<68 Select Plants for Industrial Culture 



of tea, which is consumed at the present time, it may be stated, that 

 from June to September 1871, 11,000,000 Ibs. of tea were shipped 

 from China alone to Australia, and that the produce of tea in India 

 from January to June of 1872 was 18,500,000 Ibs. In 1840 India sent 

 its first small sample of tea to the European market, but in 1877 

 exported to England forty million pounds, that is, as much as the 

 'whole English importation thirty years ago (Burrell). Ceylon alone 

 exported already in the commercial year 1882-3 one and a half mil- 

 lion Ibs. of tea. Dr. Scherzer estimates the Chinese home-consumption 

 at 400,000,000 Ibs., others much higher. In 1873 China exported 

 242,000,000 Ibs., Japan, 12,000,000 Ibs. Simmonds calculates the 

 area under tea cultivation in China at 25,000,000 acres. In 1884 

 Great Britain imported 215,000,000 Ibs. of tea, valued at ten and a 

 half million pounds sterling; of this quantity 66,000,000 Ibs. came 

 from India, after such a comparatively short time of culture. 100 Ibs. 

 of prepared tea is the average yield per acre. Seeds of the tea-bush 

 are now locally to be gathered in many parts of Australia from plants 

 distributed by the' writer since 1859; and for years to come the culti- 

 vation of the tea-bush, merely to secure local supplies of fresh seeds, 

 ready to germinate, will in all likelihood prove highly lucrative. Tea 

 contains an alkaloid, caffein, a peculiar essential oil and Boheic acid, 

 along with other substances. 



Canavalia gladiata, De Candolle.* 



Within the tropics of Asia, Africa and America. This perennial 

 climber grows to an enormous height, and bears an abundant crop of 

 large edible beans, which can be used green (Sir Walter Elliott). It 

 varies with red and white seeds, and in the size of the latter, which 

 are said to be wholesome. C. ensiformis (D.C.) is another variety. 

 C. obtusifolia is deleterious. 



Canna Achiras, Gillies. 



Mendoza. One of the few extra-tropic Cannas, eligible for arrow- 

 root culture. 



Canna coccinea, Roscoe. 



West-Indies. Yields, with some other Cannas, the particular 

 arrowroot called Tous Les Mois. 



Canna edulis, Edwards.* 



The Adeira of Peru. One of the hardiest of arrowroot-plants. 

 Seeds will germinate even when many years old. Plants, supplied at 

 the Botanic Garden of Melbourne, have yielded excellent starch at 

 Melbourne, Western Port, Lake Wellington, Ballarat and other 

 localities in the colony of Victoria. The Rev. Mr. Hagenauer, of the 

 Gippsland Aboriginal Mission-station, obtained over one ton from an 

 acre. The Rev. Mr. Bulmer found this root to yield 28 per cent, of 

 starch. The gathering of the roots is effected there about April. 

 The plants can be set out in ordinary ploughed land. Starch grains 



