TCHUVASHES, ehtn-vilsh'ez. A people of Eastern Russia, probably of Finnic origin, and now with a strong Tatar admixture. Their seat is near the Volga and they number somewhat over 500,000. Their language, which is distinct, is assigned to the Ural-Altaic stock. They are industrious and orderly, their chief occupations being agriculture and cattle breeding. The Tchuvasbes are nominally Chris tians, but more primitive Shamanistic beliefs and practices are still prevalent among them. Con sult Schott, De Lingua Tschuwaschorum (Berlin, 1841).
TEA (from Fuhkien Chin. te, Chin. tea, ch'a, tea ), Camellia 'rhea, or Thea Sincnsis. A shrub, the dried leaves of which are one of the most important articles of commerce, and yield one of the most esteemed and exten sively used of all non-alcoholic beverages. The tea shrub, which is a native of sub tropical Asia, hut is grown in tropical climates also, is 20 to 30 feet high, but under cultivation only three to six feet high, with numerous branches and lanceolate leaves, two to six inches long. The Bowers are axillary, rather large,
white, and fragrant. Numerous varieties have been produced in China, where tea is grown chief ly on the southern slopes of hills in the regions between latitudes 24° to 35° N., and longitudes 115° to 122° E. A new plantation is made by sowing two or three seeds at proper distances.
The first crop is obtained in the third year, when the shrub is still small. When about seven years old, it yields only a scanty crop of hard leaves, and is cut down, to induce new shoots to sprout from the root. This is frequently repeated till the plant dies at,about thirty years of age.