TEA 



5723 



TEA 



feet in height. On tea plantations it is kept 

 to a small size by constant pruning, for the 

 purpose of increasing the number of leaves, but 

 in its natural state it grows as a tree thirty 

 feet or more in height. The gardens or estates 

 are planted to small bushes four or five inches 

 high, which have been grown from seeds in 

 nurseries. The small plants are set close to- 

 gether in rows, sometimes as many as 1,500 to 

 the acre. At the end of three years a bush be- 

 gins to be commercially profitable, but does not 

 produce a full crop for at least two years more. 



The chief tea-growing countries are Japan, 

 including the island of Formosa, China, Ceylon, 

 India and Java ; a small amount of tea is raised 

 in South Carolina. An abundance of rainfall 

 and a hot climate are especially favorable to 

 the production of this plant. In Japan and 

 China the plants are grown in comparatively- 

 small gardens, but in Java, Ceylon and India 

 there are vast estates, some of which produce 

 more than a million pounds of tea a year. A 

 field in full blossom is a charming sight, for 

 the rose-colored or cream-white flowers are 

 very lovely against the background of green 

 stems and thick foliage. The leaves of the 

 plant are long and leathery, somewhat resem- 

 bling those of the willow tree. The finest 

 quality of tea is yielded by the young, tender 

 leaves,, while the older and coarser ones are 

 utilized for cheap brands. 



Preparation for the Market. The first, step in 

 the manufacture of tea is the picking of the 

 leaves. This is done entirely by hand, and it is 



TESTING TEA FOR PURITY 

 One of the most common adulterations of tea is 

 the dyeing of the leaves to give them a good color. 

 The fraud is not hard to detect. Place dry tea 

 leaves between the folds of a clean, white cloth, 

 and rub the folds together. If the tea is pure and 

 has not been treated, no marks will appear on the 

 cloth ; dye stains will soil the cloth and be difficult 

 to remove. 



a work in which men, women and children 

 engage. The leaves are dropped into baskets 

 suspended from the shoulders of the workers, 

 and as the baskets are filled the leaves are 

 taken to the factory for curing. It is a some- 



what prevalent idea that black tea and green 

 tea are produced by two different varieties of 

 plant, but the difference is wholly a matter of 

 preparation. The green variety is what makers 

 call unfermented tea, and the black is fer- 

 mented. Fermentation in this instance means 

 about the same as oxidation. In the case of 

 fermented tea certain oxidizing ferments in the 

 leaf are permitted to remain in it. These fer- 

 ments work chemical changes in the leaf that 

 give it its black color. At a certain stage in the 

 process, when the organic nature of the leaf is 

 on the point of being entirely changed, the 

 fermenting is checked by the application of 



China 

 196 



Dutch East Indies 

 63 



Figures Represent Mil lions of Pounds 



EXPORTS OP A YEAR 



heat. In case of unfermented tea the leaves 

 are placed in a firing machine shortly after 

 they are plucked, which prevents fermentation 

 by closing the pores. 



In black tea preparation the freshly-plucked 

 leaves are placed under cover on bamboo, can- 

 vas or wire-netting trays, and left there for a 

 day or two to wilt. After this they are crushed 

 by being passed through powerful rolling ma- 

 chines, a process which brings the natural juices 

 to the surface. The leaves are then spread out 

 on tables in cool, well-ventilated rooms to fer- 

 ment, as described above, after which they are 

 again rolled, and then dried in the firing ma- 

 chines. Cutting machines now break up the 

 pieces into uniform lengths, and the tea is 

 finally sifted, graded and packed for shipment. 

 Green tea is fired twice, the second firing oc- 

 curring as soon as the leaves are taken from 

 the rolling machines. The heating process 

 drives off water present in the leaf and brings 

 out the natural fragrance of the tea. Some 

 teas are artificially scented by exposure to fresh 

 flowers, and cheaper grades of green tea are 

 frequently adulterated by the use of such color- 

 ing matters as powdered talc and Prussian blue. 

 The accompanying illustration shows a reliable 

 test for purity. 



Tea Exports. The tea exported each year 

 from the four chief tea-producing countries 



