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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1884. 



"JAT" OF TEA. 



We must not condemn all China tea as bad. There is 

 surely one simple rule by which to choose plants 

 of good jat :— Best hybrid Assam are distinguished 

 by largeness of leaves, markedly serrated on the 

 edges, and the colour never dark as is often the 

 case in China, bnt of a rich green, brightened with 

 a dash of golden yellow. Tea, in Chini itself, varies 

 according to locality and climate. We once read of 

 some enormous tea trees with leaves large in pro- 

 portion, in the neighbourhood of a Chinese dwelling, 

 to which the family tradition ascribed an age of 

 five centuries ! We are unable at this momeut to 

 refer to the woik in which we found this notice, 

 bnt we believe it was in a second record of travel 

 by Cooper, the explorer of China. Prom his first 

 book, " Travels of a Pioneer of Commerce," we 

 quote the following passages: — 



The district of Ya-tzow is extremely rich in minerals. 

 Coal, iron, lead, and copper are very abundant ; and it is 

 principally from this district that Wz-chuan is supplied with 

 metals, especially steel andcopper. 



But the greatest source of wealth to the city and sur- 

 rounding district is the brick tea, which gives employment 

 to thousands engaged in the manufacture and portage of tea 

 from Ya-tzow to Ta-tsian-loo. The tree from which this 

 peculiar kind of tea is manufactured grows chiefly along the 

 banks of the Ya-ho, and, unlike that which produces the tea 

 exported to Europe, is a tall tree, often fifteen feet high 

 with a large and coarse leaf. Little care is bestowed on 

 the cultivation. It is often planted along the borders of 

 field- and homesteads, each farmer gathering his small 

 crop of tea, a>id finding a ready sale for it in Ya-tzow 

 to merchants who pay the Government enormous sums for 

 the monopoly. 



I never had an opportunity of witnessing the process by 

 which the tea is made into the exceedingly hard bricks 

 which find their way to Thibet ; and so great is the jealousy 

 with which the monopoly is guarded, that even bribes failed 

 to procure permission to enter the warehouses where the tea 

 is packed for exportation. 1 am indebted to the landlord of 

 the hotel where I lodged during both my visits, for the fol- 

 lowing imperfect description. The first quality is gathered 

 in June and July, or shortly after the commencement of the 

 summer rains in the end of May, when the leaf is about an 

 inch long. When gathered, it is spread in the sun till 

 slightly withered, and theu rolled with the hand until moist 

 from the exudation of the sap. In this state it is rolled into 

 halls about the size of a large tei cup, and laid up till it 

 ferments. It is then ready for the wooden brick-moulds, 

 which are made with the ends movable, and fastened by 

 pegs. The moulds, when filled, are dried over charcoal fires 

 until the tea is baked into a tough solid mass. When 

 taken from the moulds, the bricks are ready for delivery 

 to the merchants of Ya-tzow. By them the bricks are 

 enveloped in peculiar yellow paper covers, bearing a gov- 

 ernment stamp and the trade-mark of the exporter, and 

 are packed in baskets four feet long, made of thin strips of 

 bamboo. The bricks thus packed form what is called a 

 basket of tea, weighing about twenty pounds. These bas- 

 kets are carried by coolies to Ta-tsian-loo, a distance of 

 two hundred miles, where they are carefully covered with 

 green hide, as a protection against wet. and are then ready 

 for exportation to Lhassa, and the countries to the west 

 of it, where this particular kind of brick tea is principally 

 consumed, selling for ahout. fifteen taels per basket, or four 

 shillings and eightpence per pound. 



The second quality, which consists of the older and yel- 

 lower leaves, is manufactured in tfle same manner, and ex- 

 ported principally to Lithang and Bathang, where it is sold 

 at five taels per basket, or about one shilling and six pence 

 per pound. 



A third quality is made entirely of clippings, without the 

 leaf, aud resembles bricks of chopped twigs The manu- 

 facture of this kind differs from the others, rice-water being 

 used to make the twigs adhere and retain the brick form. 

 This quality is only used in Ta-tsian-loo and its immediate 

 neighbourhood, selling for ninepence per pound. 



The quantity of brick tea annually exported from Ya-tzow 

 to Thibet has been roughly estimated at over six million 

 pounds. 

 Again Mr. Cooper wrote : — 



From the Fei-yue-ling mountains our road gradually 

 descended through a more fertile country, with occasional 

 patches of rice cultivation, and in two marches we arrived at 

 the city of Ya-tzow-foo. So far I had retraced my steps, but 

 as I intended to descend the Ya-ho, and visit Kia-tiug-foo, 

 instead of returning by Ohen-tu, we here left the main high- 

 way, aud followed the banks of the Ya-ho river for two days' 

 journey, through a beautiful undulated country, devoted 

 to tea cultivation, forming the district where the best 

 brick-tea for Thibet is grown. The whole country formed 

 a series of large gardens, without a single fence to divide 

 the different plantations, and kept in the most scrupulous 

 order, the trees, which stood about four feet high, being neatly 

 trimmed, and planted in rows four feet apart. The numer- 

 ous homesteads which were visible were surrounded with 

 belts of large tea trees, growing to a height of twelve to 

 fifteen feet. 



It seems beyond question that tea found its way 

 into China originally from Assam, a good many 

 centuries ago now, and that the bush has deteriorated, 

 either from severity of climate, careless cultivation 

 or breeding in and in, until we see it, with small 

 and often darkly-coloured leaves, a poor contrast 

 to indigenous Assam or best Assam hybrid. The 

 latter is the result of a cross between China and 

 Assam, which is almost equal to indigenous Assam 

 in luxuriance of yield and more robust, aud therefore 

 better suited for elevations above 2,500 or 3,000 

 feet. 



ADVICE TO YOUNG CACAO-PLANTERS. 

 16th September 1884. 



Land.— Cacao will grow while the plants are small 

 from sea-level up to three thousand feet elev- 

 ation, but the question is whether it will grow up 

 to become a good bearing and lasting tree. 1st, we 

 have some very fine lands with good shelter and 

 rainfall where cacao will thrive without much assist- 

 ance or attention by the cultivator ; 2nd, we have 

 lands which have a very good deep subsoil but the 

 surface soil impoverished by former chenaiug, coffee 

 or other cultivation; 3rd, we have also lands, though 

 good in substance, much exposed to the wind • 4th 

 we have shallow lands ; 5th, there is land where 

 the heat is great and the rainfall hardly sufficient 

 for the growth and bearing of the cacao; tith, we 

 have lands with a very sanuy soil. We may even in 

 one estate find all the above various lands : though 

 various, it remains for the planter, after he has got 

 his lands, carefully to note all the quality of the 

 soil, shade or shelter likely to be required, and then 

 to have the land cleared accordingly, with shade or 

 shelter or any unsuitable land left. On every estate a 

 piece of jungle ought to be left for timber and 

 manuring purposes : good new timber plants should 

 be planted as old trees are removed. The decaying 

 vegetable mould accumulating under the trees could 

 be gathered as required and mixed with other 

 manures for application to your cacao trees. Old, dead 

 and useless trees, bianchts, &c, will do for fire- 

 wood. Tne planter who can get lands possessing 

 a good, deep, rich, stiff soil not exposed to wind, with 

 ample rainfall, will have the least expenditure and 

 get the most profit ; at the same time cacao with 

 careful attention can be grown profitably on all lands 

 as above described, except on Nos. 4 and 6, which I 

 would reserve in jungle or plant with grass for 

 cattle or maua for manure. 



Cultivation. — Having disposed of the land question 

 we now conic lo the cultivation. On No. I land 

 planting at stake, it shaded and no grub or other 

 insects, destioy the plants will be very successful and 



