HINTS ABOUT TEA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLI, Issue 5634, 24 April 1909, Page 1

HINTS ABOUT TEA.

Tea as a beverage must possess extraoirdin'ary virtues of attraction for tjie human system to sustain, as it has done, its groat and increasing popularity in the face of constant mistreatment: In very many homes the family teapot is made to yield a far from palatable drink, and it is little wonder that the careless and incorrect preparation of the beverage has caused to bo attributed to its unliealbhful properties that should never have been developed in the brew. In order to prepare tea with its full riolmess and aroma, and without any deleterious possibilities, it is necessary to keep a few facts steadily in view. • The 'most important thinj^ is to see that the liquid tea is strained from the leaves in from three to five minutes, accoudine to the strength desired.' '"Unless this is done yoti cannot make pood tea. Ail the good constituents of tea are extracted in the time named; " while tho tannic acid — the least desirable part — is not; developed to any marked degree. The quantity of tea to be used will vary with the kind. A. good reliable brarfd of blended tea should be selected in preference to any other kind. And the best blended 1 tea- on the market is undoubtedly " Tiger " Tea. If " Tig<er " Tea is used, the void fcmniula of " One teaspoonful for each cup and cne for the blessed pot " will not do. A scant teaspoonful for each cup and none for the pot will be found quite sufficient of Tiger. It's an economical tea. Briefly. to get full satisfaction you must observe the following rules :—: — Pill your kerf/tle witih fresh colJwater and bring to the boil — bufcibing furiously. Pour some of the boiling water into your teapot to warm it, and then throw this water away. Put 1 in a scant teaspoonful of Tiger Tea for each cup and pour sufficient boiling water on the leaves to make the desired quantity. Cover the teapot with a cosy and let the tea infuse for not more than five minutes, after which it can either be served at onco or the liquid strained from the leaves into another pot, also previously warmed. If these directions are carefully followed and " Tiger " Tea always used, a deliriously stimulating and healthpromoting beverage will be the re.Siult. "Tiger" Tea can be botagiht i:i various grades to suit every purse, and each grade is the 'best procurable at the price in tlhe Dominion. — (2). Writing under the nom* de plume of " A Mother," a correspondent sends the following- contribution on the domestic servant probletm to the Wellington Post. — " I was reading in your paper about the scarcity of domestic servants, and my opinion is that so long are we are compelled to give our oirls such a higib-class • education, an'! the {jJiovemment employs female labo\ir which is keeping many willing men out of employment, there will be the same trouble in getting dbmesti • help. It is neitiher modest nor economical to employ these gills in offices. Many of tho poorer class of people would be only , -too glad to have their girls out as domestic helps after passing the fourth standard. Such positions would be better for their health . instead of keeping them at school until they are ready for office, where tihey are closed up day after day and all the"y have to look forward to is to get married aarl make delicate, helpless wives. If a law was passed to keep girls out of offices we would have plenty ofhealthy cooks arid general servants swrfcßdut 1 imltn'i^atioa " log foreign doWfigtLcVi 1 , a v . .

CLAY SOILS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

! .Now, when most of the year's crops are being removed frottn the ground, is the time to make improvements and alterations. perhaps nothing 1 X so disjheartaning in gardening as bad soil or soil conditions, and, wiitih the hope of being able to_ shed a little • liolit on the subject, I propose writ- I Lqf a few articles on the different soils and their management. Soil may be classed as clay, siand, loam, and peat, and under these headings I will endeavour to show the method of cultivation amd tine -manures best adapted to each. Beginning with clay, them, one of the prime factors im the Improwmetio of a clay soil is proper drainage ; &ny attempt at the cultivation of a deeprootilng crop 'of '-an undrained soilmust ■ always result in failure. Drainago removes stagnant water arid, as ccmse |(uence, roots can go deeper in search of food. Air also warms ihe surface layer and acts chemically on the stores of plant food lying dormant in th? soil. Next in importance to draimaige is the exposing of as big a surface as possible to the action of the weather. Clay soils, if possible, ought to be trenched in autumn and tihrown up loosely, the method of ridging being especially commendable, the action of the winter's rains and frosts tenfding- to disinte rte the particles which have coagulated through trampling in wet weather, &c. Lime also exercises a powerful effect in improving the texture by causing the finer- particles to form aggregates. Clay soils can also be improved by the addition of what is technically called " humus," i.e., decaying vegetable matter, which renders them more porous, and assists in the breaking- up of mineral matter into a form more favourable as plant ' food. Those who possess erardens of I a clayey nature will do well to collect all the vegetable matter at their disposal, such as leaves,£>weeds, and all garden rubbish. with the- exception of anything of a woody nature, and trench it well in in the autumn. Of the organic manures commonly used, that from the stable is most suitable; being lighter and more open in texture than cow or pie manure, its effect is more sweetening. But horse manure in itself is not a complete manure, and must be supplemented somehow. Of the plant foods derived through the soil, phosphates, potash, and nitrogen are the principal, and we will now discuss the Irest forms in which t} apply these important food constituents. Before troing further, let me emphasise the need for lime in the soil. The fertility of a soil may be said to be based on the proportion of lime it contains. Where vuWSee a green glut gather on the surface, you may safely conclude that lime is deficient, and the best way to apply lime to a clay soil is in the form of quicklime allowed to slacken, and the powdei scattered on the surface at the rate of Bto 10 ounces per square yand. Never dig in lime ; it has a tendency to sink of itself. The best way to apply phosphates to a clay soil that is well supplied with lime is by an application of superphosphate of lime. In a recent article in the Scottish Gardener I noticed it said that lime could be supplied to -tflie soil ixi s-uper-pliosplia.'te of lins>e. Now, -tAuss is entirely - Wrong, as superphosphate of lime is decidedly an acid manure, and require a certain proportion of Hire in the soil to neutralise the acid ; therefore, after am application of this manure, the land is poorer in lime than before/ as the acid unites with the liime, and the two are ultimately washed, out of the soil. On clay that is defi'demt in lime basic slag is the ideal phosphatic manure, as it supplies lime also in a finely ground state. iPotash may be supplied through the medium of kainit but, after a limeing on soil that has been liberally manured with farmyard manure for a niimber of years, great stores of potash are liberated, which will be Kfcuite sufficient "for_ all present needs, and, after that, r kainit may be applied at the rate of 2 ounces per square yard. If horse manure- is used there will not be so. much need for nitroigen, as it is rich in ammonia, which is converted JLnto nitrates'in the soil, thus stipplying tho crop with ni- . trogen ; but, where it is necessary to add to the supply, sulphur of ammonia may be. given at the rate of 2 ounces per slquare yard. In sufmmer, . ply the hoe well between crops and all ' bare spaces to keep a loose mulch on the surface and" keep it from cracking. The time for applying the abovementioned manures is — !iorse manure and basic slag in autumn, kainit in winter, lime iti early spring, superphosphate of lime in spring- before the sowing or olknting of crops, sulphate of ammonia in two applications during the growing season*. . » IRWELL, N.Z. Mrs F. Page, care of Mr -W. Young. Lake Eoad, Irwell, N.Z. writes as follows—" I have used Dr. SJ.ieldon'3 Magnetic Liniment since last winter for headache and sciatica, which gave me great relief. lam never without it in the house, and have recommended it to my friends." Dr. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment relieves at once Rheumatism), Lumbago, Lame Back, Cuts, Bruises, and Burns, and repeated applications will effect a cure in a remarkably short time. Price Is 6d and 3s per bottle. Obtainable from J. G. Blackie, chemist, Lawrence, and Auld and Son, Waitahuna. Tt appears that the Tasmanian -timber trade with New Zealand will shortly become more active. It has transpired tihat negto-taations for forming a syndicate of merchants in the .Dominion and Tasmanian exporters, for the purpose of running a steamer of their own in the trade, have been brought to a successful termination. The steamer, which will be able to carry about 1500 tons dead weight, is being procured from England,, and' the vessel is to be delivered at Al-' bany about June next. It is stated to be the intention of the syndicate to also employ a steamer in the coal-carrying trade between Australia and Now Zealand. A revolution, if the Glamorganshire correspondent of the London Standard is right, has taken place' in Wales-, for, instead of the leefe, t3ie daffodil has been adopted as the universal emblem. In ssLte of Shakespeare and the heroic use which Fluellen made of. the leek, there is historical warranty, it appears, for the belief that the delicate blossoms that " qottne before the swallow dares and takes the winds of March with beauty," were really tJhe old floral emblems of Wales. iAt all events they are now in fashion, and on the feast o£ " Dewi Saint," or St. David, tHey were to be seen worn by thousands '" of patriotic Welshmen' in the Principality. { For children's hacking cough at night.