OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1909. 41 



26330 to 26343— Continued. 



Rockhill before he left Pekin for St. Petersburg, Russia. Plants received at 

 the Plant Introduction Garden, Chico, Cal., December 1, 1909; seeds received 

 at Washington, D. C, December 6, 1909. 



Plants of the following: 



26330 to 26332. From the Kienning district. 



26330. Lotus Heart. 26332. Dragon Pool. 



26331. Water Fairy. 



26333 to 26336. From Wuishan district, the cliff-grown teas from River 

 of the Nine Windings. 



26333. White Cock Comb. 26335. Superior. 



26334. Great Red Robe. 26336. Dragon Pool. 

 Seeds of the following: 



26337. Water Fairy (parent plant). 



26338. Dragon Pool (parent plant). 



26339. Dragon Pool. From Heaven Sauntering Place. 



26340. White Cock Comb (parent plant). 



26341. Red Robe (parent plant). 



26342. Red Robe. From Heaven Heart Temple. 



26343. White Peony (parent plant). 



" The cliff-grown teas are extremely rare and valuable, and I do not believe 

 can be obtained again, as the Chinese are not at all anxious to have the tea of 

 this district become general. The department having for some years past 

 written for seed of the 'Dragon Pool teas,' which I was unable to obtain other- 

 wise, though repeated requests have been made, I sent my vice-consul, Mr. 

 Nightingale, and through the extreme courtesy of the viceroy of Fukien, the 

 magistrate of Chungan, and two mandarin friends, he was allowed to gather 

 seeds and select the plants I send. There is 200 miles of foot journey besides 

 considerable boat trip from Foochow to this district, which involves some 

 expense. The peculiar flavor of these cliff-grown teas is said to come from 

 the soil, and other soil may impart an entirely different flavor to the same plant. 

 The earth about the cliff teas is very sandy and not at all rich. A rich soil 

 they claim is not good for tea, as the plant will grow too high and not remain 

 stunted, as is considered desirable. In this district frost occurs often, and 

 now and then there is light fall of snow, which lasts but a short time. The 

 entire district of the River of the Nine Windings is composed of huge red sand- 

 stone cliffs and bowlders, and in the shadow and clefts of these, wherever a 

 little of the sandy soil is found, the tea grows. Other than a little digging 

 about the roots at this season of the year (October), no attention is necessary. 



''Some fertilize the plants once or twice a year with night soil; the fertiliza- 

 tion is not considered necessary. 



"Some plants produce as many as four kinds of tea, according to the size of 

 the leaf and the time of gathering. The teas of this district in order of supe- 

 riority are 'White Cock Comb,' 'Great Red Robe,' 'Superior,' 'Lotus Heart,' 

 'Water Fairy,' and 'Dragon Pool.' The White Cock Comb and the Red Robe 

 plants were those growing closest to the original plant. The White Cock Comb 

 is said to be 'the original tea plant and to have fallen from heaven;' twice a 

 year the Chungan magistrate comes to see that it is all right and worship at a 

 neighboring temple. The Dragon Pool tea plants are from a little inclosure 

 back of this temple, where a brother of an emperor in the Sung dynasty retired 

 at one time to raise tea, and which I believe has given rise to the story of the 

 205 



