878 
THE TROPIO^il. M3R1t»]LTUR1ST. 
[June i, 1892. 
wai apeck of it, and it was in a sealed jar. He gave 
about half of it away to neighbours and others who 
wanted it for a ouriosity. He thonght it would be 
a good idea to plant some of it, and prepared a piece 
of ground near bis house for that purpose, planting 
about two quarts of the seed. It sprouted and thrived 
well under oultivalion given it. The ears came well, 
when harvested. They are about six iriehea long, and 
the grains, which are small, being abont one-fonrth the 
size of tbo ordinary corn, are close together, standing 
up with sharp points. Mercer thinks that this must be 
the original oorn of the country, from which the 
present Indian corn has sprung through long and high 
cultivation. AVhat is remarkable abont it is that the 
mound from which it was taken is undoubtedly very 
old, for on it are growing trees that show by their 
rings that they are over 200 years old. The relics 
found with Ihs corn are similar to those found in 
mounds of Ohio and Illinois, and this mound must bo 
co-existent with those which are thought to be over 
1,000 years old. Mercer lias sent samples of Ids corn to 
friends in the East and the Goverumen t o/botaJs at 
■Washington . — American Miller. 
THE HOME OF THE TEA KINO. 
{Cammimicatcci.) 
Crowning a respeotably sized hill somewhere about 
five miles beyond Stanger township tlie traveller no- 
tices an extensive, imposing building in Beuaissauce 
style, which commands a vast and distant view, even 
as far as to the Etshowe camp in British Zululaml, 
The ragged, hilly nature of this part of Natal has nut 
interfered with what has turned eat a remarkably suo> 
cessful colonial industry, viz., the tea planting, and it 
is no idle boast to say that the euooess of this now 
flouriabing industry has been due to the indomitable 
peraeveranoa and dogged pertinacity of our energetic 
oolonist, Mr. Jubn Liege Ilulett, m-L.c. 1 he start of 
this groat work was made with a few hundred tea 
bushes in 1887, widoh were obtained from seed as far 
back as 1880. The preliminary five acres of five years 
ago have developed into over 300 acres on Kearsney 
estate alone, quite 170 acres ou Mr. Hulett’s adjoin- 
ing estate, Kiikly Vale, and over 100 acres on a third 
and new estate called Bulwer, situated about nine 
miles from tbo first, the leaf being, however, all treated 
at the central works adjoining Kearsney Hall. 
The Bulwer estate speoially will be worked on the 
Central Mill systom, that is, leasing portions of the 
land to small growers, the proprietor purchasing tbo 
leaf and manufacturing us before mentioned. 
Being a great lover of good tes, tbo visitrr soon 
spotted the active f nti iespoiisible leader in one of the 
enormous fields, covered with the profit-bringing low 
bush, planted in long rows of marked regularity. 
The information required was most willingly given 
by Mr. Uulett, who said the Natal tea plant was 
originally obtained from Indian seed, a variety of 
Assam, and proved itself admirably adapted for the 
colony, so mnoh so that the yield in Natal per acre 
is far in advsnoo of the same tea per acre in India, 
and fully equal to the producing power of other tea 
countries, such as Ceylon, &o. „ . 
•• Mr. Unlelt, it has often been stated that the 
rainfall >“ Natal is too smsll to give a successful tea 
leaf crop, compared to India and Ceylon ? As one of 
the veteran growers you can no doubt give me in- 
formation on this point? 
Mr Hnlett answered deliberately, that lua experi- 
ence was the hard tact, that with the smallet rainfall 
Jh^ returns are actually larger in Natal thsu other 
tea-crowing countries, because in these the ram cornea 
down with tropical vioslence in great masses, whilst 
in the garden Colony of South Atiioa ‘he ram des 
oends iu the form of genial ghowere, which the thirsty 
land absorbs thoioughly, and tho water theriforo is 
not wasted. The rainfall m ibis part of Victoria 
flauBtV is usually shout 35 to 60 inches per annum, 
end the usual climate experienced is the day breaking 
with heavy fogs, obscuring the distant country, and 
oa lifting giving a hot sw-lteriug boot which is most 
.suitable lor tea culture. No frosts are experienced 
' which would be fatal to the plants. 
Tea takes seven years to mature, thiugb Ibe first 
picking is done at the end of the third yosr from 
time of planting, increasing year by year as the 
plants develop. The yield and quality of tie leaf 
depend entirely on the olaas of soil, favourable siasons, 
and care bestowed in cultivating the plants. Between 
the aecond Bud third- year the yield of the tea leaf, 
that is, the light green fiush or young leaves which 
sprout ont on the top of Ibe bush, may range 
between lOO lb. to 200 lb. of dry lea per acre, and 
even more. Tbo fellowiiig seas .Q that return may be 
doubled, and by the time the tea bush is at its 
maximum power, the yield can he from 800 to 1,000 
lb. of dry tea per aero per annum. The proprietor of 
Kearsney has, for instance, taken from an area about 
20 acres in ex'ent quite 1,200 lb. of dry tea per acre 
in a year, and that from plants between five and 
six years old. This wonderful bnsh gets an ago of 
quite 25 years, butinlidlan plantations, plants grow- 
ing for 20 or 40 years are still fiourishing ; snd it 
is also interesting to learn that the tea tree grows 
naturally to a tree, la. ging from 28 to 30 feet in 
height, with a stem having a diameter of about 
si.x inches, but is, of course, always kept stunted 
to a bush not above two or throe feet iu height. 
It is cultivated fur plantation purposes in long 
rows, each bush four to five feet apart, and 
trained by prnning into the shape of saiicer-sbaped 
tops, in order to have the maximum area extent 
for picking surface. At Kearsney K.stato the planta- 
tions cover hills and valleys for long distances, and 
are protected by huge hedges in the shape of tree 
belts, mostly blue gums, which break the cutting 
power of the winds. 
The natural labour supply of Natal only being 
available to a very limited extent the veteran tea 
planter finds it necessary to employ about 200 
Indians, who, with tlioir wives and children are 
oil bnsily employed either iu the fields, pioking 
leaf or pruning and weeding plants, or iu the 
Urge works, ot which a description follows. To 
the oasual visitor in Natal it is most pertinent 
that the many agricnlturul and planting enter- 
prises in the colony in which large capital has 
been sunk, similar to the tea industry that takes years 
to develop, the whole snocess depends entirely and 
solely on a reliable and steady labour supply, which 
is efficiently kept up by the Indisn immigration 
system. In contrast to this, the genus “ Arab 
merchant ” might well be dispensed with, for more 
tlian one reason, from the colony. 
Tke yield of tea in 1887 was about 300 lb. This 
industry has developed in the last five years to snch 
an extent that this season a market will have to 
ho fonud for Kearrnoy teas for over 300,000 lb. 
of dry tes. 
The ail joining lea plantations are Clifton and Nouoti 
from whioh largo quantities of yonng teas are being 
sent, also some very good qnalilies, and from 10 others i 
from the latter the leaf is all maunfaotiirod at the 
extensive Kearsuey works. The total extent of the 
tea planted iu the immediate neighbourhood of Kears- 
nev is about l.SOOacree. 
Being anxious to know bow the tea is made into tbe 
palatablo beverage" wo all love to," from old ladies 
downwards, I followed the genial proprietor into the 
large works adjoining tbo stately mansion, and here 
met Mr. Drummond, the gonlleman who is in charge 
of them. From him I gained the following interest- 
ing details regarding the various processes. 
The.green leaf is brought into these works by tte 
coolies who deposit their baskoU, containing about 
26 1b. on (ho soalcs to be weighed. It is oalonlatcd 
that the green leaf is about four times the weight ot 
the dry tea : that is, 1000 lb. of green leaf will yield 
about 250 Ib. of tea. From tho scales in the 
basement, the leaf is carried to the wither- 
ing lofts, where it is evenly and thinly sprejvd 
ont over huge fiat stacks by the active 
and rapid hands of dozens of little ^ 
children. This being the first process, takes about I" 
hours on a warm day. lUnally tho plucked leaf 
ready the next morniug to undergo process No. • 
From tbo lotfs tho how witiiered leaf passes throng 
