386 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December i, 1883, 



leaf in their baskets sse that they tura the whole 

 lot up from the bottom. This insures its not getting 

 heated. If the helils are far romoved from tlie factory, 

 I would recommend the putting up of one or two 

 small thatclied receiving-houses, whore the baslcets 

 couUl be placed, and where foreuoou weighing in might 

 be carried out. Hring the leaf to the factory as dry as 

 you can ; it withf^rs so much better and will always 

 make better tea than wet sodden leaf. Every tea-bouse 

 being so different, it is only long experience that ets 

 one know in what part to put first ; however, if the 

 leaf is very wet it can be put f-ir a short time where it 

 is very warm, constantly being turned, then, placed on 

 the trays, will wither better than being placed there 

 at first. 



Polling. — Some people are believers iu light rolling, 

 as the tea is not eo much broken and the tip remains 

 uncoloured from the expressed juice. I myself believe 

 in hard rolling, lightly at first, until the leaf begins to 

 take a twist ; tbe pressure can tben be put on and 

 the rolling continued until the whole roll clings 

 together, and if there is any juice it comes out. When 

 half rolled the broken tea can be taken out through 

 a No. 4, or 3 which is best. What falla through is set 

 aside to ferment, separate from that which remains 

 on tbe sieve, either on bamboo trays or ou a, tible. 

 By this system a much better and more even ferment- 

 ation is got in the fine broken tea. In the process of 

 rolling by hand, all coarse leaves should be picked out : 

 if by macliinery, after the roll comes out. Do not throw 

 this away ; give it a sifting to detach any finer leaf 

 clinging to it ; roll it again and dry it. It can always 

 be sold. 



Fermentation. — After rolling, jjlace the " roll" on a 

 table about 6 inches deep, covering over the whole with 

 a cloih or blanket. It is not always necessary to 

 cover as the fermentation goes ou very well without 

 anything. Still it keeps all dust from falling on it. 

 The roll should be turned over repeatedly every .30 

 minutes until ready to go ou the drying trays. No 

 exact rule can be laid down for fermenting leaf, 

 and it is simply absurd saying " with the thermo- 

 meter at 80 ferment so long and at 90 so long." Some 

 kinds of leif might lie a year and never take a color, 

 and others col(}r under the rullers' very hands. After 

 pruning, with the first flush, it is almost impossible 

 to get any color whatever, as there is only a 

 thin watery finid. Towards April and May you 

 may have to lire off these rolls almost at one time. 

 The leaf towards the afternoon always ferments 

 best. Use your eyes and nose ; try, if possible, to get 

 a nice copper-color, and a good fresh smell : if you 

 can't get tliat, get as near as possible. Better have 

 slightly under-fermented loaf than a nasty didl dark 

 brown leaf, the liquor from which is thin and poor. 

 To au experienced eye it is very ea^iy to tell, as the 

 leaf is being rolled, whether tbe fermentation will be 

 good or bad. We have a great pull over India in 

 being able nearly the whole twelve months to get good 

 fermentations, and, towards wdiat we call the end of 

 our se.ason, June (though there is no end), our fcr. 

 mentations are at the very best. I can look back 

 upon many a hard struggle to get leaf to ferment 

 in India, and I am convmced it is owing to our get- 

 ting such good color here that our tea sells so well. 



Drying hi/ Charcoal. — In the early morning, before 

 the rollers come, the fires should all be cleaned out 

 and the fresh charcoal put in ready for light- 

 ing. On some estates a grating is used in each furnace 

 to i)lace the lighted charcoal which is taken from oue 

 kept for supplying them. This grating is not necess- 

 ary it the charcoal is well made. Simply pour so 

 much into a furnace, and let it lie on the bottom, which 

 must be made wider than the ones with grating. 

 Then, when the first roll is finished and placed for 

 fermentation, light all the furnaces required, and, when 



there is a light surface and no black pieces, sprinkle 

 over with wood-ash to deaden the glow and place 

 the tray ou the top. Oue man can look after 5 trays, and 

 he should keep constantly taking them oft' and turn- 

 ing the leaf, so that the small broken leaf and dust 

 which dries first may fall through and remain on the 

 table. When leaf is half-lired, it can be sieved through 

 a No. S. This allows the bigger leaves to dry quickly. 

 By rights, tlie man drying should simply dry and 

 not touch the tea at all, except to turn it, as his 

 other trays are in danger of burning, whilst engaged in 

 this work. No Indian oooly would do this, as he uses fires 

 so hot that his whole time is taken up in taking off and 

 putting ou his trays. The brisker the fire the quicker 

 fermentation is checked, and the better and brisker 

 the dried tea. Leaf dried over a dull cool fire is 

 never good. It is better it possible to give one man 

 only 4 trays. Don't put too much leaf in e.ach, and 

 use light fires. Let a sample of each man's make be 

 put aside and tasted the next morning, then 

 you will find out who dries carefully and who does not. 

 Every day's make should be tastid before putting 

 away for sifting. A man need not be an accomplished 

 tea-taster to do this. At first all he has to do is to 

 Bse that there are no blackleaves in the cup after infusing 

 the liquor, and that the outturn of leaf is of a bright 

 color. If the tea is burnt, an eye can be kept on the 

 man who dried it ; if it is only high-fired, it can be 

 kept until there is a large amount of tea ready for 

 dispatching, and introduced into it without any danger 

 of dauiaging the sale. If tea is very badly burnt, 

 it must not be mi-xed in with any other. Only gross 

 carelessness can cause this, and tlie man who spoiled 

 the tea should be made to pay for it. Let strict atten- 

 tion be paid to the drying, and assist the man in 

 every way, and do not let bun quit his work without 

 having taken aw.ay all his trays off the fire or being 

 relieved. Of course, with macbineiy there is not so 

 much danger. 



Every tea planter who carries on work by hand 

 should be conversant with the way to roll, so that he 

 cxu at once show any beginner, and not have to call 

 the tea-house conductor. The process appears very 

 simple, but it is not so quickly picked up as one might 

 imagine. 



Each day's charcoal should be weighed and put on 

 the board opposite green leaf and tea made, so that it 

 can at once be seen how much it has taken to turn 

 out the dried tea. 



Sifting. — There is no particular rule for doing this. 

 Some men use Nos. 14, 9, Sand 7, others use 10, 'J and S. 

 It all depends on the size of tea you are going to sift. 

 Oue week a No. 9 is used for getting out the pekoe; 

 next week, with a finer tea, No. 10 m.ay be best suited ; 

 it is only experience that teaches one wh.at best to 

 do. The tea of the previous day should be sifted the 

 next, divided into its different classes, and at 4 o'clock 

 put away in the bins. I find women are the steadiest 

 and most careful workers. Get the same ones each 

 day, and have a spare one or two, so that on Monday 

 or Saturday, when oue is sure to be sick or in the 

 lines, another may take her place. When enough hag 

 been sifted for packing, re-dry carefully. See that your 

 linings are well soldered and free from any soldering 

 fluid, and pack as hot as you can. A very good way 

 to insure the quantity in the chest being equally 

 divided is to talve the quarter of the amount, — say 

 SO lb. pekoe is being packed then 20 lb. is the quarter. 

 This is weighed, and, being placed in the box, is 

 pressed down until it is iu a quarter of the space of 

 the chest. This is ascertained by taking the depth of 

 the box, and, having divided it into 4, cut marks on a 

 stick, and the first mark will be up level with the 

 top, when the first 20 lb. is put in. By weighing the 

 whole 80 lb. and then pouring in au unknown quantity, 

 'the tea at the bottom may be very loose, and at the 



