6 



AGRICULTURE. 



and after the unexpectedly large yield of 1870, 

 which footed up 4,400,000 bales, it was not 

 unreasonable to think that a very light crop 

 would be raised ; during those two months the 

 reports were extremely unfavorable, and it 

 was thought improbable that more than from 

 2,800,000 to 3,000,000 bales would be produced. 

 But the continuous mild and fair weather of 

 November and December was so favorable to 

 late picking that it was generally conceded 

 that the crop would reach 3,400,000 bales, and 

 possibly 3,500,000. This is a great falling off 

 from the crop of 1870, but it is a result which 

 is so much better than was feared that it is a 

 cause for congratulation. 



The attempts to introduce tea-culture into 

 California are likely to prove successful, the 

 climate and conditions of the western slope 

 of the Sierras and of the Coast Range being 

 favorable to it. Large importations of the tea- 

 nuts have been made during the past year, 

 and the tea-plantations, under the care of the 

 Japanese and Americans, are doing well. It 

 requires about five years of growth before the 

 shrubs become sufficiently matured to yield 

 the best quality of leaves for tea. From a let- 

 ter of Hon. W. G. Howard, now of San An- 

 tonio, Texas, but for many years engaged in 

 the tea-culture in Assam and elsewhere, in 

 British India, and who is now engaged in in- 

 troducing it into Texas, it would seem that 

 the cultivation of the tea-plant is not so dif- 

 ficult a process as has generally been supposed. 

 He says, in a communication to the United 

 States Agricultural Department: 



The culture of the plant and the manufacture of 

 the tea are much simpler and easier processes than 

 most persons think. Of the hardy nature of the 

 plant you have abundant evidence in those planted 

 out in the gardens at Washington. And from my 

 own experience in many climates of India, from Ar- 

 racan to the Himalaya Mountains, neither frost nor 

 snow, drought nor rain, sunshine nor shadow, ma- 

 terially injures 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 re- 

 spect to tea was very scant and limited, and every 

 thing had to be done by hand ; but afterward, when 

 the capital invested in tea had increased to enormous 

 proportions indeed, many millions of pounds ster- 

 ling the cost of manufacture was much reduced. 

 When I left India the only manual labor was the pick- 

 ing of the leaves, which was best done by women and 

 children. It is true that a man here would cost $20 

 or $25 per month, against $2.50 per month there ; 

 but, when you take into consideration the great lack 

 of economy in the management there, the difference 

 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 enor- 

 mous 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 planted, only requires to be kept free 

 from weeds, which can be done here with the plough, 

 the same as with Indian-corn, and at the same cost. 

 In India they have neither horses nor ploughs, and all 



weedin^ must be done with the hoc in the hands of a 

 lazy anci. 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 sub- 

 ject, and demonstrate 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 

 mounds (a maund is 80 pounds) to the acre, and I 

 sold in one year from my garden 4,000 maunds, at 

 200 rupees per maund, and could have sold 40,OOU 

 maunds at the same figure. 



The chemist of the Agricultural Department 

 at "Washington recently made an analysis of 

 the yaupon, or Carolina tea (Ilex cassine), with 

 a view to ascertain whether it possessed, in 

 any considerable degree, the properties which 

 are characteristic of the Asiatic tea, which 

 belongs to the Ilex or Holly family, and also 

 of comparing it with its congener, the Ilex 

 Paraguayensis (mate, or Paraguay tea), so ex- 

 tensively used in South America. The speci- 

 men analyzed by the chemist seems not to 

 have been in its best condition, and thus is 

 hardly conclusive of the real value of the 

 yaupon. It is well known that the practically 

 valuable chemical principles of both tea and 

 coffee are tannin, caffeine or theine, and a 

 volatile aromatic oil which, though present in 

 small quantity, yet gives the characteristic 

 odor or aroma to both. Of tannin, black tea 

 contains an average of 2.04 per cent., green 

 tea from 14 to 17.68, and coffee about 10 per 

 cent., while the yaupon has 2.41 per cent. 

 Of caffeine or theine, black tea and the ordi- 

 nary grades of green tea contain about 0.56 

 per cent. ; the best qualities of green tea as 

 high as 6 per cent., and coffee 1 per cent. ; 

 while the yaupon has but 0.12 per cent., and 

 mate" only 0.13 per cent. Of the volatile oil, 

 yaupon has hardly a trace, only 0.01 per cent. ; 

 while black tea has 0.63, and green tea 0.88. 

 The coffee aroma is so volatile that it escapes 

 in the analyzing process. The conclusions to 

 which the chemist comes are, that the yaupon 

 is about equal to the Paraguay tea, and far 

 below the Asiatic teas, in valuable properties. 

 He proposes to analyze some of the other 

 species of Ilex, and also, perhaps the Ledum, 

 or Labrador tea, and other shrubs which havo 

 been used as substitutes for tea, though it is 

 doubtful whether any theine will be found In 

 them. In California, and in Texas, the culture 

 of the olive and the almond has been intro- 

 duced, and both are found hardy in those cli- 

 mates. The olive will probably become one 

 of the staple fruits of Southern California, as 

 its fruit there is equal if not superior to that 

 grown in Southern Italy, Greece, and Syria. 

 The culture of the fig in the same section has 

 already become important, and drums of na- 

 tive figs of the best quality are found in the 

 San Francisco market in larger quantity each 

 successive year. The cultivation of the pome- 

 granate has also commenced there. 



The statistics in regard to crops, domestic 

 animals, etc., in each State, in 1870, will be 

 found under the head of the several States. 



