4 KEPORT OF M. GUILLEMIN. 



to the improvement of the soil, for the heavy rains which 

 wash away the superfluous sand from slanting situations, of 

 course only consolidate more strongly the remaining compo- 

 nent parts, w^here the land lies perfectly level, and thus the 

 Tea plants suffer from this state of soil. 



The kindness of M. de Brandao, Director of the Botanic 

 Garden, induced him to invite me, shortly after I had seen 

 this above-described Tea ground, that I might inspect all the 

 operations for the preparation of Tea. I found that the 

 picking of the leaves had been commenced very early in the 

 morning, and two kilogrammes were pulled that were still 

 wet with dew. These were deposited in a well-polished iron 

 vase, the shape being that of a very broad flat pan, and set 

 on a brick furnace, where a brisk wooden fire kept the tem- 

 perature nearly up to that of boiling water. A negro, after 

 carefully washing his hands, kept continually stirring the 

 Tea leaves in all directions, till their external dampness was 

 quite evaporated, and the leaves acquired the softness of linen 

 rag, and a small pinch of them, when rolled in the hollow of 

 the hand, became a little ball that would not unroll. In this 

 state the mass of Tea was divided into two portions, and a 

 negro took each and set them on a hurdle, formed of strips 

 of Bamboo, laid at right angles, where they shook and 

 kneaded the leaves in all directions for a quarter of an hour, 

 an operation which requires habit to be properly performed, 

 and on which much of the beauty of the product depends. 

 It is impossible to describe this process: the motion of the 

 hands is rapid and very irregular, and the degree of pressure 

 requisite varies according to circumstances ; generally speak- 

 ing, the young negro women are considered more clever at this 

 part of the w^ork than older persons. As this process of roll- 

 ing and twisting the leaves goes on, their green juice is 

 drained off through the hurdle, and it is essential that the 

 Tea be perfectly divested of the moisture, which is acrid, 

 and even corrosive, the bruising and kneading being specially 

 designed to break the parenchyme of the leaf, and permit the 

 escape of the sap. 



