BOTANICAL DIFFERENCE. 309 



Now it has been shown, that all these differences 

 of flavour and quality, the Chinese most unequivo- 

 cally ascribe exclusively to soil. In the black tea 

 districts of the province of Fokien, they positively 

 affirm, that there is no difference in the plant. 

 Similar opinions almost universally obtain in the 

 green tea districts, nor do I see any reason to 

 discredit this belief on the part of the Chinese, 

 since they are perfectly conversant with the art 

 and necessity of propagating certain varieties of 

 plants by grafts and such like expedients. 



Nor does this testimony of the Chinese differ 

 essentially from the commonly received opinions 

 entertained by scientific and practical men, regard- 

 ing the effect of soil and atmospheric influence 

 on vegetable economy, and known facts of other 

 plants, such as wheat, barley, rice, cotton, the vine, 

 coffee, the orange, the citron, &c. 



It has been shown, that a vast improvement was 

 effected in green tea, by bringing the plants from 

 the hills into the plains, and by cultivation and 

 manure. This practice has existed for at least six 

 hundred years. It is, therefore, easy to conceive 

 that the cultivated plant, thus renewed, and propa- 

 gated for centuries from the seed of improved 

 plants under altered circumstances of site, atmo- 

 sphere, soil, and cultivation, may so far have 

 estranged itself from its original parent stock that, 

 even in the green tea districts, these two plants. 



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