May i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
735 
years' growth, not loss than 1000 lbs. per aero of 
made tea should bo obtained. Indeed I fully expect 
to pick and make over 1000 lbs. per acre on a block 
of 32 acres of land t his season ; if tbo season con- 
tinues good tbis block will give me 1200 lbs. per 
aero. Requisites necessary — average land, good 
culture (and all that is contained in that term), and 
liberal scientific pruning, and above all things, not 
too close planting. 
Natal possesses a climate suitable for Europeans, 
and advantages can he takou of circumstances 
peculiarly suitable to the colony, I refer to the 
Central Factory system. Oi.e plant of machinery, 
iVc, for 20 to 40 small growers. The maximum 
yield per acre can be thus obtained by individual at- 
tention to small areas of cultivation, and the manu- 
facture of large quantities of leaf together insures a 
better average turnout of tea. No difficulty as to 
Fair proportion as in sugar, a fixed prico for the 
green leaf per lb. The Chinese grower sells his leaf 
to a manufacturer. With the introduction of small 
settlers, no reason exists why Natal should not in a 
few years' time produco its 40,000,000 lb. of tea, 
as Ceylon expects to do in two years time. This 
euttrpriso thus conducted, mums the support of thou- 
sands of white poople. 
Keeling assured of the desirability of this central 
factory system, I am prepared to throw open 4000 
acres of land to settlers of small means on some 
such terms as the following: — To each settler a 
block of ,">0 acres of suitable land for a term of 10 
or 15 years. No rent for three years; afterwards a 
rental of 1 shilling per acre per annum ; at the close of 
pei iod, purchase can bo effected at £1 per acre, half 
of the amounts previously paid in rents to be allowed 
ou account of the purchase. .Should the lessee do- 
sire not to purchase, two-thirds of the value of improve- 
ments below a fixed amount to be paid to the lessee. 
A reserve block of 50 acres adjoining each occupancy 
to bo laid oil' for purchase or lease by the occupant 
at a fixed rate. On the estate only 20 settlers to be 
located in various parts, the remaining 2000 acres to 
ho held by myself us owner for purposes of tho 
estate general!] — grazing rights allowed within 
certaiu restrictions to the tenants. I would erect 
suitable buildings and machinery for making tho 
tea, and agree to purchase green leaf at a price fixed 
according to tho market price of the article. I will 
find toa seed for planting gratis. 
The occupiers would be required to plant five 
acres of tea the first season, and each following 
season tho samo quantity for five years, unless 
special circumstances prevented. Each occupier 
would be required to plant one acre a year with 
forest trees. All other cultivation at option of 
tho occupier, which would doubtless consist of 
food supplies. No occupier would be allowed 
to keep a regular store or canteen. Euch oc- 
cupier would have to prove his capability to carry 
out the j conditions. Tho amount of money ne- 
ccs-ary would greatly depend upon tho in lividual. 
From £150 to £1000 would be about the minimum 
that au industrious man could do with. Tho estate 
in question is situated about nine miles from this 
place, ou the Tugi la. I have 0110 of my sons upon 
it opening out 40 acres of tea. All occupiers 
would receive the practical advico of one capable of 
giving tho same. If white settlers can bo obtained 
so much tho better; but if not, I intend getting 
in liuus who will pay rent at ouco. 
1 consider tho principle embodied in the abovo 
scheme worth tho attention of landowners iu various 
parts of tho colouy. — Natal M-,\ui\j. 
« 
IT. A CULTIVATION IN INDIA. 
J)i< ThtekuUur in Brititch'OttiJiiditn } im fUMfeigtten 
Jahre Hire) liestaiulei, Historuch, Xaturicustu- 
Sekaftiieh, "« I StatUiisch, Dr. Ottokar Feiitmantel. 
(Trajiuo : ( >. Itey. r, 1—s , 
'1 ho subject o! tea cultivation in Indiu is ouo to which 
innumerable writers have devoted their attention, 
and not the louit valuable portiou of Dr, FuuUudUtel'a 
work, " Die Theekultur in Britisch-Ost Indien," ii the 
bibliography of the subject with which, while recording 
his indebtedness for much of his information to many 
of the English and German authors enumerated, he 
commonces his remarks. In his preface he explains 
that in the course of au address on the products aud 
exports of British India, recently delivered by him 
iu Prague, he alluded to the fact that on the Continent 
of Europe tea was generally known only as either 
liussiau or Chinese, and that it was barely known that 
India produced a large and annually increasing quantity 
of high-class teas, which are largely used in London 
for mixing with aud improving China tea. The corres- 
pondence which ensued when these remarks were re- 
ported by the local press, induced him to publish the 
present work as the result of information he had the 
opportunity of collecting, while serving in India for 
eight years as palaeontologist to the Geological Survey. 
It is Dr. Feistmantel's aim to place before tho Ger- 
man-speaking peoples of the Continent as complete an 
exposition of the conditions of the tea industry in 
India, as has already been laid before English-speaking 
people by other writers; and he therefore begins with 
an abstract of tho early history of the tea-plant iu 
India, the datos of its first discovery as an indigenous 
shrub, and its first introduction into the dilfereus 
districts in which it is now cultivated. He mentiout 
the first export from India to Eugland iu 1838 of 
twelve cbosts of tea, which sold for 19s. bd. per poun I. 
He points out the differences between the indigenous, 
tho "China," and the hybrid varieties of the plant 
which are cultivated in India, and enumerates tho 
various pseudo-tree which are known either iu tbo 
frontier countries of India or iu other countries : such 
as Ovt/ris nepalcnsis or arborva, in Kumaon-Garhwa), 
aud lately in Kashmir; JSlaodendron per sicum in 
Burmah, from which, when mixed with oil, salt, garlic, 
aud assafcetida is prepared tho nauseous compound, 
to European taste, known as "pickled tea" Ilex para- 
yvayensis, the Paraguay toa, or "Mate," of South 
America; Ledum jialustre, or Labrador tea; the Tas- 
maniau tea, made from various varieties of Melaleuca 
and Leptospermum ; and tho Faham tea, Auyracum 
fragrans of Mauritius ; and others. 
The number of plantations in the vai ious provinces, 
area under cultivation, aud annual yield of tea for all 
India, aro given in detail; and the difference between 
the various kiuds of China and Indiau tea, as proved 
by analysis, are very fully treated of. The principle 
black tias made iu India are tiowery pekoe, oraugo 
pekoe, souchong, pekoe souchong, congou, and bohea; 
as also tho several varieties of broken leaf, such as 
broken pekoe, pekoo dust, &c. All these aro not, as 
is commonly supposed, tho produce of different plants, 
but are prepared from ouo aud tho same plant, tho 
classification being caused by the difference of age aud 
development of the leave used for the several varieties. 
The principal kinds of green tea are gunpowder, hyson, 
aud young hyson, ami these are manulacfuied almost 
exclusively in tho North-West Province* aud Kangra. 
It may be accepted as a fact that Indian tea 
is very rarely adulterated, beiug packed ou tho plan- 
tation, and shipped direct from the planter to tho 
market ; but " China tea " passes through many hands 
bofore it is packed for shipment, aud is frequ ntly 
mixed with willow or other leaves, or with artificial 
colouring-matter. But tho adulterated tea is not 
now readily saleable in Loudou, aud is thereforo re- 
exported to tho Continent. A direct importation of 
toa from India to tho Continent would insure tho 
purity of tbo supply. 
In a lecture given before the Society of Art", iu 
May lust, by Air. J. Berry White, and quoted by Dr. 
Feistmuutcl, a table is giveu showing tin- steady ii 
of tho Indian tea crop from 232,000 pound < in 1863 
to 70,ot\> 1 0<)(l poum's iu IsSti ; and .Mr. White estima- 
ted that tbo crop fur 1S$7 would not fall fur short 
of 00,000,000 pounds. Tho amount of tin exported 
from India between October 1,1885, and September 
80j lsstf, is officially returned as 68,784,249 pound*, 
of which G0,tMu,7l:i pounds went to England. Nearly 
thu wholo of this tea is consumed in (.•n ut Britain, 
a small quantity beiug sunt to the Coutiueu; mixed 
