Chap. XIX. 
PACKING TEA-SEEDS. 
287 
CHAPTER XIX. 
Experiments with Tea-seeds — Best Method of sending them to 
distant Countries — How Oaks and Chestnuts might be trans- 
ported — Arrive at Calcutta —- Condition of the Collections — 
Proceed onwards — The Sunderbunds — Arrive at Allahabad — 
Reach Saharunpore — State of the Tea-plants — Chinese Manu- 
facturers located — I bid them farewell — Eemarks on Tea Culti- 
vation in India — Scenery about Nainee Tal — Victoria Regia. 
In the autumn of 1848 I sent large quantities of tea- 
seeds to India. Some were packed in loose canvas bags, 
others were mixed with dry earth and put into boxes, 
and others again were put up in very small packages, in 
order to be quickly forwarded by post ; but none of these 
methods were attended with much success. Tea-seeds 
retain their vitality for a very short period if they 
are out of the groimd. It is the same with oaks and 
chestnuts, and hence the great difficulty of introducing 
these valuable trees into distant countries by seeds. 
In 1849, however, I succeeded in finding a sure and 
certain method of transporting tea-seeds to foreign 
countries in full life ; and as this method will apply to all 
short-lived seeds as well as to those of the tea-plant, it is 
important that it should be generally known. It is sim- 
