TCHUDI, a name given by the Rus sians to the Finnic races in the N. W. of Russia. It is now more generally ap plied to designate the group of peoples of which the Finns, the Esthonians, the Livonians, and the Laplanders are mem bers.
TEA, the dried leaf of an evergreen shrub of the natural order Ternstrcemi acew, for which the Linnwan botanical name of Thea Chinensis is generally cur rent, though the genus Thea is by recent systematists merged in Camellia, and the plant is now called C. Thea of Link. It includes C. Bohea, the China plant, and C. Theifera, the indigenous Assam plant. Whether the tea shrub is indig enous in China and Japan is a doubtful question. It appears to have been im ported thither from Assam and Cachar, and possibly also from Siam and Cochin. The fact has been historically established that the culture of tea existed in China in the 4th century, and in Japan in the 9th century, and from these countries it was exclusively obtained for any other part of the globe till the time of the pres ent generation. The import appears to have reached Europe during the early part of the 17th century, but we do not hear of any substantial arrival in Eng land till 1657, and for a long time the high price kept its use limited to the wealthy class. At the present day it is estimated that half the human race uses tea habitually or occasionally.
The discovery of the indigenous plant in the forest country of Upper Assam was made in 1834, and since 1840 its cul tivation there has taken very firm root, as also in Cachar, Sikkim, the north western Himalaya, and other parts of India. The spread of tea field cultiva tion in northwestern India is mainly due to the late Dr. W. Jameson, who estab lished government plantations in Dhera Dhoon, Kumaon, Gurwal, and Kangra. Since then private individuals and com panies have taken part in extending its cultivation in these districts. Tea was introduced into Java as an agricultural plant about 1835; into Carolina about 1845; into Brazil in 1860.
A damp, warm climate, with rains to the extent of 70 or even 100 inches, well spread over the year, and copious in spring, is above all adapted for tea cul ture. Rich forest land in its virgin state is preferable to any other. The plants must be kept in vigorous growth by the suppression of weeds, periodical turning of the soil, judicious pruning, and ade quate manuring. The number of tea plants per acre varies from 1,860 to 2, 700 according as they are placed five feet or four feet apart. The yield per acre after the fourth or fifth year is approximately 240 pounds in India and 320 pounds in Assam. Picking and man ufacture extend from April to October, during which period 20 pickings are cal culated on. The Indian plan for black tea may be briefly described.
The operation of plucking is simply the removal from the bush by the finger and thumb of the young shoots with three or four leaves. The produce, after being weighed, is laid in a cool place, and the following day is spread out thinly on mats in the sun, whereby the leaf be comes sufficiently flaccid for rolling with out much breakage. The rolling is slow
and laborious handwork, performed on a common deal table. The fermentation is effected by thoroughly shaking up the leaf, throwing it loosely into a heap, and covering closely with mats or carpets— the length of time required depending on the quality and state of the weather. Then succeeds firing in metal pans at a temperature of 240° or After a few minutes of this treatment it is brushed out, thrown on a table, and again quickly rolled while hot. The same process of firing and rolling is re peated, and finally the leaf is exposed to the sun, or placed over charcoal fires to dry. For making green tea the series of operations are somewhat different to the above, the firing being for a longer pe riod and at a higher temperature, and instead of fermentation a little sweating only is permitted.
The youngest and therefore smallest leaves produce the most delicate flavored tea. In ordinary commerce four kinds of black and six of green tea are recog nized, but the difference between them consists chiefly in size. In the first, Congou forms the bulk of the British import, Pekoe and Souchong being finer and dearer kinds, and Bohea coarser; and in the green the various Hysons and Gunpowder are most famous. The Cey lon teas include Pekoes, Pekoe, Sou chong, Congou, etc. The so-called "Eng lish Breakfast" is Souchong. In normal times the world crop of tea is about 800, 000,000 pounds. In 1918 the United States imported 151,314,132 pounds, a third coming from Japan. In 1880 the U. S. Agricultural Dept. established a tea plantation at Summerville, S. C., and later at Pierce, Texas. Hlassa brick tea is pressed in the form of a brick, and is prepared when used with butter and salt. It is preferred to all other teas by the natives of central Asia and Tibet.
An infusion of tea as a beverage has trifling actual nutritive value, but it in creases respiratory action and stimulates greater activity of the brain; its effect on the nervous system being due to the es sential oil and the theine, while the 14 per cent. of tannin it contains is an as tringent.
Substitutes for tea have been found in a number of plants, some of which con tain the same stimulating property, such as mate, guarana, cola nut, and coffee leaves. Others have been selected by our early colonists, etc., for infusion, and the cognomen tea has in consequence been given to the plants. Thus we have Aus tralian tea for several species of Leptos permum and Melateuca, Labrador tea is Ledum latifolium, Mountain tea is Gaul theria procumbens, New Jersey tea is Ceanothus Americanus, New Zealand tea is Leptosperm,um scoparium, Oswego tea is Monarda didyma, Botany Bay tea is Smilax glycyphylla, and West Indian tea is Capraria biflora.