Il8 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



under command, by this or some other plan. Are then the 

 fumes of charcoal necessary ? 



I do not know that anyone can answer the query. I cer- 

 tainly cannot, for I have never made Tea with any other 

 agent than charcoal, and I have never met with more than 

 one planter who had. He said the Tea was not good. Still 

 it would, I think, require very careful and prolonged experi- 

 ments to establish the fact either way. Speaking theoreti- 

 cally, as it appears, the only effect of charcoal is to drive all 

 the moisture out of the roll and thus make it Tea, I cannot 

 but believe other heat would do as well. It is, however, a 

 question that only experience can solve. 1 



I have now (four years since the above was written, and at 

 the time I am preparing the second edition of this essay) been 

 for some time employed on experiments with a view to 

 settle the above question. Whether I shall be able to devise 

 a simple apparatus to effect the manufacture of Tea without 

 charcoal is doubtful, but I can, I think, now safely affirm that 

 the fumes of charcoal are not necessary to make Tea. On 

 this point I am myself quite satisfied. The advantages of 

 making Tea with any fuel (wood, coal, or anything else) would 

 be numerous. 



i. Economy. 



2. Absence of charcoal fumes. 



3. Less chance of fire in Tea Houses. 



4. Probably reduced temperature in Factories. 



5. Great saving of labour. 



6. Saving of fuel for it takes much wood to make a 

 given weight of charcoal. 



In addition to all the above, the wholesale destruction of 

 forests that now takes place in all Tea Districts, in order to 

 supply the charcoal for Tea, would be much lessened. 2 



1 Note to 3rd edition. It is a question no longer. Many besides myself have 

 now proved that charcoal fumes are in no way necessary. 



2 See this subject further discussed in the Addenda. 



