— 208 — 



we tlien still believed that especially the Chinese plant would yield a 

 superior product. This imported China seed produced very bad, poorly 

 growing plants." 



In spite of the improvements effected by Watt's exertions, and in 

 spite of the advantages offered even by a not quite pure Assam type when 

 compared with China tea, the success of the ,,indigenous" plant was not 

 a constant one. It was therefore deemed necessary to inquire into the 

 state of the Assam seed gardens, and this was one of the chief objects of 

 Messrs. Netscher's and Holle's voyage to India '). But there they 

 perceived, just as dr. Bernard did in 1912, that it was scarcely possible 

 to visit the seed gardens, in view of the great expense and loss of time 

 involved. „The circumstances under which seed production occurs", thus 

 dr. Bernard writes ^), „render an investigation in loco nearly impossible, 

 or at least useless, unless one spends some months on it." But this only 

 means, that we in Java hâve no warrant wliatever that the 

 tea seed we get from British India really cornes up 

 t o u r f a i r r e q u i r e m e n t s o f o r i g i n and q u a 1 i t y. It is 

 true that we may rely upon the faithfulness of those persons in Calcutta, 

 who are wiiiing to furnish us with information, but of course they are no 

 more able to undertake such extensive tours of inspection again and again, 

 so that they get their information second or third hand themselves. And 

 1 hâve no idea, in what way this odd state of affairs might be reformed, — 

 if not indirectly, that is, by producing ail tea seed in Java ourselves. 



') H. J. Th. Netscher, a. Holle, 1903. 

 -) Ch. Bernard 1912, p. 4. 



