307 



CHAP. XII. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE BOTANICAL AND SPECIFIC DIFFERENCE 



OF TEA. OPINION OF THE CHINESE, SOIL THE ONLY CAUSE 



OF DIFFERENCE. ANALOGOUS CASES IN OTHER VEGETABLE 



PRODUCTIONS. NO DIFFERENCE AT JAVA. NO CERTAINTY 



THAT WE POSSESS TRUE SPECIMENS OF THE BLACK AND GREEN 



TEA SHRUB OF COMMERCE. THE THEA BOHEA A CANTON 



PLANT. — THE ASSAM PLANT DOUBTFUL AS TO SPECIES 



EXAMINATION OF THE GROUNDS ON WHICH BOTANISTS HAVE 

 ESTABLISHED A SPECIFIC DIFFERENCE. — OPPOSED TO ACTUAL 



OBSERVATION AT JAPAN, JAVA, AND THE BRAZILS. PROBABLY 



ONLY ONE SPECIES BUT SEVERAL VARIETIES. ALL BOTANICAL 



DIFFERENCE DESTROYED IN THE COURSE OF PACKING 



PROBABILITY THAT SUPERIOR SHRUBS DO EXIST IN THE BOHEA 

 AND HYSON DISTRICTS, THE EFFECT OF LONG AND CAREFUL 

 CULTIVATION. 



It has already been observed, that the Chinese 

 universally agree, from remote antiquity to the 

 present day, that only the Bohea mountains pro- 

 duce the highest flavoured black tea. They more- 

 over affirm that it is only in the central division of 

 these mountains, which are known to the Chinese 

 by the appellation of Nuy Shan (inner mountains), 

 where the highest flavoured teas are produced ; 

 and that the teas deteriorate in quality as the 

 plantations diverge from that particular locality : 

 till in some of the most remote districts, " the 

 leaves are thin and poor, have no fragrance or 



x 2 



