NATUEE OF THE SOIL. 49 



again may depend on situation and circumstances. 

 These statements, however, all agree that the soil 

 should be moist or retentive of moisture, and that 

 an eastern aspect is the best. 



Now this conclusion, that a rich compact soil is 

 favourable to the cultivation of tea, appears at 

 variance with the currently received opinions on 

 that subject ; for it has generally been believed 

 that tea succeeds best in a stony, gravelly, sandy, 

 or poor soil, where there is little accumulation of 

 vegetable mould. This also was the description of 

 soil which came under the observation of Dr. Abel 

 on his journey from Peking, in company with the 

 British embassy, under Lord Amherst; but he 

 acknowledged that his opportunities of seeing the 

 tea plant were few. Du Halde states that the 

 soil of the Bohea mountains is light, whitish, 

 and sandy. * I once received from that country a 

 fine specimen of the tea plant, the soil of which 

 corresponded very well with the above description, 

 and yielded by simple washing T 6 ^ of a light 

 coloured fine sand. 



Le Compte states that tea thrives best in a 

 gravelly soil, next in a light sandy soil, and worst 

 in a yellow soil. 



The Pen Csao Kiang Moo observes that the 

 best tea grows in a stony soil ; the middling in a 



* Vol. i. page 11., translation. 

 E 



