390 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. Chap. XXII. 



moisture, rain falls, and the bushes, being thus placed 

 in such favourable circumstances for vegetating, are 

 soon covered again with young leaves, from which 

 the main crop of the season is obtained. 



No one acquainted with vegetable physiology can 

 doubt the advantages of such weather in the cultiva- 

 tion of tea for mercantile purposes. And these ad- 

 vantages, to a certain extent at least, seem to be 

 extended to the Himalayas, although the regular 

 rainy season is later than in China. I have already 

 shown, from Dr. Jameson's table, that spring showers 

 are frequent in Kumaon, although rare in the plains 

 of India ; still, however, I think it would be prudent 

 to adapt the gathering of leaves to the climate, 

 that is, to take a moderate portion from the bushes 

 before the rains, and the main crop after they have 

 commenced. 



3. On the Vegetation of China and the Hima- 

 layas. — One of the surest guides from which to draw 

 conclusions on a subject of this nature is found in 

 the indigenous vegetable productions of the countries. 

 Dr. Royle, who was the first to recommend the cul- 

 tivation of tea in the Himalayas, drew his conclusions, 

 in the absence of that positive information from China 

 which we now possess, not only from the great simi- 

 larity in temperature between China and these hills, 

 but also from the resemblance in vegetable produc- 

 tions. This resemblance is certainly very striking„ 

 In both countries, except in the low valleys of the 

 Himalayas (and these we are not considering), tropical 

 forms are rarely met with. If we take trees and 



