May r, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



827 



reliable reports than those made by China merohauts 

 as a rule, the old Chiua residents already referred to 

 pointed ont that there were larger districts — nay 

 provinces — iu China, especially in the North- West, 

 where the peojile were too poor to drink any tea at 

 all, hot water being thpir beverage ; while tho larger 

 proportion of those who do drink tea take so weali an 

 infusion that a very little of the leaf goes a long, long 

 way with them. The case is still stronger in regard to 

 the Japanese, who are not on the whole such great tea 

 drinkers as the Chinese. Certain it is that the exports 

 far exceed the home consumption in .Japan : indeed, the 

 home tea being that got usually in a fourth plucking of 

 the bushes, it is probable that the quantity retained by 

 the Japanese is only equal to from J to J of that shipped 

 to America and Europe. 



The following interesting reference to Japanese tea 

 is from a recent report by Consul-General Van Buren 

 of Yokohama: — 



The Japanese green teas may be divided into these 

 general classes — coloured, uncnloured, and basket fired. 

 The leaf used for all these is from the same plant, dif- 

 fering only in quality, condition, &c. All teas used by 

 foreigners are first Gred by the natives iu the places wiiere 

 grown. If a gi-ade of coloured tea is to be made, this 

 fired leaf (four or five pounds) is taken and put into iron 

 pans or bowls, which are heated, sometimes up to a temp- 

 erature of 212' F. Tlie leaves are then rapidly stiiTod 

 by hand against the smooth iron surfaces some twenty 

 minutes. A tea spoonful of thoroughly pulverized soap.stono 

 (saponite) and live grains or so of powdered Chinese ind- 

 igo are placed in the pan and thoroughly rubbed into 

 the leaf for about twenty minutes more, when ono-half 

 a teaspoonful of soapstone or gysjisum and pulverized tama- 

 rack bark (a species of larch) is added, and the stirring and 

 rubbing is continued for twenty minutes more. It is then 

 put into cold pans and simply cold rubbed against the 

 iron surfaces until it lias the requu'ed poli.sh, which is 

 arrived at iu from forty minutes to an hour. This col- 

 ouriug process is considered beneficial to the leaf, tend- 

 ing to preserve its shape and flavour. There can be no 

 doubt that the Japanese prepared teas are far superior in 

 purity to the Chinese. In colouring Chinese teas various 

 drugs are used that are deleterious to health, unless it 

 be that the heat to which they are subjected renders 

 them innocuous. Ba.sket firing is done in bamboo baskets, 

 shaped something like our hour-glasses, which are shaken 

 over hot pans. Tho leaf is put into the upper lobe of 

 the basket and worked into the lower, and so back and 

 forth until finished. The loss of weight is about 3 per cent. 



WHEAT FARMING IN DAKOTA, U. S. 



(From an old Ceylon man.) 



* * * I can't say very much inlpraise of last year's 

 operations. Crop was a partial failure, and both our 

 own place and the one I have charge of were worked at 

 a loss. I had about lO.j- bushels of wheat to the acre, 

 and the other only 9i bushels. That at SO cents a 

 bushel does not pay, seeing it coSts about $S an acre to 

 cover expenses. 



At one time in August I did not expect to have any 

 crop at all. We had a regular scorching drought in 

 July, and everything seemed burnt up. The wonder 

 was that we ever had the crop at all. My brother's 

 place it is about .SO miles oft', and, although he got the 

 scorching just the same, he had rain a week before me, 

 and he showed an average of 17 bushels an acre and a 

 return of 18 per cent on capital invested. 



Wheat is the staple hpre. Miles and miles, nothing 

 but wheat. I expect to put in 2.000 acres in our 

 own place in the spring ; 1,200 in another place ; 

 and nearly 800 acres on two other farms to be opened 

 in the spring, that I had all ploughed ready in the fall. 

 If we only had a good crop, it ought to make a very 

 good showing. 



. Farming here is a simple matter compared with 

 Scotland. Iu April and May sow the seed, and in 



August and September cut it ; thrash it out of th^ 

 stook, and send it off to market. I had two thrashing 

 machines running for the two farms, and we had only 

 three days during all the thrashing to stop for rain. 

 In tho fall the ground is all ploughed up ag.ain 

 ready for spring sowing. Alter sowing, if there is 

 any praiiie-ground to be ploughed, it is done in 

 June; then the time after is spent in haying. 

 The men work in gangs, something like the coolies, 

 and, when it is possible to do it, we have to task 

 work. 



In harvesting our machines cut and tie throwing it 

 to one side, and ready to bind again. I had thirteen 

 of these, cutting on an average 10 acres a day. Then 

 we have our own elevator at the station — a 30,0110- 

 bushel one — so that we can do all the handling 

 ourselves. 



The winter is the most disagreeable season, it lasts 

 so long. Snow fell middle of November, and we 

 expect to have it till the middle of March. Then 

 it begins to thaw and gradually moves off. I tell 

 you it can freeze here. 1 dug a hole in June, and 

 found the frost .5.^ feet in the ground then. Indeed 

 that is the secret of our success. The frost keeps 

 coming out, and throwing up moisture to the young 

 plants, so that they don't feel the want of rain. I 

 have seen grain sown on a Friday, sprouted and 

 showing above ground on the Sunday following, and 

 the whole field green on the Monday. 



We h.ave had a pretty rough winter, lots of blizarde, 

 and some very cold ones. Coming home froui town 

 ten days ago (10 miles), I had a bit of my nose frost- 

 bitten twice. These things however are so common 

 nothing is thought of it. A good rub with snow puts 

 it all right again. It is much healthier than Canada, 



The Northern Pacific Railway has now been com- 

 pleted through, and runs regularly to Portland, 

 Oregon. There was a tremendous demonstration when 

 the work was finished. The last spike was a gold 

 one driven in by a silver hammer, and all the big- 

 wigs of the State wore present at tho ceremony. It 

 cost the R. R. Co. about three-quarters of a million 

 of dollars. 



THE COLONIZATION OP TAVOY. 

 (From the Rangoon Oazetle, March 22nd, ) 

 We think it will be a great pity if the local Gov. 

 eminent .agrees to Mr, Sovestre's Bcheme for the rapid 

 colonization of Tavoy, There is no doubt but that a 

 company such as that proposed by Mr. Sevestre, with 

 abundant capital, could develop the resources of the 

 district much more rapidly than individual planters 

 will do, but the rapid devilopmeut of the district 

 is not the only thing to be looked to. -It is not a 

 matter of supreme importance that Tavoy should be 

 growing large quantities of tea, indigo, coffee and 

 spices in five years' time, instead of fifty years hence ; 

 but it is a matter of supreme importance that the 

 colonization should be carried ou ont lines which will 

 not lead to future friction. If Mr. Sevestre merely 

 proposed to start a company to take up planting in 

 tlie Tavoy district on exactly the same terms as in- 

 dividual planters do, we would wish him every success ; 

 we would not even grudge him some exceptional privi- 

 leges in the way of a slightly extended period of 

 exemption from taxation, iu consideration of the 

 impetus he would be giving to planting in Tavoy. 

 But, when he proposes practically to create an imperium 

 in imperio, by demanding a charter on the lines of 

 the British North Borneo Company, free of reserv- 

 ationa as to mineral rights and forest conservancy, it 

 is quite another matter. A company of this kind, 

 with chartered rights and largo capital, might in 

 time become a terrible thorn iu the side of the local 

 administration. Not only might it give very serious 



