1 56 [Assembly 



Assam Tea, At a late meeting of the London Asiatic society. 

 Dr. Wallich strongly recommended the mixing in small quanti- 

 ties, the Assam tea Avith that from China, to which, he stated, it 

 imparts " extraordinary strength and flavor." 



The Doctor stated that the fault of the climate of Assam for 

 the growth of the tea plant, is that it is not cold enough. The 

 tea being a hardy plant, requires four or five months wintering, 

 after which the new leaves are of a beautiful green. The prices 

 in Assam are 18 to 20 cents a pound. 



Prof Boyle fully supported the observations of Dr. Wallich, 

 and suggested that if the plant could be obtained from Northern 

 China, the results would be infinitely greater, as all the best tea 

 was produced there. Important results were confidently expect- 

 ed from the tea plantations in India, depending however on a 

 more general culture. 



Citrons. Among the fruits lately exhibited at the London 

 Hortic. Soc, one specimen, the C. Mellarosa, was particularly 

 distinguished. In appearance it greatly resembled the tomato ; 

 flattened at the base and top, and ribbed, showing a disposition 

 in the parts to separate, as in the case of the Chinese fingered 

 citron. This species was highly perfumed. 



A very curious and important fact, recorded by Athenseus, 

 shows that the citron possesses the peculiar power of resisting or 

 counteracting the venom of the serpent ; the discovery was acci- 

 dental, but fully established by actual experiments on a slave 

 condemned to death by serpentine venom, and who escaped by 

 eating citron. 



Glucose. A new process of making sugar has been patented 

 by Mr. Geo. Riley in England : the meal of Indian corn (maize) 

 is boiled under pressure greater than that of the atmosphere, in 

 water acidulated with sulphuric acid. 



Pulverized wood. Young branches of white wooded trees have 

 been ground up, and used by a writer, (Mr. Daniells) in Cham- 

 ber's Journal, Sept. 1850, and given to horses and cattle in the 

 proportion of 3 pints barley and 3 pints wood-feed, on which 

 even gig-horses do well — ^rationale, the woody matter of trees in 



