TEA AND SILK FAEMING IN NEW ZEALAND. 221 



silk, produced by itself, the farmer would have a product whose 

 brief harvest and period of manipulation can hardly be expected 

 even at the most sanguine estimate to endure beyond three 

 months, after which a reign of almost unbroken idleness for the 

 employes must ensue. In tea, on the other hand, he would, in 

 confining himself to the production of this commodity — which is 

 in constant and increasing request within the colony and in 

 Australia — have the advantage of a more protracted season, 

 beginning, as it likely would, after the bustle of the silk crop 

 was nearly over, and lasting for eight or nine months. In the 

 one case there would be a period of unproductive idleness of about 

 nine months, and in the other of only about twelve weeks ; but 

 in the combined practice of the two industries the chasericulturist 

 has a promise of uninterrupted and lucrative employment for 

 himself and his entire staff " all the year round." Again, the 

 proposal to cultivate and prepare tea by itself is met by the 

 substantial objection that, as three or four years must elapse 

 from the time of planting ere any appreciable pecuniary return 

 need be expected, there would occur a heavy outlay without 

 any immediate income ; whereas, allied with sericiculture there 

 might be a handsome income from this source durini^ the second 

 year. Once more, the extensive prosecution of the two industries 

 in union would tend to influence a wider range of skilled labour 

 from Europe and elsewhere than the pursuit of either separately 

 on a small scale could possibly effect, with the result, doubtless, 

 that whatever the cost of production might be at the commence- 

 ment of the enterprise, the outlay as time wore on would sensibly 

 diminish rather than the reverse. For a few years, perhaps, no 

 local manufacturing demand for the cocoons or silk produced 

 might be experienced ; although for a decade or two, probably, 

 every pound of tea prepared would be eagerly purchased for 

 consumption within the colony. This absence of home inquiry 

 for silk would, of course, necessitate its being consigned, in the 

 first instance, to European or other markets ; but whenever it 

 became widely known that the raw material was being regularly 

 and copiously yielded in New Zealand, the issue, according to 

 the ex})erience of older countries, would likely be that sooner or 

 later all tlie kindred trades and professions which in Britain, 

 France, and Italy cluster around the great centres of silk pro- 

 duction, would speedily group tliemselves there also. 



TriK PiiiLANTniiOPic Aspect of Cilvsekicultuke. 



In the hope that the query propounded at page 181 — AVhat 

 reason is there to believe that the cultivation and j)reparation of 

 tea and silk are at all suited to the climate of New Zealand ? — lias 

 been convincingly disposed of, and before dealing with the pros- 



