70 FOREST CULTURE AND 
the harvests which we obtain from the tea-bushes 
planted in poor soil or exposed localities near the 
metropolis, while localities in the ranges are often not 
accessible to ordinary cereal culture. But I do not 
speak of Tea cultivation as an ordinary field industry, 
but rather as a collateral occupation in forest-culture 
of the lower ranges. 
Foreseeing the likelihood that this branch of rural 
culture would. be adopted in many favorable warm 
spots of this colony, I have distributed, during the 
past dozen years, the Tea - bush rather extensively. 
among country residents, partly with the view of 
directing attention to a plant which, even for the 
sake of ornamental value, is so eligible and easily 
grown; partly with an intention of seeing thus inde- 
pendent local supplies of seed forthcoming. In the 
same way the Cork Oak was very generally distributed 
by myself, in order that their acorns might, in due 
time, become locally accessible in very many places. 
The tea, in its commercial form, will however, 
here, not likely be manufactured by the grower. It 
is more probable that whenever plantations are formed 
in any forest region, an enterprising man will estab- 
lish amidst the tea-farms a factory for preparing the 
tea-leaves, and purchase the latter from the produc- 
ers. This is the system by which, in many parts of 
South Europe, the multitude of small lots of silk- 
cocoons pass into the central reeling establishments ; 
and this is the manner in which, from numerous peas- 
ants, the beet-root is obtained for the supply of sugar 
factories. In the same way the branches of the Su- 
mach, a shrub which, with care, could be reared in 
