Feb. i, 1895 ] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Si3 
As all Englishmen are proverbially interested in the 
weather, and as atmospheric changes have of late been 
really remarkable, it may be worth notice here that 
continued wet weather tries tea as well as some 
people's tempers. For instance, the late excessive 
rains, especially in the Southern and Midland Counties 
have temporarily affected the tastes of very many 
tea drinkers. It is well known to experts that autumnal 
flood waters are liable to be slightly contaminated by- 
decaying leaves and dissolved earthy matters, and 
th.it thus they injuriously affect the delicate flavours 
of the finer teas. In the autumn and winter, too, the 
improper feeding of cows often results in their 
yielding a milk which neutralises the most appetising 
properties of the tea into which it is thoughtlessly 
poured. All lovers of the fragrant leaf should there- 
fore take daily care to infuse it only with fresh pure 
water, and put into it only pure milk, and sound, 
odourless sugar, or the innocent product of the East 
may, as so often happens, be unjustly blamed for 
the faults of its Western associates. — Tours, &c, 
Brooke, Bond, and Co. Limited. 
11, Boar-lane, Leeds, November 23rd, 1894. 
THE PRODUCTION OF TEA IN JAPAN. 
The United States Consul at Nagasaki, says, that 
in that Ken, tea cultivation is conducted as follows : — 
On inclined ground the tea is planted in furrows, but 
on level ground the plants are grown separately. The 
space between each row is about three and a half feet. 
On the hill sides it is planted in row r s, but on the 
plains and near the houses it is grown in circular 
patches. After the first and second leaves are picked 
the branches are cut with shears. The object in 
cutting is mostly to make the plant round or semi- 
circular. Formerly the plant was cut down to the 
ground every three years. The ground is cultivated 
three or four times in the spring, summer and autumn. 
The grasses are cut , and manure applied twice a year 
— in spring and in autumn. For manure, night soil, 
green weeds, accumulated soil, oil cakes, and fish, are 
used. These manures are used only for plants near 
people's residences ; for those on the hill sides, 
weedings are performed twice a year, in spring and in 
autumn, and the weeds are used as manure. The 
season for gathering first tea buds or leaves begins on 
the first or second of May, but in some localities first 
leaves are gathered about the 20th of May. Second 
buds or leaves are generally allowed to grow, unless 
the market price is very high, or the first leaves 
gathered are found much smaller than usual. In the 
vicinity of Omura and Hirado. however they gather 
both first and second leaves. In picking leaves for 
the best tea, three tender leaves are picked together ; 
for the middle of lower classes of tea, five leaves are 
picke I at onco ; and for the lowest, all the young leaves 
are gathered. In picking leaves women are usually 
employed. The average quantity of the three leaves 
icked by a woman is from ten te thirteen catties a 
ay (a catty is equivalent to 1-31 pounds avoirdupois). 
The manufacture was formerly conducted in two ways, 
namely, by drying in the iron pan, or in the sun, then 
drying in paper utensils was introduced, and more 
recently drying in bamboo baskets came into vogue. 
The method of drying in the iron pan is still ex- 
tensively used. For manufacturing black tea, the 
Indian method was formerly followed, but at present 
the Chinese method is adopted. For sorting tea 
leaves, heated in paper utensils, round and square 
sieves are used, and tor rolling utensils, either case 
or bag is used. Night soil, oil cake, dried fish, green 
grass, and weeds, are considered the best manure for 
tea plants. The hours of labour are from 5 in the 
morning until] 6 in the evening. The daily product 
per man is as follows :— " With the iron pan, about 
thirty catties : with the paper utonsil, about twenty 
catties ; with the bamboo basket, about forty-five 
catties. The women aro employed onlv at steaming 
the tea leaves, and are paid only half the rate of 
the payment to the men. When the season arrives, 
tho workmen aro hired daily, the farmers helpin" 
each other. In Omura, contracts are made before-hand 
by advancing money about January or February. 
—Journal of the Society of Arts. 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA : 
NOTES FROM BLANTYRE. 
Perhaps a few notes regarding tins part 01 the 
world, one of England's latest possessions, may 
be of some interest to the readers of the Journal 
of Horticulture. Of our journey up the Zambesi 
and Shire rivers we will not say much. Suffice 
it, that we had a most delightful voyage ; but 
what else could we expect, considering we had 
the good fortune to be on board the best, fastest, 
cleanest, and most comfortable steamer plying on 
the great Zambesi — namely, the mission steamer 
' 1 Henry Henderson ? " 
Shortly after leaving Chinde, the port of 
debarkation (formerly it used to be Quilimane), 
we in due time reached Shupanga, where we went 
ashore, and visited the grave of Mrs. Livingstone 
(27th April, 1862). The Baobab tree under which 
she rests was measured by one of us, and found 
to be 50 feet in circumference 0 feet from its base. 
What a splendid forest theie is at Shupanga, 
and what magnificent trees grow therein. From 
this forest come most of the canoes used on the 
lower reaches of the river. Rosewood we saw 
in abundance also some splendid trees of Lignum 
Vitre. There is also a vast number of Mango 
trees, said to have been planted by the Jesuit 
missionaries centuries ago. We do not contradict 
the statement, for it may well be true, but 
today these trees are a living testimony of the 
good those early missionaries did. 
At Shupanga the Zambesi is much over 1,000 
yards wide, and beautifully studded with is- 
lands. Along the river banks grow many 
curious and beautiful plants and flowers. The 
most common are the Convolvuluses of various 
colours, climbing up to the tops of the trees, 
and hanging down in graceful festoons. Pal- 
myra palms are abundant all the way up the 
river, and are most invaluable as timber for 
house-building. We also noticed great tracts 
of the Zambesi Cabbage (Pistia stratiotes). 
Very fertile seemed the gardens of the natives. 
Along the river banks we saw considerable 
areas of Rice (the staple article of food of the 
natives on the river banks), Ground Nuts, Sor- 
ghum, Beans, Peas, and Sweet Potatoes. Maize, 
grown so much in the Highlands, does not seem 
to do so w : ell in the lower districts. 
Ten days after leaving Chinde we reached 
Katungas or Port Blantyre, and here our river 
journey ended. After resting for one night we 
set off early the next morning to walk to Blan- 
tyre, a distance of twenty-five miles. For the 
first few miles of the journey we travelled over 
a comparatively level road, and then we came 
to the ascent of the hills, which in some places 
is as much as 1 in 2o°. However, after an 
hour's steady climbing we reached the top, and 
right handsomely were we rewarded by the 
magnificent view that burst upon us. Away 
down on the plains the atmosphere was close, 
the air too thick and hot to breathe ; but here, 
up on the hills, how cool and exhilarating ! 
W hat a charming country ! What richness of 
vegetation ! A land that knows not frost or 
snow ! and so, resting at the roadside under 
the shade of a Bamboo clump we uttered such 
expressions of approval, on this, our first en- 
trance, into the Shire Highlands of British 
Central Africa. Continuing our journey we 
soon reached Mlanie where, by t lie kindness 
of the present administration, a half-way house 
roughly constructed of Grass and Bamboo, lias 
been put up for the accommodation of travellers, 
and here wc rested for our midday snack. Mlaiue i~ 
