Extent and Produce of the Tea-Plantations in Assam. 149 



To keep these men fully at work, from twenty-five to thirty 

 coolies will be required to pluck leaves, and they will turn 

 out about two boxes of tea per day (weighing one maund, or 

 80 pounds), if the weather be fine and sunny ; but scarcely 

 half that quantity if it be rainy, on account of the coolies not 

 plucking so much on a rainy, as they would on a fair sunny 

 day. As the people of the country become acquainted with 

 the gathering and manufacturing, three boxes, of forty pounds 

 each, may be expected in fine weather, adding perhaps a few 

 men to the number of coolies. 



A pair of pans for the green tea-makers vrould require, du- 

 ring the first process, 



To tatcb, . . . . • -^ men 



... receive the tea from the pans, . . 1 ... 



... roll, 8 ... 



... attend to the fii'e, .... 1 ..; 



... put the leaves in the sun and tuni them, 4 .. 



Total number of men, . 16 



Thirty coolies Avould be required to keep these men in full 

 play, and they would turn out two boxes of twenty-three seers, 

 or forty-six pounds each, per day ; in all ninety-two pounds of 

 tea. If the weather be rainy, of course the produce is much 

 less, as the gatherers then do only half work. Thus the diffe- 

 rence between the black and green is, that the former requires 

 six manufacturers less ; and that when the black tea is finish- 

 ed, boxed, and ready for exportation, the green has only un- 

 dergone the first process, and is but half finished, although it 

 is ready for exportation to any appointed place, to receive the 

 final and troublesome, as well as most expensive part of the 

 process. Nevertheless the first part of the green tea prepara- 

 tion is easily learnt by the natives of this place, in about two 

 or three months. In speaking of the trouble and expense at- 

 tending the second process of the green tea-making, I beg to 

 observe that it appears to me, from what little I have seen of 

 it, that machinery might easily be brought to bear ; and as 

 Assam is about to become a great tea country, it behoves us 

 to look to this. The tea half made, a.s above described, 1 am 

 informed by the green tea Chinamen now with me, is put 

 either into boxes or baskets, with bamboo leaves between ; it 



