399 



The plant comes into plentiful bearing of its product as 

 early as the Vine and earlier than the Olive. Its culture 

 is surrounded with no difficulties, and it is singularly exempt 

 from diseases if planted in proper localities. Pruning is 

 effected in the cool season, in order to obtain a large 

 quantity of small tender leaves from young branches. 

 Both the Chinese and Assam tea are produced by varieties 

 of one single species, the Tea-shrub being indigenous in the 

 forest-country of Assam. Declivities are best adapted and 

 usually chosen for tea-culture, particularly for Congo, Pekoe 

 and Souchong, while Bohea is often grown in flat countries. 

 For many full details Fortune's work, " The Tea-Districts 

 of China," might be consulted. 



The tea of commerce consists of the young leaves, heated, 

 curled and sweated. The process of preparing the leaves 

 can be effected by steam machinery ; one of particular con- 

 struction has been suggested recently by Mr. Joachimi 

 according to requirements explained by the writer. In 

 1866 three machines for dressing tea have been patented in 

 England, one by Messrs. Campbell and Burgess, one by 

 Mr. Thomson and one by Mr. Tayser. To give an idea of 

 the quantity of Tea, which is consumed at the present 

 time, it may be stated, that from June to September, 1871, 

 11,000,000 lbs. of tea were shipped from China alone to 

 A ustralia, and that the produce of tea in India from January 

 to June of this year has been 18,500,000 lbs. Seeds of the 

 Tea-bush are now in many parts of this colony locally to be 

 gathered from plants distributed by the writer, and for 

 years to come the cultivation of the Tea-bush, merely to 

 secure local supplies of fresh seeds, ready to germinate, will 

 in all likelihood prove highly lucrative. Tea contains an 

 alkaloid : Coffein, a peculiar essential oil and Bohea-acid 

 along with other substances. 



Thrinax parviflora, Swartz. 



West India, and also on the continent of Central America. 

 The stem of this Pan-palm attains a height of 25 feet. It 

 belongs to the sand-tracts of the coast and mav endure our 

 clime. The fibre of this Palm forms material for ropes. 



