TEA AND SILK FARMING IN NEW ZEALAND. 223 



lations connected with both tea and silk for females of education 

 who, like those interesting girls, through no fault of their own, liad 

 been suddenly plunged from positions of comfort, if not of afflu- 

 ence, into the depths of hard, grinding poverty. Every year 

 numbers of such delicately-nurtured sisters are thus reduced, yet 

 who, although unable to support themselves becomingly in the 

 old country, and probably unfitted physically to cope with the 

 robust activity of a purely agricultural life in any colony, might 

 nevertheless prove most valuable assistants in a tea hong or 

 manganerie. Such objects of compassion have not hitherto been 

 much in demand anywhere, consequently their opportunities for 

 emigration and means of livelihood at the Antipodes, even did 

 they succeed in getting there, have as yet been limited. But 

 in a cbasericultural company's employment many of these for- 

 lorn ones would ultimately find a comfortable and independent 

 refuge, an important measure of relief would be given to the 

 higher branches of female labour at home, nearly always so 

 painfully overstocked, and the company would probably reap 

 a well-deserved reward through the engagement and hearty 

 co-operation of numerous, intelligent, and well-educated mem- 

 bers of the gentler sex. In order that any merits these views 

 possess may be properly appreciated, it will be useful to draw 

 attention shortly to such of the manipulative operations con- 

 nected with chasericulture as are in other countries undertaken 

 by women, when we trust it will become evident that similar 

 duties might be more efficiently undertaken by lady emigrants 

 without detractinor in the least from their natural di^nitv or 

 social status. 



In China, as in Britain, April is a month of showers, and 

 although it does not herald the commencement of the tea harvest, 

 it witnesses more activity among the pluckers than occurs during 

 the previous four weeks, as then the bushes throw out their 

 second great flush of young verdure. Directly the rain has given 

 place to sunshine, and drying winds have absorbed each leallet's 

 tears, the leaf gatherers sally forth at dawn, singing and dancing 

 (or at least showing every sign of enjoying themselves, dancing, 

 as we understand the pastime, not being as yet a common amuse- 

 ment) as they trip to their pleasant employment. The earliest 

 glimpses of dayliglit sees hundreds, it may be thousands, of pretty 

 black-eyed black-haired young damsels, marcliing gaily n'long the 

 narrow footpaths separating the ])addy fields towards the tea 

 gardens among the hills, those witli unmutilated feet assisting 

 on either side their less independent sisters ; and wlien the 

 refreshment gong sounds, if they are too far from their homes, 

 they retire in merry groups among the bushes to eat their frugal 

 meals. It is not witliout some show of reason that previous to 

 and during the tea harvest the pluckers are dieted somewhat 



