Bibliography. 167 



2. Report of M. Guillemin, Botanical Assistant at the Museum 

 of Natural History, presented to the Minister of Agriculture and 

 Commerce., on the subject of the Expedition to Brazil, undertaken 

 principally with the view to obtain information respecting- the culture 

 and preparation of the Tea-plant, and the introduction of this shrub 

 into France. (Revue Agricole, 16me livraison.) — An abridged trans- 

 lation of this report is published in the seventeenth number of Hook- 

 er's Journal of Botany, for October, 1840. Mr. Guillemin returned 

 from his important expedition in July, 1839, bringing with him fifteen 

 hundred living tea-plants, about one third of the number with which 

 he left Rio Janeiro, and having collected much information respect- 

 ing the cultivation and preparation of tea in Brazil. The following 

 extract is copied from the translation mentioned above. 



" In the middle of November I had an opportunity of observing the 

 method pursued when culling the tea, which is performed by black 

 slaves, chiefly women and children. They carefully selected the ten- 

 derest and pale green leaves, nipping off with their nails the young 

 leaf bud, just below where the first or second leaf was unfolded. One 

 whole field had already undergone this operation ; nothing but tea 

 shrubs stripped of their foliage remained. The inspector assured me 

 that the plant receives no injury from this process, and that the har- 

 vest of leaves was to become permanent by carefully regulating it, so 

 that the foliage should have grown again on the first stripped shrubs, 

 at the period when the leaves of the last plants were pulled off". About 

 twelve thousand tea shrubs are grown in this garden ; they are regu- 

 larly planted in quincunxes, and stand about one metre distant from 

 each other ; the greater number are stunted and shabby looking, pro- 

 bably owing to the aspect of the ground, which lies low, on the level 

 of the sea, and exposed to the full rays of a burning sun; perhaps the 

 quality of the soil may have something to do with it, though this is 

 apparently similar to the prevailing soil in the province of Rio Janeiro. 

 This soil, which is highly argillaceous, and strongly tinged with trit- 

 oxide of iron, is formed by the decomposition of gneiss or granite 

 rocks. The flat situation of this tea ground is unfavorable to the im- 

 provement of the soil, for the heavy rains which wash away the su- 

 perfluous sand from slanting situations, of course only consolidate 

 more strongly the remaining component parts, where the land lies 

 perfectly level, and thus the tea plants suffer from this state of soil. 



" The kindness of M. de Brandao, Director of the botanic garden, 

 induced him to invite me, shortly after I had seen this above described 

 tea ground, that I might inspect all the operations for the preparation 

 of tea. I found that the picking of the leaves had been commenced 

 very early in the morning, and two kilogrammes were pulled that were 



