Account of the Tea Tree. 25/ 



Youngshaw says, not more than 30 catty. The value of it 

 on the spot is l-i- or two tales the catty, about ten or twelve 

 shillings the pound. What is sold to Europeans for 

 souchong is only the first sort of congo, and the congo they 

 buy is only the first sort of bohea. Upon a hill planted 

 with tea trees, one only shall produce leaves good enough 

 to be called souchong, and of those only the best and 

 youngest are taken ; the others make congo of the several 

 sorts, and bohea. 



There are four or five gatherings of bohea tea in a year, 

 according to the demand there is for it, but three or at 

 most four gatherings are reckoned proper ; the others only 

 hurt the next year's crop. Of souchong there can be but 

 one gathering, viz. of the first and youngest leaves ; all 

 others make inferior tea. 



The first gathering is called tow-tchune, the second eurl, 

 or gee-tchune, the third san-tchune. If the first leaves 

 are not gathered, they grow large and rank, and are not 

 supplied by the second leaves, which only come in their 

 room or place, and so on. 



The first gathering is reckoned fat or oily, the second 

 less so, the third hardly at all so, yet the leaves look young* 

 The first gathering is from about the middle of April to the 

 end of May, the second from about the middle of June to 

 the middle of July, the third from about the beginning of 

 August to the latter end of September. Tea is never 

 gathered in winter. The first gathering or leaf, when 

 Drought to Canton, commonly stands the merchants in 

 1 1-i- tales the pccul 

 the 2d 1 1 or less 

 the 3d 9 



The method of curing bohea tea of these three growths is, 

 according to Chow-qua, thus: 



When the leaves are gathered, they are put into large fiat 

 baskets to dry, and these are put on shelves or planks, in 

 the air or wind, or in the sun, if not too intense, froiji 

 morning until noon, at which lime the leaves begin to 

 throw out a smell; then they are taiched * ; this is done by 

 throwing each time aljout half a catty of leaves into the 

 tatche, and stirring them uuick with the hand twice, the 

 tatche being very hot, and then taking iheni out with a 

 small short broom, if tlie hand is not sufficient. When 

 taken out, llic- leaves are again put into the large flat baskets, 

 and there rubbed by men's hand>; to roll them ; alli-r which 



• Tatche is a flat pan of cast ir.m. 

 Vol. 21. No. 83. y//;/// 1805. R they 



