138 Mr Bruce on the Manufacture of Tea, and on the 



into the sun for half an hour, then into the shade ; tatch over 

 a gentle fire, and in tatching roll the leaves occasionally in the 

 pan, and spread them all round the sides of the same ; again 

 roll them until they begin to have a vnthered and soft appear- 

 ance, then spread them on large sieves, and put them in the 

 shade to air for the night ; next morning pick, and then fire 

 them well. Some tea-makers do not keep them all night, but 

 manufacture and pack the tea the same day. This tea is va- 

 lued in China, as it is very scarce ; but the Chinamen acknow- 

 ledge that it is not a good sort. They prefer the teas the 

 leaves of which are come to maturity. 



The China black tea-plants which were brought into Muttack 

 in 1837, amounted in all to 1609 — healthy and sickly. A few 

 of the latter died, but the remainder are healthy, and flourish 

 as w^ell as if they had been reared in China. The leaves of 

 these plants Avere plucked in the beginning of March, and 

 weighed sixteen seers, or thirty-two pounds. Many of the 

 plants were then in flower, and had small seeds. They are 

 about three feet high, and were loaded with fruit last year, 

 but the greater part of it decayed when it had come to ma- 

 turity, as was the case with the Assam tea-seeds, and almost 

 every seed of these wilds, in the past year. The seeds should, I 

 think, be plucked from the plant when thought ripe, and not 

 be permitted to drop or fall to the ground. I collected about 

 twenty-four pounds of the China seeds, and sowed some on 

 the little hill of Tipum, in my tea-garden, and some in the 

 nursery-ground at Jaipore, above three thousand of Avhich have 

 come up, are looking beautiful, and doing very well. I have 

 since found out that all the China seedlings on Tipum hill 

 have been destroyed by some insect. 



The Assam and China seedlings are near each other ; the 

 latter have a much darker appearance. I have made but few 

 nurseries, or raised plants from seed, as abundance of young 

 plants can be procured, of any age or size, from our tea-tracts. 

 There may be about 6000 young seedlings at Chuhwa ; at 

 Deenjoy about 2000 ; at Tingri a few ; and some at Paun- 

 dooah. In June and July 1837, 17,000 young plants were 

 brought from Muttack, and planted at a place called Toong- 

 roong Patar, amongst the thick tree jungles of Sadiya. 



In March of the same year, six or eight thousand were 



