Magazine  of  the  School  of  Agriculture. 
85 
had  an  opportunity  of  inspecting. the  so-called  tea, 
and  found  it  to  be  no  other  than  the  common 
lemon  grass  Andropogon  martinii.  This  is  called 
by  many  of  the  ignorant  people  here  the  tea 
plant,  and  its  leaves  are  infused  and  drunk  with 
milk  and  sugar.  Sometimes  it  is  said  that  these 
leaves  are  cut  into  small  bits  and  dried  and  mixed 
with  half  the  quantity  of  real  tea.  I expe- 
rienced the  taste  of  this  lemon  grass  tea,  and  my 
curiosity  was  satisfied  once  and  for  ever. 
In  this  connection  I annex  a list  of  plants 
which  are  used  in  different  countries  as  substitutes 
for  tea,  which  I had  occasion  to  jot  down,  from 
“ Johnston’s  Chemistry  of  Common  Life,”  edited  by 
Professor  Church: — 
Name. 
Natural  Order. 
Common  Name. 
Where  used. 
1. 
Catha  Edulis 
Celastiaceae 
Arabian  tea 
Arabia. 
2. 
C.  Spinosa 
99  • * 
Eat 
Abyssinia. 
3. 
Sageretea  Thozans 
Rhamnaceae 
(?) 
China. 
4. 
Ceonothus  Amerioanus 
99 
New  Jersey  tea  . . 
N.  America. 
5; 
Psoralia  gland ulosa  . . 
Legunmiosae 
(?) 
Chile. 
6. 
Cyclopia  Vogeli 
» • 
Bcertea 
Cape. 
7, 
Prunus  Spinosa 
Drupaceae  . 
Sloe 
Northern  Europe 
8; 
Fragraria  Collina 
Rosaceae 
Strawberry 
99 
9. 
Glaphylia  Nitida  (Flower) 
Myrtaceae 
Long  life  tea 
Bencoolan. 
10: 
Laptospermum  Scoparium 
» • 
« „ • • 
Tasmania. 
11. 
Melalica  Genistifolia 
99  * 
» • • 
ti 
12. 
M.  Scorparia 
„ . 
99  • * 
>> 
13. 
Myrtus  Ugni 
99  ' 
(?) 
Chile. 
14. 
Helichrysum  Seraphylifolium 
Compositae  . 
Colony  tea 
Cape. 
15. 
Gaultheria  Procumbens  . . 
Ericaceae 
Mountain  tea 
N.  America. 
16. 
Ledum  Palustie 
jt  * 
Labrador  tea 
99 
17, 
L.  Latifolium 
ff  9 
Labiatae 
James’  tea 
99 
18. 
Ocymum  Album 
Toolsie  tea  . , 
India. 
19. 
Monarda  Didyma  . . 
99  • 
Oswego  „ „ 
N.  America, 
20. 
M.  Purpura 
39  9 
» • • 
99 
21. 
Micromeria  Theasinensis  . . 
99  0 
99  • • 
France. 
22. 
Salvia  Officinalis 
99  * 
Sage 
N.  Europe. 
23. 
Hydrangea  Thunbergia  . . 
Lythrariaceae 
. Amatsja 
Japan. 
24. 
Acosna  Sanguisorba 
99  9 
Burr  tea 
New  Holland. 
25. 
Styrax  Alstonia 
Styraceae 
Santafe  tea 
N.  Grenada. 
26. 
Capraria  Biflora 
Scrophulariaceae  . 
• — 
Cent.  America 
27. 
Correa  Alba 
Rutaceae 
. Cape  Barra  tea  . . 
New  Holland. 
28. 
Lantana  Pseudothea  . , 
Verbenaceae 
Capitao  de  Matto 
Brazil. 
29. 
Stachytarpha  Jeneicensis  . . 
99  • 
. Brazilian  tea 
Austria. 
30. 
Chenapodium  Ambrosioides 
Mexican  tea 
. Mexican  tea 
Columbia. 
31. 
Viburnum  Cassinoides 
Caprifoliaceae 
. Applachian  tea  , , 
N.  America. 
32. 
Prinos  Glaber 
Aquifoliaceae 
99 
99 
33. 
Angraecum  Fragans 
Orchid® 
Bourbon 
Mauritius. 
34. 
Coffea  Arabica 
Rubiacese 
Coffee  tea 
Sumatra. 
thi3  lisfc  may  he  added  some  of 
Ceylon  " 
those  plants  of  which  the  leaves  are  used  in  India  and 
Sinhalese. 
35. 
Hemedesmus  Indicus 
Asclepiadeaceae 
. Iramusu. 
36. 
Cassia  Auriculata 
Leguminosae 
, Ranawara. 
37. 
Bidens  Pilosa 
Compositae 
. Wal  te. 
38. 
Andropogen  Martini  . . 
Graminae 
. Pengiri. 
“ Rose  ” tea  and  “ gardenia  ” tea  are  not  unknown  in  Ceylon,  and  many  substances  Are  Used 
in  different  countries  to  give  a fragrance  to  tea,  among  others  being  Olea  fragrans  (sweet- 
scented  olive),  Chloranthus  inconspicuous,  Aglaia  odorata,  Majorium  sambac,  Vitex  spicata, 
Camellia  odorifera,  Illicum  anisetum,  Magnolia  gracilis  (sapu)  and  Murrya  exotica  (S.  etterya). 
12th  May,  1893.  W.  A.  D.  S. 
GENERAL  ITEMS. 
Rice  is  being  raised  at  Louisiana  at  a cost 
of  4s.  2d.  per  barrel  or  sack  and  is  selling  for 
10s.  to  12s.  6d.  No  other  class  of  farmers,  it 
is  said,  are  making  such  profits.  Wheat,  oats 
and  corn  rarely  pay  4s.  2d.  per  acre  over  cost 
of  labour.  Rice  often  pays  £5,  £6  and  £10  per 
acre  over  cost  of  production. 
Milk  (or  skim  milk)  is  one  of  the  bast  articles 
that  can  be  used  in  connection  with  poultry  either 
young  or  old,  whether  used  to  wet  their 
food  or  for  drink  or  both.  Animal  food  and 
green  food  are  as  important  for  chickens,  fairly 
grown,  as  for  fowls. 
Charcoal  is  a very  valuable  assistant  in  raising 
chickens,  although  seldom  mentioned  in  poultry 
publications.  It  assists  digestion,  and  hence 
corrects  or  prevents  a multitude  of  evils.  It 
need  not  be  completely  pulverised,  but  should 
be  well  broken  up  and  placed  in  shallow  pans 
or  on  bits  of  board,  either  near  the  coops,  or  in 
various  places  about  the  premises  where  it  will 
