178 MONADELPHIA. 



most juicy leaves snap, when they first touch the pan, bo- 

 cause a little of their moisture is turned into steam, and it 

 is the business of the workman to shift their positions as 

 often as possible, with his bare hands, until they become too 

 hot to be easily endured. At this instance he removes the 

 whole batch with a kind of shovel, and throws them on the 

 mat, around which sit the rollers, who, taking small quan- 

 tities at a time in the palms of their hands, roll them in such 

 a manner as to give each leaf a curl. At the same time, 

 others blow the leaves with fans, in order to make them 

 cool the more quickly, and the longer to retain their curls. 

 This process is repeated two or three times, or until all the 

 moisture is expelled from the leaves, the iron pans being less 

 heated at each time. When the tea is perfectly dry, it is 

 thrown into boxes of various capacities, and is then ready for 

 sale. Dr. Abel, from whose narrative these facts are obtain- 

 ed, states that by far the strongest tea he tasted in China, was 

 called Yutien, and was used only on occasions of ceremony. 

 This consisted of buds and half expanded leaves of the plant, 

 and scarcely colored the water. 



The Japan Rose, (Camellia Japonica,) is a member of this 

 family. In the gardens and groves of Japan, some of its 

 species grow to the magnitude of trees, and with their pol- 

 ished deep green leaves, their fine forms, and their ele- 

 gant white, or red flowers, single, or double, form one of 

 the most splendid objects in the vegetable kingdom. These 

 plants are greatly admired in China as well as in Japan, and 

 many varieties exist in the latter country, which have been 

 obtained in Europe and America. Eighteen or twenty va- 

 rieties, depending on the color and size of the flower, the 

 shape of the leaf, and whether the flower be double or single, 

 are cultivated in England, and many of them in this country. 

 The single red Camellia grows by cuttings or layers, and 

 on this the other varieties may be produced by budding or en- 

 grafting. 



The generic description of Camellia is contained in 

 few words. Calyx imbricated, many leaved, the inner leaf- 

 lets largest. The Camellia Japonica is characterized by 

 "leaves ovate acuminate, acutely serrate, flowers terminal, 

 subsolitary." 



How are the tea leaves cured ? 



