Extent and Produce of the Tea-Planlations in Assam. l-iT 



the Souchong leaves are mixed up in this tea. The Toychong 

 leaves are those that are rejected from the Souchong and 

 Pouchong, as being too large and not taking the roil. When 

 the teas are picked, these leaves are put on one side. Tlie 

 Chinese often put them into a bag, and give them a twist, 

 something in the green tea way, and then mix them up witli 

 the Souchong to add to the weight. This leaf {Toychong') 

 becomes worse in the second and third crops ; — it is a cheap 

 tea and sold to the poor. All the black teas that are damaged 

 have the flower of what the Chinese call Qui fa, another call- 

 ed Son fa, mixed up with them. One pound of the flowers is 

 put to each box of damaged tea. After the teas have been 

 well tatched and mixed up with other sorts, these leaves give 

 them a pleasant fragrance. The Son fa plant is about two 

 feet high, and kept in flower-pots ; it is propagated from the 

 roots. The Qui fa plant is from three to four feet high ; one 

 pound of the flowers is put to a box of tea. The plant was 

 seen in the Botanical Gardens at Calcutta by our Chinese in- 

 terpreter. The flowers of this plant are considered finer than 

 those of the Son fa. I annex a rough drawing of each of them, 

 as given to me by the interpreter ; the dots in the drawings 

 are intended for small flowers.'' 



The black tea-makers appear to me to be very arbitrary 

 in their mode of manufacture ; sometimes they will take the 

 leaves of the Thowung-Paho, or perhaps Twazee-Paho ; but if 

 it has been raining, or there is any want of coolies to pluck 

 the leaves quickly, or from any other cause, they will let the 

 leaves grow a few days longer, and turn all into Souchong ; 

 which, it must be remembered, takes all the small leaves above 

 it. If it is the fu'st crop, the Souchong and Pouchonc/ leaves 

 may all be turned into Souchong tea ; but even if it is the 



* These two sketclics arc not deemed sufficiently instructive to bo added 

 liere. One of tbem is entitled Qui fa, which is the name of tlie Olea fra- 

 grans, or Sweet-scented Olive, the flowers of which are said to bo used for 

 perfuming teas. But it is more like the Aglaia odoratn, a very different plant, 

 which is also supposed to be applied in China for a similar purpose. This 

 last, however, is called Tsjiiihuu/ by the Chinese according to Kumph, and 

 Sam yelp Ian according to Roxburgh. The other sketch, entitled Lan fa* 

 seems to be intended for a liliaceous, or, at any rate, an endogenous jilant. 

 I am unable to offer any conjecture about it. — N. AY. 



