108 EXTENT OF TEA CULTIVATION IX CHINA. 



(13 miles) in circumference,&quot; but that must be a random 

 statement of the reverend gentleman, because, if we take 

 his other statement to be true, which I believe, and have 

 from the Chinese themselves, that no plantation exceeds 

 a few acres. Therefore, 13 miles in circumference, or 

 say 4? miles in diameter of that, or about 10 square 

 miles or 10,240 square acres at the rate of 300 Ibs. an 

 acre, would only produce 3,072,000 Ibs. of good Bohea 

 for the consumption of all China and outside Barbarians 

 whereas, her exports alone is thirty times that, and I 

 should say the exports is but a small fraction of her own 

 consumption as the Chinese will pay 7-^ dollars for the 

 best tea. However, there is no good tea produced below 

 27 N. lat., nor is there any exported from north of 30 

 N. lat. And we see these latitudes are traversed and 

 retraversed by immense mountains, as they extend to the 

 west to Thibet, across about 18 of longitude. 



It is well known, too, that no tea is produced near 

 the coast in these latitudes, and that all teas have to be 

 carried to Shanghaie, about 260 miles. And further 

 more, it may be pointed out, that there are many districts 

 in these four degrees of latitude, where the tea grown is 

 of no fragrance or flavor. 



&quot; The Chinese say,&quot; writes Ball, &quot; that the tea dete 

 riorates in quality, as the plantations diverge from that par 

 ticular (Bohea Hills) locality, till in some of the most re 

 mote districts the leaves are thin and poor, and have no 

 fragrance or sweetness in infusion, that no labor can 

 make them good.&quot; 



The teas of the neighborhood of Canton, (Honan and 

 Waping), Mr. T. A. Gibbs, in his evidence before the 

 Parliamentary Committee, states, is such, that no process 



