142 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



' twisted ' leaf. It may be ' flattish made/ indicating that though the 

 leaf is not open, it wears a flattish aspect, or it may be open, which 

 betrays a want of sufficient or skilful manipulation. A wiry ' leaf 

 is small, perfectly rolled, and very thin (in diameter) generally rather 

 curled, so as in fact to resemble small pieces of bent wire. It will 

 be seen at once that only the finer Teas can have a wiry leaf, prin- 

 cipally the Orange Pekoes and Pekoes. Sometimes we meet with a 

 fine Souchong that may be thus described. 



Green Teas. 



As in the North-west Provinces Green Teas form the bulk of the 

 producej it will be well to give a short description of them, though 

 the tenor of my remarks below will show the general opinion as to 

 the desirability of making them. l 



Gunpowder is the most valuable description, its price ranging 

 from 2s. 8d. to $s. 8d. per Ib. Instead of possessing the long and 

 thin finished leaf, which is the desideratum of Black Teas, it is rolled 

 into little balls more or less round, varying from one-eighth to one- 

 quarter of an inch in diameter. Sometimes it is not altogether com- 

 posed of round leaf, but has some long leaf mixed. 



When the Tea is of the shape of Gunpowder, but is larger than 

 the size above quoted, it is called Imperial. Prices of Imperial are 

 from i.od. to 2s. 6d. 



Amongst Green Teas Hyson may be taken as the parallel of 

 Souchong of the black leaf descriptions. Undoubtedly there is often 

 much young Pekoe leaf in it, but all chance of discriminating it in 

 the finished leaf is done away with by the change in colour. Hysons 

 sell from is. zd. to 3^. 6d. 



Young Hyson is smaller than Hyson, occasionally slightly broken. 

 It fetches from yd. to 2s. 6d. 



Hyson skin consists of the bold broken leaf of Hyson and young 

 Hyson. A small broken Green Tea is seldom sent on the home 

 market. The reason of this is obvious. When we consider that 

 Hyson skin only fetches from 7^. to is. it is apparent that anything 

 approaching a dust would give very little chance of a profit. I have 

 seen one or two parcels too much broken to come under the title of 



1 I think I need hardly pause to correct the popular error that the Green and 

 Black Teas are made from two different species of plant. Most of my readers 

 will know that they are both made from the same leaf, the difference lying only 

 in the manufacture. 



