578 



TERNSTRCEMIACE^E. XXVI. CAMELLIA. XXVII. THEA. 



the warmest part of a green-house. They will soon begin to 

 make young wood. From the time they begin to make their 

 young shoots till they have finished their growth give them plenty 

 of water. They may be kept in the vinery or peach-house until 

 they have formed their flower-buds, when a few of them may be 

 removed to a colder place, such as behind the stage of a green- 

 house, for the Camellias are fond of being shaded during strong 

 sunshine. In three or four weeks after, a few more of the 

 Camellias may be brought out of the peach-house, and put into 

 a colder situation. This may be repeated three or four times, 

 which will make as many different successions of flowering. 

 Those that are wanted to come into flower early may remain in 

 the warm house until they are beginning to flower, when they 

 should be taken to a cold place, as the coldest place in the green- 

 house, then give them plenty of light only, and they will open 

 their flowers well, and stand long. A Camellia cannot stand 

 heat when in flower, indeed they seldom open their flowers well 

 when in heat, at all events the flowers soon fall off. Those that 

 are kept all the summer in the vinery will come into flower by 

 the 1st or middle of October, and a pretty large plant, having 

 perhaps 50 or 100 flower-buds, will continue in flower till the 

 month of January. Those plants that are removed early from 

 the vinery will now be in flower, to succeed those that were in 

 flower in October, and have now done flowering. These last 

 should be immediately taken into the heat ; they will make 

 their young wood early, and they may remain in heat till they 

 come into flower, which will perhaps be a month earlier next 

 year. By attending to shifting the Camellia plants from the 

 warm-house to the cold, a regular succession of flowers may 

 be had from the first of October to the middle of July." 



The plants produce better flowers from November to April 

 than in the summer months, although they are sometimes to be 

 had all the year round. Camellias delight to be kept damp all 

 the summer months, and a little shaded from the strong sun. 

 Give them plenty of water all the time they are making their 

 young shoots ; they may also get a gentle sprinkling over the 

 leaves once every week during the summer months, except when 

 they are in flower. Camellias will stand a great deal of cold and 

 heat without being much injured, but they will not form many 

 flower-buds without some artificial heat. 



XXVII. THE' A (altered from Tcha, the Chinese name for 

 tea). Lin. gen. no. 668. D. C. prod. J . p. 530. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Polyandria. Calyx of 5 sepals. 

 Petals 5-9, disposed in 2 or 3 rows, cohering at the very base. 

 Stamens almost unconnected to the very base. Anthers roundish. 

 Style trifid at the apex. Capsules 3-berried or 3-seeded ; the 

 dissepiments are formed from the edges of the valves being bent 

 inwards. (Gaert. fruct t. 95.) Beautiful evergreen shrubs, with 

 shining laurel-like leaves, and largish, white, axillary, stalked 

 flowers. 



1 T. VI'RIDIS (Lin. spec. 735.) leaves elliptic-oblong, serrated, 

 3 times longer than broad; flowers of 5-sepals, and 5-7-petals, 

 axillary, solitary, erect ; fruit nodding, dehiscent. Tj . F. Na- 

 tive of China and Japan. Letts, mon. t. 1. Black, herb. t. 

 351. (but with the flower red.) T. Bohea stricta, Ait. hort. kew. 

 ed. 2. vol. 3. p. 303. T. Chinensis, Sims, bot. mag. t. 998. T. 

 Chinensis, var. a viridis, D. C. prod. 1. p. 530. Camellia viridis, 

 Link. enum. 2. p. 73. Thea Cantonensis, Lour. coch. p. 339. 

 Lodd. bot. cab. 227. Woodv. med. bot. suppl. 116. t. 256. 

 Leaves pale-green. Flowers spreading, white, fragrant. 



All the different kinds of teas brought to this country from 

 China are the produce of Thea viridis, and the whole differences 

 depend upon soil and climate, and the different ages and periods 

 at which their leaves are gathered, and different modes of drying. 

 Dr. Lettsom observes, that a green-tea planted in the Bohea- 



tea country will produce Bohea-tea, and oji the contrary that a 

 plant brought from the Bohea-tea country planted in the Green- 

 tea country will produce Green-tea. The plant loves to grow 

 in valleys, at the foot of mountains, and upon the banks of rivers, 

 where it enjoys a southern exposure to the sun, though it endures 

 considerable variation of heat and cold, as it flourishes in the 

 northern clime of Pekin, as well as about Canton, and it is ob- 

 served, that the degree of cold is as severe in winter as some of 

 the southern parts of Europe. However, the best tea grows in 

 a mild temperate climate, the country about Nankin producing 

 better tea than either Pekin or Canton. In Japan the tea is 

 planted round the borders of fields without regard to soil or 

 situation, but as the Chinese export great quantities, they plant 

 whole fields with it. The plants are raised from seeds sown 

 where they are to remain. Three or more are dropped into a 

 hole 4 or 5 inches deep ; these come up without any further 

 trouble, and require little culture, except that of removing weeds. 

 The leaves are not collected from the cultivated plants until 

 they are 3 years old, and after growing 7 or 10 years they are cut 

 down, in order that the numerous young shoots that will then 

 rise may afford a greater supply of leaves. The best time to 

 gather the leaves is while they are small, young, and juicy. The 

 first gathering of tea leaves, according to Ksempfer, commences 

 about the latter end of February, when the leaves are young, 

 and unexpanded. The second collection is made about the be- 

 ginning of April, and the third in June. The first collection, 

 which only consists of fine tender leaves, is most esteemed, and 

 is called Imperial tea. The second is called Tootsjaa or Chinese 

 tea, because it is infused and drank after the Chinese manner. 

 The last, which is the coarsest and cheapest, is drank by the 

 lower class of people. Besides the three kinds of tea here 

 noticed, it may be observed, that by sorting these the varieties 

 of tea become still further multiplied. The tea-trees that yield 

 often the finest leaves grow on the steep declivities of hills, 

 where it is dangerous, and in some cases impracticable to collect 

 them. The Chinese are said to vanquish this difficulty by a 

 singular contrivance. The large monkies which inhabit these 

 cliffs are irritated, and in revenge they break off the branches 

 and throw them down, so that the leaves are thus obtained. 

 The leaves should be dried as soon as possible after they are 

 gathered. The buildings or drying houses contain from 5 to 

 10 or 20 small furnaces, about 3 feet high, each having at the 

 top a large flat iron pan. There is also a long low table, covered 

 with mats, on which the leaves are laid and rolled by workmen, 

 who sit round it ; the iron pan being heated to a certain degree, 

 a few pounds of fresh gathered leaves are put upon it, the fresh 

 and juicy leaves crak when they touch the pan, and it is the 

 business of the operator to shift them as quick as possible with 

 his bare hands, till they become too hot to be easily endured. 

 At this instant the leaves are taken off with a kind of shovel, 

 like a fan, and thrown on the mats before the rollers, who, 

 taking small quantities at a time, roll them in the palms of their 

 hands in one direction, while others are fanning them that they 

 may cool the more speedily, and retain their curl the longer. 

 This process is repeated two or three times, or oftener, before 

 the tea is put into the stores, in order that all the moisture of 

 the leaves may be thoroughly dissipated, and their curl more 

 completely preserved. On every repetition the pan is less 

 heated, and the operation performed more slowly and cautiously. 

 The tea is then separated into the different kinds, and deposited 

 in the store for domestic use or exportation. The country 

 people cure their tea-leaves in earthen kettles, which answer 

 every necessary purpose at less trouble and expense than the 

 process described above, and they are thus enabled to sell it 

 cheaper. After the tea has been kept for some months, it is 

 taken out of the vessels in which it was stored, and dried again 



