VI. 



Teas of commerce are subject to four principal 

 descriptions of sophistication "Facing" or Col- 

 oring with deleterious compounds, in order to 

 enhance their appearance ; Substituting with spent, par- 

 tially-used or exhausted leaves to increase their bulk and 

 reduce the cost ; Mixing or blending with spurious or for- 

 eign leaves, and Sanding or adulterating with a variety 

 of mineral matter, chiefly iron or steel filings, to add to 

 the weight. Each trade has its own special form of adul- 

 teration, and as in the milk business the most prevalent 

 sophistications are watering and skimming, so in the Tea- 

 trade the besetting malpractice is coloring and mixing 

 with or substitution of partially-exhausted tea leaves, so 

 that the main efforts of experts and tea-analysts should be 

 directed more to this form of adulteration. The other 

 forms have received some attention from chemists and 

 others interested in the article, but not to the extent which 

 the importance of the subject merits. But it is against the 

 two former most common and dangerous forms of adul- 

 teration that the principal efforts of tea-analysts and in- 

 spectors should more particularly be directed ; and, while 

 considerable of this nefarious and positively injurious 

 work is done in the countries of importation, by far the 

 greater portion is perpetrated in the countries of produc- 

 tion. For consummate skill in the " tricks of trade/' 



