106 FOEEST CULTURE AND 



the harvests which we obtain from the tea -bushes 

 planted in poqr soil or exposed localities near the 

 metropolis, while localities in the ranges are often not 

 accessible to ordinary cereal culture. But I do not 

 speak of Tea cultivation as an ordinary field industry, 

 but rather as a collateral occupation in forest-culture 

 of the lower ranges. 



Foreseeing the likelihood that this branch of rural 

 culture would be adopted in many favorable warm 

 spots of this colony, I have distributed, during the 

 past dozen years, the Tea - bush rather extensively 

 among country residents, partly with the view of 

 directing attention to a plant which, even for the 

 sake of ornamental value, is so eligible and easily 

 grown ; partly with an intention of seeing thus inde- 

 pendent local supplies of seed forthcoming. In the 

 same way the Cork Oak was very generally distributed 

 by myself, in order that their acorns might, in due 

 time, become locally accessible in very many places. 



The tea, in its commercial form, will however, 

 here, not likely be manufactured by the grower. It 

 is more probable that whenever plantations are formed 

 in any forest region, an enterprising man will estab- 

 lish amidst the tea-farms a factory for preparing the 

 tea-leaves, and purchase the latter from the produc- 

 ers. This is the system by which, in many parts of 

 South Europe, the multitude of small lots of silk- 

 cocoons pass into the central reeling establishments ; 

 and this is the manner in which, from numerous peas- 

 ants, the beet- root is obtained for the supply of sugar 

 factories. In the same way the branches of the Su- 

 mach, a shrub which, with care, could be reared in 



