THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 103 



ored India teas come Irom the hill districts of Darjeeling, 

 the strongest teas from Assam and the sub-Himalayan 

 districts called the Dooars. The teas produced in the re- 

 gion east of Bengal are of less value and chiefly used for 



blending with others. 



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There is an idea prevalent that the difference between 

 black and green teas is due to artificial coloring. While it 

 is not infrequently the case that partly spoiled or off-color 

 teas are thus "doctored" by the unscrupulous, pure teas 

 that are either black or green are made from the same 

 leaves by different processes. Green tea is the tea-leaf 

 cured and rolled before fermentation sets in ; black tea is 

 allowed to ferment slightly before drying, which process 

 makes certain changes in the juices of the leaf and gives 

 the tea a different flavor. Indian and Ceylon teas are all 

 made by machinery which ensures a bright even and clean 

 grade of teas ; China and Japan teas, on the contrary, are 

 mostly made by hand and if below the standard, are 

 brought up by the addition of gypsum, indigo, Chinese 

 pink, Prussian blue and various other ingredients best 



known to the wily Celestial. 



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As in the case of most plants, the greatest amount of 

 the desired principle is found in the young leaves. These 

 are handled separatel3'- and known as Orange Pekoe. The 

 next larger leaves are called Pekoe and those still larger, 

 Pekoe-Souchong and so on. The wholesalers know the 

 teas by these names but before they reach the consumer 

 the3^ are blended, each blend being a mixture of various 

 sorts and thus the teas loose their distinctive names. In 

 some blends there may be as many as eight or ten teas. 

 Tea blenders assert that blended teas will give better sat- 

 isfaction than even the best grade alone because the varia- 

 tions in different lots is not so noticable. In England, 

 blenders are said to be so careful of their blends as to make 

 a study of the water in the districts m which they are to 

 be sold, so that the two will harmonize. 



