JULV 2, I894-] 
THE TROPICAL ARICULTURIST. 
29 
subject, and although he says in his prefici that 
" utility, not originality haa been aimed nt in the 
compilation of this work,'' I do not think th vt j ustifies 
him iu plagiarising wholesale without acknowledgment. 
I have another book written by S. P. Day, and I 
should like you to carefully observe the titles and 
dates ot the two. 
Tea : Its Mystery and 
History, by Samuel Phil- 
lips Day, Londo 1, 1878. 
Eminent writers, also, 
considered it no indignity 
to extol the precious beve- 
rage. What Bacchanalian 
and hunting songs, cava- 
lier and sea-songs, rhapso- 
dioal treatises in laud ition 
cf hunting, coaching, and 
bo forth are to the litera- 
ture of England, such 
was Tea to the writers, 
artists and musicians of 
Cbi' a and Japan. Ino'ber 
wor.!s their D.ekense', 
their Goldsmiths, iust-ad 
of hav'ng a wide variety of 
topics to treat of as was 
the case w th their English 
compeers were co ihned to 
one subject — T 'a. Iodoed 
each plantation was sup- 
posed to possess its pecu- 
liar virtues and exce'lences 
Ike to the slightly 
varying v'.neyardtof the 
Rhine, the Rhone, the 
Garonne or the Moselle. 
Each had i f s poet to sing 
its p ais°8 in running 
rbymes. In illustration 
one Chinese bard who 
Beamingly was an Anacreon 
in his way, magnifies the 
shrub that grows on the 
Mong-shan mountains in 
tha territory cf Yachew in 
words which liti rilly tran- 
flated mean : 
One ounce do!h all 
disorders cure, &t, t &c. 
However hyperbolic il this 
testimony may be consi- 
dered it at least serves to 
show the high estimation 
in which Tea was held. 
(P- 23.) 
Almost the first literary 
eulogist to espouse the 
causa of the new drink 
was Edmund Waller. He 
recites how lo became 
induced to taBte Tee. . 
. . . Iu the poem which 
furbishes several references 
to 1 hi infused leaf occurs 
the fo'lomin/ pregnant al- 
lusion : — 
The Muses fri<?nd, Tea 
doth our fancy aul," &c. 
Byron in later times be- 
came an enthusiajt in its 
favour averring tnm ho 
"Mu3t have recourse to 
bhek Bohea" while he 
prononnors Green Tea 
"The Chinese inympb of 
tears." (p. 38.) 
That Queen Autie ranked 
among the votaries of the 
loif is manifest from 
Tope's Couplet : — 
"Thou grtat Anne whom 
Tea : Its History and 
Mystery, (illustrated) by 
Joseph M. Walsh, Phila- 
delphia, 1892. 
* * * Eminent writers 
of all times and all coun- 
tries considering it no 
indignity to extol the 
virtues of this precious 
and fisciuating beverage. 
Wha 1 ; Bacchai a'ian anl 
hunting song', cavalier and 
Eea-songs, rapbsodies (sic !) 
and laudations of other 
subjects have be -n to our 
literature, such was tea 
to tho writers, poets, a-- 
tists and musicians of 
China an! Japin, their's 
being confine 1 to the sim- 
ple subject — Tea. Each 
plantation was suppo ; ed 
to possess its own peculiar 
virtues and excellences not 
unlike the vinoyerls of 
the Rhine, the Rhone 
and the Moselle, each had 
its poet to sing its pra'sas 
in running r'lymee. One 
Chinese bard who seem- 
ingly was an Anacreon in 
bis way magnifying the 
product of the Wo^-shan 
inoun ains iu terms liter- 
ally translated as folio vt: — 
One ounoe does all dis- 
orders cure, &c, &o. 
However hyperbolical this 
testimony may be consi- 
dered, il at least serves 
to show the high estim ition 
id which th ; plant was held 
in Obiua. (p. 232.) 
The first literary eulo- 
gist to espouse, the oause 
of the new drink in liurope 
was Ifidmund Waller recit- 
ing how he becvee first 
induced to ta'te it In a 
poem containing several 
references to tho leaf 
occurs the following preg- 
naut allusion to tea: — 
' The Muses friend doth 
our faucy aid," & : (p. 233) 
Byron iu his latler years 
became an enthusiisfc on 
the ure of tei averring 
that he ''Must have re- 
course to bkek Bohea," 
still later pronouncing 
Green Tea to be the Chinese 
nymph ot teirs. (p. 231.) 
That Qneen Anne ranked 
amongs', its votaries is 
manifest from Pope's 
celebrated couplet : — 
') Though (sic !) great 
Anne wtrm the (sio ! ) 
realms obey," &o. (p. 233.) 
Wuila Braly in his well- 
known metrical ve-siou 
of the psalm", thus illus- 
trated its a Ivautages : — 
" Over our tea conversa- 
tions wa employ (sic !), 
&c. &c 
Cowper's praise of the 
beverage has been sadly 
hackneyed, nevertheless 
as the laureate of the tea- 
tables, his lines are worthy 
of reproduction here. (p. 
234.) 
An easy way of writing a 
book, but a certsin way of getting caught if you steal 
tha v< ry blun lers of your victim. Fancy Braly ex- 
tolling Tea in a vers on of the " Psalms ! " Nahum 
Tate wrote a ' Poem on Tea ' called " Panaooi ": ho 
also assisted Brady in writiog a poetical version of 
tha " Psalms : hence the confusion by Day, per- 
petuated to his own confusion by the false (K)nigkt 
Walsh. Truly the old adage verities itself " Taffy 
was a Walsh-m&n" &a. &c. 
The "Girl's Own Paper,' or the Gop, as it i3 
familiarly callel, is giviug prizes for th e guessing of 
hieroglyphic poems, and in the May number Ise) 
the foildw'fbg announcement " Tristasse. Foreigu 
Award, Honourable Mention. E. Blaze, Kandy, 
Ceylon.' A, M. Ferguson, 
three realms obey," &a. 
(p. 64.) 
Brady, in his well-known 
me'.rical version of the 
' Psalms,' thus illustrates 
tho advantages aocruing 
therefrom : — 
" When in discourse of 
Nature's mystie power?," 
&o. 
The poet Cowper's pra ise 
of the beverage has been 
sadly haokneyed, rever- 
theless as the laureate of 
the tea-table, his lines are 
worthy of further repro- 
ductioa. (p. 65.) 
And so oa ad infinitum. 
HOW TO RECOGNISE GOOD WOOD. 
Rankine says that there are ccrta'n appearances 
characteristic of good wood, to what class soever it 
belongs. In the s imo species of wood, that specimen 
will in general be the strengest and rnott duiaole 
which has grown tha slowest, es shown by the nar- 
rowness of the riDgs, It should show no wooiicess at 
a freBhly-cut suriace, nor should it clog the teeth of 
the saw with loose fibres. It the wood is coloured, 
darkness of colour is in general a sign of strength 
and durability. The fie3hly-cut surlaoe of the wood 
should be firm and shiniag, and should have sarce- 
what of'a translucent appearance. Iu wool of a given 
specie', the heavy specimens are in general the stronger 
and the more lasting. Among resiuous woods, thosa 
having the least resin in their pores, an 1 among non- 
resinous woods, thosa wh'ch have leist sap or guna 
in them are in general the strange t and most endur- 
ing. Timber should be free from such blemishes as 
olelts, or cracks radiating from the centre; cup-shakes 
or cracks which partially separate one layer from 
another; upiets, where the fibres have been crippled 
by compression ; wind-galls, or wounds iu a layer of 
wood, which bave been coverei and concealed by the 
growth of the subsequent layers over them ; and 
hollowed orspougy places indicating the commeupeniea 
— Home Paper, 
PLANTING IN JAVA. 
Mr. Duncan D. Fraser, Acting British Consul at 
Ba'aua, write.9 as follows in his report, date! Feb. 15 
on the Trade, Commerce, and General Matters rela- 
ting to the Island of Java for tho year 1893 :— 
Sugar.— List season's crop has b.en the largest on 
record, as the following figures will show : — 
1891 1892 1893 
Wast Java ... Tons. 69,377 73,420 83,399 
Mid „ ... „ 106,078 111,184 125,549 
Eist „ ... „ 224 459 231,912 270,651 
Total. 399,914 416,516 479,599 
(These figures are exclusive of molasses or syrup sugar.) 
The outturu of 1893 exceeded that of 1892 by about 
13 per oeut., and tha* of 1891 by about IOJ per oent. 
Four new factories commenced, work, two" of which 
