

70 GREEN-HOUSEREPOTTING. [MARCH, 



more careful stir the soil, and some manure it, but the 

 latter practice is seldom adopted. The third year the 

 leaves are gathered, at three successive gatherings, in 

 February, April and June, and so on until the bushes 

 become stunted or slow in their growth, which general* 

 ly happens in from six to ten years. They are then 

 cut in to encourage the production of fresh roots. 



" The gathering of the leaves is performed with care 

 and selection. The leaves are plucked off one by one: 

 at the first gathering only the unexpanded and tender 

 are taken ; at the second those that are full grown ; 

 and at the third the coarsest. The first forms what is 

 called in Europe imperial tea; but as to the other 

 names by which tea is known, the Chinese know no- 

 thing ; and the compounds and names are supposed to 

 be made and given by the merchants at Canton, who, 

 from the great number of varieties brought to them, 

 have an ample opportunity of doing so. Formerly it 

 was thought that green tea was gathered exclusively 

 from C. viridis ; but that is now doubtful, though it is 

 certain that there is what is called the green tea dis- 

 trict and black tea district; and the varieties grown in 

 the one district differ from those of the other. I was 

 told by competent persons that either of the two 

 plants will afford the black or green tea of the shops, 

 but that the broad thin-leaved plant (C. viridis) is pre- 

 ferred for making the green tea. 



" The tea leaves being gathered, are cured in houses 

 which contain from five to twenty small furnaces, about 

 three feet high each, having at top a large flat iron pan. 



