— 255 — 



of tea" (1843)') contains plenty of valuable information, notwithstanding much 

 has now become obsolète. Some of his observations inay be rendered hère. 



From § 3 of the Introduction to the second volume: 



„The Chinese tea plants, though exhibiting a great variety of forms, 

 which hâve mostly originated through the différences in soil and climate 

 in and under v^hich they hâve been growing, are collectively distinguished, 

 both in shape and qiiality, from the Japanese tea bush. The Chinese one 

 throws ont perpendicular branches, which produce numerous side-branches, 

 equally growing upwards, so as to facilitate the plucking of the leaves; 

 on the contrary, the Japanese bush produces more ascending branches, 

 ramified in the same way, so that they resemble hedge shrubs and impede 

 picking^). Besides the leaves of the former hâve a greater spécifie weight 

 than those of the latter, and do not offer such difficulties in manufacturing. 

 Thus, when the Chinese leaves require but 6 hours for the whole process, 

 the Japanese take 9 hours . . . ." 



Concerning black and green tea varieties we read the following in § 6: 



,,The différence between green and black tea is not due lo the plant 



but to the soil and especially to the fabrication There are shrubs, 



with fine red coloured pétioles, the young shoots of which, after having 

 become woody, hâve a beautiful light-brown chestnut colour; such plants 

 are said to be more suited for black tea than for green; but generally this 

 has not been confirmed, whereas it has been observed that thèse red and 

 brown colours are but a sport, and produced by some constituents of 

 the soil ......" 



Further, in § 7: 



,,An exception is constituted by a sort of tea plants which hâve been 

 introduced from China into java as early as 1831 and 1832, and of which 

 there exist plantations in Java since that date. Thèse shrubs, wherever they 

 ha-ve been planted, possess red pétioles, and by their beautiful brown 

 young wood afford a fine spectacle; their leaves are somewhat smaller, 

 but their production of young shoots is so much the more abundant. But it 

 is the stem especially that distinguishes this sort from ail other tea varieties; 

 the wood is heavier and harder; the bark rugged, reticulated, and the shrub 

 may be grown up to an erect tree. It has turned out, however, that this arbuscle 

 only then yields better black tea than green, when the manufacturer is very 

 much skilled; in the haiids of the gênerai planter both varieties are alike. 



,,A close relative of the former shrub has smaller but finer leaves, 

 and the same characteristics as the above, but it cannot form a tree, 

 and it does not pay when planted out on a larger scale, as it yields 

 scarcely one pound of tea a year from 50 plants ^) because the leaflets 

 harden very soon. In this condition they look dark and sallow." 



') Large fragments of this important manual hâve appeared in English in the Journal 

 of the Agricultiirai Horticultural Society of India V (1846) and subséquent years. 



-) Is this „Japanese" variety identical witli VON SlEBOLD's var. y diffusa? 



^) That is 84 Kilogrammes from an hectare (72 Ibs. from an acre), whereas JACOBSON 

 considers the fivefold as a mean production. 



