The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-02-28
farmers . department..
Ihe Elm,

ne teise Tree nuu Tea BlHnt. Ahe
TuE COFFEE TREE.--Of this tree my "A
Ither-in-law possessed II plantation of o.
~, 900 trees in Cuba, and | am perfe"'
: familiar with its character. u
ative of Yemen, in Arab
curse is tropical. 1t is sc -
have had trees ten is Il
y the slightest f. "a, and ol
bout its pro- tender that
eantry years old killed
ppe~ ost All the theories
able naturalization IN our
which have from time to time
..red In public prints, are visionary.
lis merely possible that this tree might
bo kept alive on the extreme point of
Florida, but certainly nowhere else. 1t
il an evergreen tree of much beauty.
The berries are brilliant red, and the
blossoms yield most exquisite lasmin-
like odor. Nothing can surpass the
delicious fragrance which one enjoys
when passing through coffee field ut
it's period of blossom. The coffee bean
gruwsin the Connecticit valley and maS
provc a good substitute for coffee, but j
that Office so well as barley, which, l
think, ought to aupcrsede the I'M
ported article for our domestic use.
Chicory, or cichorium mtybus, is grown,
YOU arc aware, to an immense extent
in Germany, and u-e1as general SUB
stitute for coffee. 1t is u plant OF the
easiest culture, and can he grown with
very little care in any but sandy soil.
1t prefers, however, substantial soil
that is reasonably moist. | see no rea-
son why its culture may not become
gener !. 1t is found growing vigorous
ly along the roads Of this island, from
seeds which the wind have scattered.
TEA PLAST.-I notice u remark in
your paper that tea grows in Pcnnsyl-
vania, which probably was based on
an assertion made by an inhabitant Of
thnt State, which was extensively pub
lished about two Years ago, such, how
ever, j. not the fact. The plant THAI
the writer had reference to - the Ced-
Bofhus ADieficdnjS, or New jersey tea
or red root 1t acquired its main" III
consequence of its leaves having been
used in New jersey, and probably else
where, asa substitute for tea, during
the Revolutionary War. 1t is suf-
fruticose plant, found in plenty from
Canada to Florida. The most appro'
priate American substitute for tea
would be the Hcr c0Ssihe, or fapan tea,
of North Carolina, which was in use
among the Indians there before the
white men trod its soil, and is now
universally used by the negroes. II
forms A regular article Of salc in the
country stores of that State. In Para
quay they use the leaves OF Il tree ofthe
same genus as tea, whose nnme Is Hc%
Pdrugu0ryensiS OF the genuine tea
tree there are upon our globe but three
species, and they areall natives OF Asa:
THea Bohed, with narrow, dccp-green
leaves, and thea riridiS, with broad,
palc.ercen leaves, both OF which are
natives of China, and Me0 ASSdmicd, or
' Assam tea, grown extensively i'll Assam,
under British control, and which Is
highly esteemed in England In Japan
they use for the same purpose the cam
ella sasanqiu, q vigorous growing ever
green shrub. All the four preceding
species could be cultivated successfully
in the States south of Virginia, and we
must not forget to form plantations OF
these valuable species when we are re-
colonizing those States.
WM. r. PRINCE.