188 

 EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 



TEA CULTURE. 



Hon. W. G. Howard writes to this Department as follows, from 

 San Antonio, Texas : Tlie culture of the plant and the manufacture 

 of the tea is a much simpler and easier process than most persons think. 

 Of the hardy nature of the jjlant you have abundant evidence in those 

 planted out in the gardens at Washington. And from my own ex- 

 perience in many climates of India, from Arracan to the Himalaya 

 Mountains, neither frost nor snow, drought nor rain, sunshine nor shadow, 

 materially injure the* "tea plant." Nor is it subject to the visitation of 

 any worm, bug, or disease. 



When I first went to India, all knowledge with respect to tea was 

 very scant and limited, and everything had to be done by hand; but 

 afterward, when the capital invested in tea had increased to enor- 

 mous proportions — indeed, many millions of pounds sterling — the cost of 

 manufacture was much reduced. When I left India the only manual 

 labor was the picking of the leaves, which was best done by women and 

 children. It is true that a man here would cost $20 or 8-55 per month, 

 against $2 50 per month there ; but when you take into consideration 

 the great lack of economy in the management there, the diflerence 

 would not amount to so much. In India all tools and lead have to 

 be brought from England, and transported on men's backs for many 

 miles; the constant rebuilding of houses, rendered necessary by the 

 white ant and fire, every year or two ; the enormous cost of management, 

 which amounts to more than one-half the actual amount spent in the 

 year ; the physical inability of the Bengalee coolies to do much labor ; 

 the difficulty of procuring labor, and the unhealthy climate, all combine 

 to bring the cost per acre to as much as it would be in America. 



The tea once planred only requires to be kept free from weeds, which 

 can be done here with the plow, the same as with Indian corn, and at 

 the same cost. In India they have neither horses nor plows, and all 

 weeding must be done with the hoe in the hands of a lazy and weak 

 coolie. After the tea is pretty well grown, say four or five years old, its 

 own shade pretty much keeps the ground clean. 



Should our Government once take hold of the subject, and demon- 

 strate that tea can be grown, and to a profit, the demand for seed alone 

 would soon pay all cost. The yield of seed is, on an average, four 

 " maunds" (a "maund" is 80 pounds) to the acre, and I sold one year 

 from my garden 4,000 "maunds," at 200 rupees per "maund," and 

 could have sold 40,000 " maunds" at the same figure. 



TRIALS OF WHEAT. 



CuJjiei er County, Va. — The Touzelle wheat, received from the Depart- 

 ment in 1809, one pint, and sowed November 20, 18G9, was a complete 

 success; ripened a week earlier tban any otber kind. I saved nearly one- 

 half bushel from the croj). I gave away some and sowed about four 

 quarts September, 1870, and it is now nearly ripe and the finest wheat 

 I ever saw — admired by all the neighborhood. I believe it will jield at 

 the rate of 30 bushels to the acre, at the very lowest calculation. 



CJieroJcee County, Ga. — In the fall of 18G8 I received from the Depart- 

 ment about one peck of Tappahannock wheat, which I planted on 

 rather poor, high land, and made about 1^- bushels of beautiful wheat. 



