Account of the Tea Tree. 259 



they are full blown : this tea is never latched, but only fired. 

 Were the leaves suffered to remain on the trees until they 

 were blown, they might be cured as peko, if longer, as 

 Congo and bohea. This tea is in no esteem with the 

 Chinese; it is only cured to please the sight; the leaves are 

 gathered too young to have any flavour. 



7'ea trees are not manured, but the ground on which they 

 grow is kept very clean and free from weeds. Tea is not 

 gathered by the single leaf, but often by sprigs. Tea in 

 general is gathered by men ; however, women and children 

 also gather tea. Tea is gathered from morning till night, 

 when the dew is on the leaves as well as when it is off. 



Ho-ping tea is so called from the country where it grows, 

 ■which is twelve easy days journey from Canton. This tea 

 is cured after the manner of bohea, only in a more careless 

 •or slovenly way, on account of its little value, and with 

 wood instead of charcoal fire, which is not so proper, and 

 adds to the natural bad smell the tea has from the soil where 

 it grows. 



Leoo-ching (or Lootsia), the name of a place eight days 

 journey from Canton: it may produce about 1000 peculs 

 of tea in a year. This tea is cured as bohea, or as green, as 

 the market requires, but is most conuiionly made to imitate 

 singlo, which suits it best. 



Honan tea grows opposite to Canton ; it is cured In April 

 or May for the Canton market, that is, for the use of the 

 inhabitants of Canton, especially the women, and not for 

 foreigners. There is but little of it, about 200 peculs. 

 The worst sort of it remains flat and looks yellow : it is 

 tatchcd once to dry it, but not rolled, and is worth three 

 candarines the catty. The best sort is tatched once, and 

 rolled with the hand, and tatched again ; it is worth twelve 

 candarines the catty. Tliese teas are not, like the bohea, 

 after they are tatched, put over a charcoal fire. The water 

 oi Honan tea is reddish. 



Ankoy tea is so called from the country that produces It, 

 which is about twenty-four days journey from Canton. 

 When gathered, the leaves are put into flat baskets tu dry 

 like the bohea ; they are then tatched, and afterwards rubbed 

 with hands and feet to roll them, then put in the sun to 

 dry, and sold for three or four candarines the catty. If 

 this tea is intended for Europeans, it is packed in large ' 

 baskets, like bohea baskets, and those are heated by a 

 charcoal fire in a hot-house, as is oflen practised in Canton. 

 Bohea tea is sometimes sent to Ankoy, to be there mixed 

 with that counJrv tea, and tlien forwarded to Canton. 



}\ 9. Tbe 



