128 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



Perhaps as good a rule as any is that half the twisted 

 leaves inside shall be a rusty red, half of them green. 

 Practice^alone, however, will enable you to pronounce when 

 the balls are properly fermented. There is no time to be 

 fixed for it. The process is quicker in warm than cool 

 weather. 



The fermentation should be stopped in each ball just at 

 the right time. Great exactitude in this is all-important, 

 and therefore, as I say, the balls should be taken in rotation 

 as they were laid down. 



The fermentation is stopped by breaking up the ball. 

 The roll is spread out very thin, and at the same time any 

 remaining coarse leaves are picked out. 



This concludes the fermenting process. 



Sunning. The roll is then without any delay put out in 

 the sun, spread very thin on dhallas or mats. When it has 

 become blackish in colour it is collected and re-spread, so 

 that the whole of it shall be affected by the sun. With 

 bright sunshine, an hour or even less suns it sufficiently. It 

 is then at once placed in the dholes, which must be all 

 ready to receive it. 



If the weather is wet, it must, directly the balls are broken 

 up, and the coarse leaf is picked out, be sent to the dholes. 

 This is the only plan in wet weather, but the best Tea is 

 made in fine weather. 



Firing or Dholing. In the case of wet weather, unless 

 you have very many dholes, fresh roll will come in long 

 before the first is finished. The only plan in this case is to 

 half do it. Half-fired the roll does not injure with any delay, 

 but even half an hour's delay, between breaking up the balls 

 and commencing to drive off the moisture, is hurtful. 



In any but wet weather necessitating it the roll can be 

 fired at one time, that is, not removed from the drawer until 

 it has become Tea. 



