Il6 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



that is, to break the cells, and bring the leaf into that soft 

 mashy state that very little hand labour will finish it. No 

 rolling-machine yet invented can, I think, do more than this, 

 and it is, I think, doubtful if any will ever be invented that 

 will do more. Machines do not give the nice final twist which 

 is obtained by the hand. I was told lately that most of the 

 gardens in Cachar that had machines had dropped them and 

 gone back to hand-rolling. I cannot help thinking this is a 

 mistake. They should use both, the hand-rolling for the final 

 part alone. Very few rolling-men would then suffice, with the 

 aid of the machine, to manufacture a large quantity of leaf. 



I only know of one other Tea rolling-machine, which is 

 Nelson's. It does not profess to do more than prepare the 

 green leaf for rolling, which, as stated above, is, I think, all 

 that any machine will ever do. I have never seen it working, 

 but it appears simple, being nothing more than a mangle. 

 The leaf is placed in bags, and then compressed under rollers 

 attached to a box, weighted with stones. The prospectus 

 states, it will prepare 80 Ibs. green leaf in fifteen minutes, and 

 that one man can then finish as much of such prepared leaf 

 in three minutes as would occupy him twelve minutes if the 

 same had not been prepared. I see nothing unlikely in this. 

 The machine, though inferior to Kinmond's in its arrange- 

 ment, ought to be cheap enough to bring it within the reach 

 of all. 1 



I have already spoken of one of McMeekin's inventions. 

 His chest-of-drawers for firing Tea is, I think, superior to 

 his batten table. It is now so well known, and in such 

 general use, that I shall describe it very shortly. It is 

 nothing more than a low chest-of-drawers, or trays fitted in a 

 frame one above the other, the bottom of each tray being fine 



1 Unfortunately it is not. It is advertised at Rs. 300, with a yearly royalty 

 of Rs. 50 the first year and 20 after. The royalty should be dropped, and the 

 machine sold for Rs. 150, which would give the inventor a good profit. 



