596 Tj^AXSACTiuys of tee Amebic Ay Institute. 



railway?, with a good Hat or imdnlatiiig lay of land, sufficiently ele- 

 vated to give a natural drainage, and carefully avoiding all steep 

 localities, wliicli are liable to landslips and difficult of cultivation, 

 though it is desirable to be as near a range of hills as possible, both 

 to secure a sufficient rain tail during the season of drought and to be 

 sheltered from the north-westerly gales, which are frequently accom- 

 panied by luiil storms, and entail considerable damage to the tea 

 plants. The proximity of water is advantageous for easy irrigation 

 of the nurseries, as well as of the young plants during their first 

 years' growth, in case of drought, and for tlie ready transport of man- 

 ufactured teas, supplies, fuel, etc., &c. 



SecoiiH — Soil. — The soil most preferable is a light, friable, filtry, 

 ferruginous clay, free from stones, slate or boulders of rock, which 

 prevent the tap-roots from penetrating to a proper depth to sustain 

 the plant in a healthy condition, or of attaining its full vigor, and 

 are very often the means of totally destroying tkem. A reddish loam, 

 with a depth of one to one and a half feet, and a subsoil somewhat 

 retentive of moisture, is also a desirable one ; but the more iron there 

 is in the soil the better the qualities of the teas grown thereon. 



TJdrd — Climate. — The climate in which tea has been known to 

 thrive best, is one in which periodical ruins occur, and where the 

 heat is not so intense as to check the full development of the plant, 

 or a temperature ranging from 20° Far. to 100°. Though tea grows 

 at an altitude of 8,000 feet, and is of a full rich flavor, yet its growth 

 is so slow that it would never pay, as a mercantile speculation, to cul- 

 tivate at that height. The limit as to altitude should be from 2,000 

 to 4,000 feet above the level of the sea. 



Clearances : Tkees to be Retained for Shade ok Protection in 

 Exposed Localities for Boxes, Fuel, itc, &c. 



Fimi — Clearances. — In commencing clearances, the first and most 

 important measure is to clear a sufiicient space for a commodious, 

 though temporary, homestead or station, as well as to cut down and 

 burn otf all the surrounding growth, whether grass, brushwood or 

 timber, to a distance of 300 yards, in order to prevent the possi- 

 bility of any after destruction of the buildings by fire, either acci- 

 dental or designed. 



Second — Plantation. — The clearances for the plantation should be 

 governed by the ilescrij>tlon of seed used, and manner in which it is 

 sown. Ilyhrid and China seeds may be sown ut the stake or from 



