134 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



the others have been only once tried, I shall confine my 

 directions to the Chinese kind. 1 



I practise, and I advise, Tea to be sifted daily. The Tea 

 made one day, sifted the day after, and in fact stored away in 

 the bins ready sifted. I find it is more carefully done this 

 way, for by the other plan a larger quantity being done at 

 once by several men, they cannot, from want of practice, be 

 expert. But by the daily plan one, two, or three men as 

 necessary, can always be kept on the work, and consequently 

 they learn and do it well. 



To sift the following, Chinese sieves are required ; and if 

 daily sifting is resorted to, they will be found ample for any 

 ordinary-sized garden : 



4 of No. 4 

 6 of No. 6 

 6 of No. 7 



9 of No. 9 

 9 of No. 10 

 6 of No. 1 2 



4 of No. 1 6. 



Previous to sifting all red leaf should be picked out of the 

 Tea. This, as stated under the head of 'Manufacture,' should 

 be done twice before the ' roll ' is fired ; but towards the end 

 of the season especially, some will still remain in the made 

 Tea, and this must be carefully separated. 



From what I have said it is evident that no rules can be 

 laid down as to what sieves to employ to get out certain 

 Teas. Only practice can teach this. 



Further, practice can only enable you to judge in a Tea 

 broker's point of view of different classes of Tea. This essay 

 would, however, be incomplete did it not contain a descrip- 

 tion of these. Such a description has been ably given by 

 Mr. J. H. Haworth in his ' Information and Advice for the 

 Tea Planter from the English Market' (Journal, A. & H. 



1 Even to break Tea on them it is a mistake to use brass sieves. Tea is best 

 broken by a wooden roller, heavily weighted with lead, run in. The glaze or gloss 

 on Tea is thus preserved. 



