258 Account of the Tea Tree. 



they are latched in larger quantities, and over a coaler of 

 slower fire, and then put into baskets over a charcoal fire^ 

 as is practised on soine occasions at Canton. When the 

 tea is fired enough, which a person of skill directs, it is 

 spread on a tabic, and picked or separated from the too 

 large leaves, yellow leaves, unrolled, broken or bad leaves. 

 Youngshaw savs, bohea tea is gathered, sunned in 

 baskets, rolled with the hand, and then latched j which 

 completes it. 



Another says it is gathered, then pitt in sieves or baskets, 

 about a catty in each, and those put in the sir till the leaves 

 wither or give, after which they are pot into a close place 

 out of the air, to prevent their growing red, until the even- 

 ing, or for some hours j the smell then comes out of 

 them. They are after this latched a little, then rolled, and 

 then latched again 3 and about half a catty is latched at one 

 time. 



Congo, says Chow-qua, is tatehed twice, as is souchong ; 

 but Youngshaw says souchong and congo are not latched, 

 but only fired X.\\o or three times. The latter is most pro- 

 bable, but yet the former may be true ; for as latching 

 seems to give the green colour to the leaves of the lea trees, 

 so we may observe something of that greenness in the 

 leaves of congo and souchong leas. Youngshaw further 

 says, that the leaves of souchong, congo, hyson, and fine 

 singlo trees are beat with flat sticks or bamboos, after they 

 have been withered by the sun or air, and have acquired 

 toughness enough to keep them from breaking, to force out 

 of them a raw or harsh smell. 



Souchong is made from the leaves of trees three years 

 old, and where the soil is very good ; of older, when not 

 so good, congo is made. The leaves of older trees make 

 bohea. The tea trees last many years. When tea trees 

 grow old and die, that is, when the bodies of the trees fail, 

 the roots produce new sprouts. 



Peko is made from the leaves of trees three years old, and 

 from the tenderest of them, gathered "just after t|iey hav&, 

 V)een in bloom, when the small leaves that grow between 

 the two first that have appeared, and which altogether make 

 a sprig, arc downy and white, and resemble young hair or 

 down. Trees of four, five, and six years old uiay still 

 make peko ; but after that they degenerate into bohea if 

 thev grow on the plains, and into congo if they grow on 

 the hHls. 



Lintscssin seems to be made from very young leaves rolled 

 up, and stalks of the tree ; the leaves are gathered before 



tJbcy 



