The Penn's Grove record., 1892-08-26
TEA wN in SOUTH AMsRIol
asubstisuts for he Uhinsss Artiols Usss
by Thousasas In This Country.

asubsasuts for lie Uhinsss Article Usss
by Thousaeas I'm This Country.
Taste that" said q tea merchant
10 a New York Tribune reporter the
other day, as he handed him q curl.
Gus shaped bowl. full Of Q thin,
brownish liquor. with something that
looked like a tobacco pipe resting In
1t, bowl downward. The reporter
put his lips to the stem of the pipe,
and sucked at 1t cautiously.
''What Is itP" he asked. "lt faster
like weak tea"
THAT'S just what 1t is" answered
the merchant. shut it's a brand OF
tea I'm pretty sure you never tasted
before. That's a genuine American
tea; grown In America, cured In
America, indigenous to America and
consumed In large quantities for
years by hundreds q thousands Of
Americans; and yet I'll be bound you
oever heard Of it"
'tPerh&ps not" admitted the re.
porter guardedly. what state is 1t
raised ino Is some ~four-story brick
tea farm down here In Water street
responsible. for it9 Willow leaves,
arsenic and a patent essence OF
theme, or something Of that sort
eh?"
mot at all" said the merchant. a
little Indignantly. "It's q perfectly
genuine and unadulterated article.
It's native state is Paraguay. and that
country raises enough for Its own
consumption and 5000, 600 pounds
annually for export to other South
American countries"
.Oh, South American" exclaimed
the reporter. "You misled me by
saving American"
ibid n" said the merchant sar
castically. "Any why, prayf That's
one OF the annoying peculiarities Of
this people. They're too conceited to
get themselves a distinctive name.
bus in a lordly way dub themselves
Americans. They speak Of Bfhsilians.
Canadians, Chileans Paraguayans
and the other millions ss x they had
40 right to that title vt all"
"But about the tear" interrupted
the reporter apprehennvsly, "What
do You call it?"
"Afate is the name of It," replied
the merchant, pronounced match
And many South Americans are verv
fond Of 1t. You have Just had the
pleasure of drinking it In the native
manner. That curious bowl 10 not
made Of papier -mache. ~ you might
think, but is q gourd, trained into
that shape while growing. The ma
tives are experts 10 that line, and by
binding the green aourd here and
there with cords, or bending 1t one
way or another, they made 1t take a
diversity Of shapes before 1t becomes
ripe enough to be cut. dried, scooped
out and used as q utensii. 1t will
not staud fire. Of course; but the
mate IS first put In the gourd, and
then boiling water Is poured on 1t.
After a few moments q pipe or tube
is inserted, and the liquor is drawn
IF BY suction.
"What looks like the bowl Of the
pipe" continued the tea merchant, as
he lifted 1t from the liquid and al
lowed the reporter to examine 1t, sis
In reality a ~strainer, which prevents
the grounds from reaching the
mouth. 1t Is made In the shape Of a
bulb or ball, and this n Is q curl
osity In its way, for 1t % all woven by
hand, in very fine mesheh from .
species of dried grass. Metal one are
more common, and the rich have sill
yer s~trainers. This Is an old style one,
ane / value 1t on that account. 1t is
called a bombilla. The natives like
their mate, as we would say, red hot.
Its effect Is much..the same Is that
of the tea you are accustomed to,
stimulating and restorative, and, of
course, has its enemies, who pro-
nounce it slow poison, and its friends,
who call it the Paraguayan equivalent
for the cup that cheers, but not,
etc.'n
SIS 1t real tea. botanically con.
sidered?" persisted the skeptical re
porter,
"Well, II you come down to bot.
any," admitted the merchant, 'it's
really aspecies of holly, Hex Para
guayensis, but 1t contains In large
proportions the constituent which
makes other teas useful, that Of
theme. Its leaves and green shoots
are collected, dried and ground up
unevenly, that is, some Of 1t gets to
be a fine powder in the rough method
of preparation, and then again you
will find twigs in 1t an inch long. A
large number of people get employ
ment In Its growth, preparation and
export, but I am not aware that Ii
finds a market in any but South
American countries"