THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



cultivation, treatment, and prepara- 

 tion. Mei-ki, who laid out plantations 

 near Uzi, was successful as a pupil, 

 and even now the tea-growers of 

 that neighborhood pay tribute to his 

 memory by annually offering at his 

 shrine the first gathered tea-leaves. 



After that period, the use of tea 

 became more and more in fashion, 

 the monks and their kindred having 

 discovered its property of keeping 

 them awake during long vigils and 

 nocturnal prayers. 



From this time on the develop- 

 ment and progress of the plant are 

 interwoven with the histories and 

 customs of these countries. 



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