The Washington union., 1857-04-23
A FEW WORDS ABOUT TEA.

crafty our readers And surely the subject cannot
be deemed unimportant, when remember the fact
that the American revolution partly originated in
quarrel about this famous shrub, and that in view
of the existing troubles between England and China
minister and feet to see that our supplies of the
same shall not be diminished
The English word tea is derived from the Chinese
tea, thd, and the meaning of it is probably known
only to the Celestials The use Of the article as
beverage in China, of which il is a native, can be
traced to a remote period. Tradition speaks of it
early as the third century but il did not come into
general use until about the year 600. To the Greeks
and Romans it was of course unknown. The Japan
ese are said to have been the first outside barbarans
who became acquainted with it, and il was first i'm
ported into their dominion in the ninth century and
their example was soon followed by the nations Of In
dia The article first introduced into Europe in
1910, having been brought from India by the Dutch.
II was taken to England from Holland in 1865, Dutch
physician named Boutekoe having written treatise
upon it, thereby doing more than any other man TO
make it popular and fashionable and in lI6I the
duty was imposed upon il in America. The love of
warm drinks prevails almost universally, and il has
been estimated that more than one-haf of the human
race habitualy drink an infusion of the Chinese
plant while the rest Of mankind are content with
what they can extract from other vegetable pro-
ductons. From evidence submitted to the House
of Commons, in 1880, we learn that the con-
sumption of genuine tea by the whole civilized
world at that time was 52OO0OOO of pounds,
or y D M ona bxC Rrit
ain What the exports from China may amount to at
the present time we have precise means of know
ing, but upon the authority of the China Mail,
journal that ought to know, the exports to England
in 1853 reached nearly the amount of 100000 Of
pounds, and those to the United States about Al 0OO
600. IT, therefore we are to judge of the total ex
portation from China at the present time by the ratio
adopted in 1890 we should fix the amount at lTS,
100000, and the conclusion follows that the United
States rank next to Great Britain the consumption
Of tea. With regard to the total produce of the
dried leaf in China alone not to speak Of the tea of
Japan Corea Assam, and Java, now raised abund
antly it has been estimated at one million of TONS
and the extent of land devoted to its cultivation must
be more than three millions of acres.
The tea plant of which there several varieties.
but only one species, has much resemblance to the
well-lnown camella japonica II is raised from
seed which, to secure termination is kept win
ter in moist earth, and sown early in the spring.
When year old, the shoots are ransplanted, and
by continual cropping the plant is compelled 10 wear
bushy appearance The gathering of the leaves
begins in the fourth and fifth years, and is seldom
continued beyond the twelfth when the bushes are
dug up and renewed. The plant thrives the best in
the cooler parts of the tropical zone but it will grow
in the temperate zone as far as the oreth degree of
north latitude Tho harvest ends in May or June ;
the leaves are plucked by the hand, chiefly by
women; and the tender leaves give the highest
favored tea When first gathered, they have nothing
either of the odor or flavor of the dried leaves, and
the agreeable qualities which they subsequently pos
sess are developed by roasting and drying. The va
ried havors odors and tastes by which the teas
distinguished are the result to great extent of the
methods by which the leaves manipulated pre-
pared or cured although climate and soil undoubt-
edly have much to do with the quality. One garden
and even one plant, may be made, according to the
mode of preparations to yield the two main varieties
of green and black tea and while the former might
be considered the result of speed and fire, the latter
is the offspring of FIRE air. and tardy operation
bined At the same time the two kinds arc seldom
made in one district probably for the sake Of
venience or from custom The names borne by the
numerous subordinate varieties derived from the
nature of the soil or from the provinces where they
are cultivated and prepared, and it is said that
of the very best qualities have been permitted
to leave the empire.
After glancing at the prominent part which the tea
plant has performed in the commercial history of the
world stranger to the article might well conclude
that it's chemical properties must be wonderful Such
however, is not the case, though they certainly
peculiar Its more prominent constituents arc rot
otile OIL which has agreeable aroma, but the spe-
ca action of which upon the system has not yet been
ascertained; also constituent called theme, which
is said to have the effect of lessenng the necessity
for food or Of preventing in degree the natural
waste Of the body manufactured tea also contains
property called tdn, or tdaic acid which is an as
trngent; and finally the leaf in question has been
proven to contain q large proportion, from twenty
to twenty-five per cent, Of that nutrtive ingredient
called gluten. To the above list might be added
starch and gum. When, therefore, all these facts
are considered, we cannot reasonably wonder that
the habit of tea-drinkng should be universal and
that the benefits or injury resulting from its use