a brief and unsuccessful at­ drums. Many of the trees which had tempt to establi h cinchona in tbe south­ been planted for sbade in coffee fincas ern United States, Guatemala was were destroyed. Experimental ship­ cho en as the ba e for experimental ments of bark which were occasionally work. Sorne of the arguments in favor made to tbe United States and Europe of this country were the following: (a) usually resulted in lo s-or at best no it is nearer the United States than the sati. factory profit-to tbe growers. The cinchona regions of the Andes; ( b) its preponderance of succirubra blood in government was favorably disposed to­ practically all of the Guatemalan trees ward projects of this sort; (e) experi­ rendered impossible any competition ence of the previous century gave with Ledgeriana barks from Java. grouncls for believing soil and climate Durina the first W orld W ar a serious were suitable; and ( d) there were pres­ situation developed with regard to sup­ ent in Guatemala considerable numbers plies of q1.unine needed by the .A.llie . of intelligent, progressive co:ffee plant­ In sub equent year it was realized tbat ers, prepared to cooperate in the work an effort must be made to achieve inde­ with energy and determination. pendence of the Far East with regard Col. Víctor E. Ruehl was delegated to this important product. by Merck and Co. Inc. to unclertake the The genesis of this effort is set fortb organization ancl development of the by Frederic Rosengarten, Jr., in his project. He carne to Guatemala in the CINCHONA CULTIVATION I GUATEllfALA 153 spring of 1934 1vith a supply of Ledg­ eriana is not uited to that location­ eriana seed which had been purchased perhaps in part becau e of climate, in in Java. Ilis first act was to establi. b part because the soil is not sufficiently close contact with the Director of Agri­ acicl. The first plantinn-s made at Za­ culture, Don l\'Iariano Pacbeco II., a pote also failed because the eed. were man peculiady fitted to assist because killed, it is believed, by formalin treat­ of bis keen interest in new crops ancl ment aimecl to prevent the clevelopment hi · unusual ability a a plantsman. of clisea e. A stand was obtainecl at Col. Ruehl travelled wiclely over the Mocá, but it was soon ob erved that the Republic, eeking out what appearecl to plants were not doing well, and the be favorable sites for experimental stock wa removed, in the main, to plantings. IIe was warmly receivecl by Finca IIelvetia, also under the clirection the finqueros ( co:ffee planters), and of Gordon Smith. Gustavo IIelmrich shortly entered into arrangement with at Coban, working alone, grew sorne tbe late Gordon Smith of Finca Mocá plants ancl e tablished what was, until near Guata lón; L. Lincl Pettersen of ele troyed by floocls in October, 1940, Finca Zapote, Escuintla; Pedro G. Co­ one of the be t plantations in Guate­ fiño of Finca Retana, Antig-ua; ancl mala. Fortunately, before these trees Gu. tavo IIelmricb of Finca Samac, were lost, many of them were propa­ Cobán. gatecl by grafting as well as by seed. At that time, Guatemalan a"'ricul­ Don Mariano Pacheco grew a fine turist hacl no experience with Leclgeri­ stock of plant which were later di trib­ anas-except at Finca El Porvenir utecl to various p]aces. B. Y. Morrison where Dr. Goebel hacl planted a few of the U. S. Department of Agriculture trees. Everyone hacl to start from ent to Guatemala not only many plants scratch. Col. Ruehl 's first neecl was for grown from the Ruehl seed, but many nurserymen to propagate and grow the others grown from seed obtained from Java stock. IIe obtainecl from the the Philippine ; from Amani, Africa; United Fruit Company two young men ancl elsewhere. Seeds from olcl trees trainecl at Lancetilla Experiment Sta­ near Cobán, at Helvetia, and other tion in IIoncluras: Jorge Benítez, an places in Guatemala were also plantecl Ecuadorian; ancl Hans Franke, a Ger­ in various nurseries. man. 'l'he ·e men were put in charge of nursery work, cooperating "·ith the fin­ The Kinds of Material quero mentionecl, who furnishecl all fa­ Before proceeding further i t becomes cilities. nece ary to discuss briefly the kincls of ee 'lbeds were establishecl at Retana, cinchona with which we are dealing. in Antigua; at Finca El Zapote; at Finca The subject is almost hopeless if we ad­ Mocá; ancl at Finca Samac near Cobán. here to a pure1y botanical cla.. ification. In adclition, some of the Java eed was E ver since W ecldell 's time ( the 1840' ) , left at \Va hington to be propagated in the botany of the genus Cinclwna has the greenhouses of the United States baffied every student. The best-lmO\Yn Department of Agriculture, and some kincl of cinchona, Ledo·eriana, i itself '1\·as given to Don 1\iariano Pacheco. A so variable, and has been subject to so small quantity was sent to Lancetilla much eros ing with other forms, that it Experiment Station in IIonduras but i hard to say just what com;titutes a failed to grow at that low elevation. Ledgeriana tree and what cloes not. Tbe seeclbed at Rctana were a fail­ Sir Frank Stockdale, in his report on ure. W e have since learnecl that Ledg- cinchona culture in Java ( 193 ) , writes: 154 ECONOMIC BOTANY

'' Survivor of the original planting are well-defined specie and admit that still to be seen on the estate and it is within each of them there are many clcar that the eed wa heterozygous as form. of varying economic value. in the population raised from it many In the early clays of cinchona ex­ variations in habit of growth, leaf and ploitation in the Ancles the wilc1 forms bark characteri tics are to be noticed' '. acquirec1 common or trade names, and Ancl elsewhere it has been statecl that it may be well for us to follow these in among the e original trees, grown from part. Sir listed the Mr. Leclger's Bolivian seecl, there i a principal wilcl ources of commercial ran,.e in quinine sulfate content from barlc a follows : 3% to 13% . C. Calisaya (Bolivia and ) Yel­ Ancl again, the wild form of C. pu­ low Bark or Cali aya. bescens or succirubra in Costa Rica C. sttecin~bm (now called C. pubes­ contains practically no quinine; while cens) Ecuador, etc. Red Bark. the wild form from the slopes of Chim­ C. rnic1·antha (Ecuador ancl Peru) borazo in Ecuador (from which it is Gray Bark. probable that most of the succirubra in C. officinalis (Colombia and Ecua­ cultivation have been derived) sorne­ dor) Crown Barlc. times contains as much a 5% . It is C. Pitayensis (Colombia and Ecua­ therefore obvious that the agriculturist dor) Colombian or Pitayo Bark. must devote little attention to the botan­ Of the above species, one of tbe mo t ical cla ification of the material witb recent students of the genus, Paul C. \\hich be works and mucb to its cbarac­ Standley of Chicago, recognizes only C. teristics of growth and its economic officinalis, C. pubescens, C. mic1·antha value. Tbis i made even more oblio-a­ and C. pitayensis, inclnding the Cali­ tory by the fact tbat much of the mate­ saya or Yellow Barks in C. officinalis. rial in cultivation is undoubtedly the Certain otber botanists, however, do not re ult of bybridization, often between agree in thi . The divergence of opin­ a lmown pistillate and an unknown ion is of little importance, compared staminate parent. with the discrepancy between ome of At the same time, we must take no­ the earlier cla ifications, which made tice of the botanical classification of our 30 to 40 species of the above, and the cinchonas because there are characteris­ present simplified outlook. tic differences in wbat may be termed the alkaloid pattern of these wild forms. The Work in Guatemala Continues 'l'hu , the Calisayas normally show a The Ledgerianas planted in Guate­ preponderance of qtúnine over the other mala in 1934 from Java seecl showed principal allmloids-cinchonine, cincbo­ many variations from the start; never­ nidine and quinidine; while the ucci­ thele. there could be r ecognized a nar­ rubras do not bave this preponderance; row-leaved form which was consiuerecl and the micrantha typically show al­ to be the type and which in general mo t no quinine at all. howecl the highest content of quinine. Early efforts to split the genus into At Finca El Zapote the e narrow-leaved many species which do not always come forms ( whi h had come from the W ash­ true from seed proved hopele from ino-ton stock, shippecl clown after the the standpoint of the practica! agricul­ original seed failecl to germinate in turi t, a they have provecl to be from Guatemala) promptly began to die out, that of the souncl botanist. The ten­ while the broacler-leaved forms survived dency now is to recognize only a few in small numbers and have given ri e to OINCHONA CUL'fiVATION IN GUATEMALA 155 a group of plant., con idered to be hy­ fin ·a of the cooperator , Benítez at Za­ brid , which are of . trong growth and pote and 1~ ranke at Ilelvetia); ancl P. good quinine content, though not so high C. .Armstrong, an Engli. hman with a · . ome of the narrow-leav d Ledgeri­ plantation experience in the Par Ea t, ana . L. Lind Pettersen took up with was employed a general upervi or of enero-y the study and propagation of thc work. Tlüs arrangement wa ter­ these form , and they are generally con- minatecl in l\fay, ] 940, whcn \Vil on iclered, at the pre ent writing, to be Popeno wa. loaned by the United Pruit ome of the mo t promi ino- in all Guate­ Co. for six months to as ·ist in develop­ mala for commet·cial cultivation. ing the project . .At Fin<:a 1\Io ·á a few Ledgerianas Earlier in 1940 B. A. Krukoff, a bot­ whieh were planted in the field have ani. t with exten iYe tropical experience, done fairly well; but mo t of the stock had vi ited Guatemala on behalf of which, as ha. been mentionecl, was re­ lerck and o., Inc., and with him hacl moved to Ilelvetia ha. done much bet­ come Frederie Ro engarten, Jr. who ter; and Ilelvetia at prcsent has the remained at Naranjo to a . i t in carry­ largest planting in Guatemala of the ing out the development of extensive narrow-leaved Ledgeriana forms. From eedbeds at thi. and other places. Ilelvetia plantings were made at ] inca 'l'he year 1940 wa an important one Patzulín where also the narrow-leaved for the new inclustry in G natemala. forros bave done well. It i to be noted 1\ot only \Yere large quantities of Cali­ that the oils at the e two places in gen­ . aya seecl from South America planted eral . how a more acid reaction than at Naranjo, at Zapote, at Pinca Panamá, those of the lanl. farther to the east­ at IlelYetia and at Patzulín, but efforts ward on the Paeific ide of Guatemala. were macle to organi e the experimental .At Finca Panamá, Guatalón, both work along many important lines. 'l'hus, Owen Smith and Mer •k and Co., Ine. for example, a uniform ·y tem of num­ planted many Le

chona at the U. . Department of .Agri­ investment of funds which they bave ap­ culturc 's Experiment Station in Puerto proved with no certainty regardino- the Rico, was employed by Ierck and Co., ultimate outcome. Inc., to undertake horticultura! inve - 'l'oward the end of 1940 Han Franke tigations at Naranjo. John Smitb, son left Naranjo, and in 1941 \Villiam Pen­ of G01·don P. Smith, who had returncd nock left. Franke was replaced by En­ from the Imperial College of Tropical rique IIoehn, a Swi · citizen with 20 .Agriculture, Trinidad, B. W. I., took years experience on coffee plantations cbarge of cinchona experiments for the in Guatemala, and more than u ual abil­ intere. t repre ented by his father, but ity a a horticulturist. Much time wa left toward the end of the year to vol­ devot el, on all the cooperating proper­ unteer for military service with the ties, to the care aud transplanting of Royal Canadian .Air Force. Ili work the Cali aya eecllings from South .Amer­ was ably continued by Percy Davies and ica, and to inve tigation of pres ing Ilarold Lewon ki of Finca Ilelvetia. problems. Of particular importance Iu pite of tbe progres made during wa grafting. It was durin"' thi year this year-progres along many sound that wiclespread u e of this method of lines-tbc young indu try su:ffered tbe propagation carne into play, and numer­ barde t blow yet experienced, in the ous workers were trained in the neces­ deatb of Gordon P. mith of Fin a sary technique . L. Lind Petter en de­ Mocá. Ever since tbe planting of tbe serve great creclit for taking a leading Java seeds in 1934, Gordon Smith bad part in thi ; Owen Smith at Panamá, led ancl inspired tbe local work, and had aided by Vidal Cabrera, al o .pushed refu ed to be di courao-ed by failure ahead as clid Finca IIelvetia, the work and by the difficulties tbrougb wbicb being ba ecl largely on the pion ering tbe coffee indu try bad been pas ing. in this field whicb bad been done by For hi dogo-ed per. istence, bis entbu i­ Jorge Benítez. a tic upport and bis willingness to co­ operate at all times and in all way , the Sorne of the Problems cincbona project in Guatemala owes Obviou ly all of this progres wa much to tbis able agriculturist wbose not attained without encountering ob­ memory will live. stacle , nor without making mistakc . .At tbe end of 1940 Wilson Popenoe .At tbe start there wa the problcm of turned over the administration of the . eeclbecl . Experience wa. lacking-, and 1\'Ierck intere t , operated locally a Ex­ literature on the subject wa not too perimental Plantations, Inc., to :B red­ abundant, nor were the practice. thercin cric Ro no-arten, Jr., who carriecl for­ clescribecl neces arily tbe best for Guate­ ward tbe activitie with vigor and en­ mala. 'l'he fungous di ea.·e lmown a thu. ia. m. George \Y. Perkins, Execu­ "damping off" ga,·e trouble the first tive Vice Pre ident of 1\Ierck ancl o., year or two, but experience showecl that Inc., and bis colleague, R. P. Lukens, it coulcl be controlled through proper Director of 1\:Iauufacturing (who man­ adju~tment of Yentilation and watering. aged the cinchona project from tbe .Attempt to g-row cutting. did not Rabway encl ) , continued to make occa­ turn out . atisfactorily, probably due to sional visits to Guatemala, a. they bad inexperience-at least with . uccirubras done from tbe start, o-uidino- and en­ -sin<'e it is now known that this metbod courag-ing the local eooperators. Both of propagation is exten ively used in tbe e gentlemen have done much to for­ several other region . Budding wa ward tbe work, not to mention tbe beavy tried and not con idered very satisfac- CINCHONA CULTIVATION IN GUATEMALA 157 tory 1mtil results obtained at Finca El ment of cinchona culture in Guatemala; Zapote, mainly with the strong-grow­ for just at this time the entrance of ing hybricls, were so successful as to en­ the United States into World War II courage other . threw the cinchona alkaloids into a po­ \Vith the arrival of Ralph Pinkus at sitian of great and immediate strateo-ic Naranjo in 1942, increased attention wa importance. Programs aiming to obtain given to problems of propagation at large supplies of cinchona bark in the that place. M:r. Pinkus ha had excel­ shortest possible time were placed on lent success with the sicle-graft, as op­ foot, not only in Guatemala but also in posecl to the veneer-graft originally several South American countries. The use d. hi tory of these projects forros a sepa­ Data from the various center of ex­ rate chapter in the romantic tale of cin­ perimentation continuecl to accumulate. chona which it is not the purpo e of There was need of someone to compare this brief paper to discuss, but whicb growth rates, bark yields, quinine con­ has already been told in part by tbo e tents ancl disease resistance of the many who participated. clones then gro,ving uncler clifferent en­ vironmental conclitions. Dr. J olm R. Editor's Note Shuman was brought from the United Dr. Popenoe 's article induced the editor to State to do this, and his arrival was ask bim for sorne figures concerning tbe extent timely, as several people who had been of cincho na cultivation at presen t in the ' ew involvecl in the first experiments were World. To tbis inquiry Dr. Popenoe ¡·eplied gone. record were incomplete in many under date of J une 24, 1948: "Merck & Co. ha ve 600 acres at Finca El in tances, and the burning question wa , Naranjo [Guatemala]; most of the trees are Wbich clones hould be planted on a at lea t four or five years old. Tbey bave an­ commercial scale ~ other planting near the Mexican borcler, but I Growth mea urements were taken by do not know just how large it is. There are good·sized co=ercial plantings of four or Jive thou ands, laboratory analyses of bark private growers, ancl, in addition, tbe U. S. were brought together for correlation Governmcnt has plantecl a great many tree on with tree behaviour, and a detailed a silvicultura! basis at Finca El Porvenir stati tical study (in which Dr. Shuman [Guatemala). I woulcl tbink it snfe to say was aidecl by Amado Pelén C.) was tbat there are approximately 1,000 acres in cultivation' '. made of all thi information. Since tbcse trees have been plantad with a It may be said that this work termi­ spacing of 4 x 4 or 5 X 5 feet, tbere must be natecl a definite periocl in the develop- abo ut H million trees under cultivation.