256 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ September 17, 1874. 



their foliage moat satisfactorily. It now remains to be seen 

 next year whether the offspring will behave as well as the 

 parent, and if so, the triumph will be a great one in adding a 

 charm to another faculty never dormant iu the lover of his 

 garden, and of the many good and beautiful things with which 

 we are surrounded. — W. E., Morningnide, Kidderminster. 



TEA. 



Most botanists agree that there is but one species of the 

 Tea tree iu China, Japan, and India — Thea sinensis, and that 

 the Green Tea, which has been called Thea viridis, and the 

 Black Tea, Thea Bohea, 

 and Assam Tea, Thea assa- 

 mensis, are only varieties ; 

 and that the different kinds 

 of Tea sold for domestic use 

 are all the produce of the 

 same Ehnib, but differ in 

 Havour or quality according 

 to the age of the leaves 

 when gathered, and their 

 mode of manufacture. 



Though the produce of 

 the Kame variety of the Tea 

 plant, the Black and Green 

 Teas prepared for exporta- 

 tion are mainly the growth 

 of different districts of 

 China, the Black Tea dis- 

 trict being situated iu the 

 provinces of Fokien and 

 Kiangsi, and the Green iu 

 Chekiang and Nganwhi ; 

 but the two lunds may be 

 produced iu either district, 

 the difference being caused 

 solely by the diverse me- 

 thods of preparation. For 

 the manufacture of Black 

 Tea the freshly-gathered 

 leaves, freed from extra- 

 neons moisture by a short 

 exposure in the open air, 

 are thrown in small quan- 

 tities at a time into round 

 flat iron pans, and exposed 

 to gentle fire heat for about 

 five minutes, which renders 

 them soft and pliant, and 

 i.'auses them to give oft' a 

 large quantity of moisture. 

 After this they are emptied 

 out into bamboo-sieves, and 

 whilst still hot repeatedly 

 squeezed and rolled in the 

 hands to give them their 

 twist or curl. They are 

 next shaken-out on large 

 screens and placed in the 

 open air in the shade for 

 two or three days ; and 

 finally exposed in iron pans 

 to a slow and steady fire 

 heat until completely dried , 



care beiug taken to keep them iu constant motion to prevent 

 burning. The chief difference in the manufacture of genuine 

 Green Tea consists in the leaves being so long exposed to the 

 air after rolling that fermentation does not take place, and in 

 not been subjected to such a high temperature in the final 

 drying ; but the greater part, if not the whole, of the Green 

 Tea consumed in Europe and America is coloured artificially 

 by the Chineso to suit foreign trade. The Chinese distinguish 

 a great number of varieties of Tea, some of which sell for as 

 much as 50.«. per lb. ; but these fine kinds will not bear a sea 

 voyage, and are used only by the wealthier classes in China 

 and Russia, to which country they are carried overland. 



The first mention iu England of Tea as an article of con- 

 sumption and commerce, is in a letter written to the East 

 India Company by one of their Indian officials, Mr. Wiokham, 

 dated the 27th of June, 1615. He spoke of it by the Hindoa- 

 taneo name, char, and a small quantity (4713 Iba.) being 



imported, it became a fashionable beverage; but its consump- 

 tion was very limited, for it was never less than 100s. per lb., 

 and sometimes was twice that price. The grandfather of the 

 writer remembered when a boy partaking of it for the first 

 time. He watched what the other guests did, and then did 

 likewise. The cups were very small, no sugar or milk was 

 added, and after the drinking was finished, the leaves taken 

 from the teapot were put upon small biscuits and handed to 

 the guests, who ate them ! 



In 16C0, Pepys has recorded in his " Diary," September 

 2Sth, " I did send for a cup of tee (a China drinkj, of which I 



had never drank before;" and 



L6ven years after he tells — 

 " Home, and there find my 

 wife making of tea, a drink 

 which Mr. Felling, the pot- 

 ticary, tells her is good for 

 her cold and defluxions." 



In the season 1871-72 

 there were imported into 

 this country 147,000,000 

 lbs. from China and Japan, 

 and 17,000,000 lbs. from 

 India. The varieties are 

 very numerous. OiCliiiiexe 

 Green Tea (Gunpowder 

 sorts) , Shanghae, Ping-suey 

 or Pin's-head,Moyune, Im- 

 perial Moyune, and Canton. 

 (Hyson sorts), Shanghae, 

 Young Shanghae, Young 

 Canton, and Twankay or 

 Imperial Hyson. Jajianese 

 Green Tea, Gunpowder and 

 Young Hyson. Jaimnese 

 Green Tea, Gunpowder. 



Cliinese Black Tea (Congo 

 sorts). Canton, Foo-chow- 

 foo, Hung-muey, Oopaok, 

 Kaisou, and Oonam; (Pekoe 

 sorts), Plain Orange, Foo- 

 chow. Scented Orange, Can- 

 ton Scented Orange, Flow- 

 ery Pekoe, Oolong, and 

 Souchong. Aasam Black 

 Tea, Congo, Orange Pekoe, 

 and Souchong. Javanese 

 Black Tea, Congo and Im- 

 perial. 



Fig. 78.— Thea Boirr.A. 



SCABBED POTATOES. 



In reference to the in- 

 quiries about the scabbing 

 of Potatoes, I have seen it 

 very often, but mostly iu 

 a warm sunny season and 

 on light sandy soil, and it 

 occurs to me that it arises 

 from the soil being so hot 

 that it blisters the skin of 

 the Potato when it is iu a 

 tender state. At the same 

 time I am told if lime is 

 applied to the soil the Pota- 

 toes are sure to be scabbed. 

 Scabbed Potatoes are generally very dry and good, and they 

 are always drier in a dry warm season than in one the reverse. 

 There is a httle blight to be «een iu this county, which is 

 famous tor Potatoes. The Dunbar Red sort is much prized by 

 the Londoners. The Victoria variety in my garden is quite 

 free of bUght, and bearing early clusters of apples, which is 

 rare now, and has been since the first blight in lsi5. It is of 

 importance to raise new varieties from seed, and to abandon 

 the old sorts, as they are more liable to bUght than those 

 recently raised from seed, of which Victoria is an example with 

 me. — John Apdison, Ormiston, Tranent, N.B. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



I WII.I, this week return to the greenhouse and conservatory, 

 and name a few other plants that ought to be grown for their 

 decoration. The list will not be a long one, but I intend to 



