GATHERING OF TEA-LEAVES. 151 



and the seeds are round, blackish, and about the 

 size of a large pea. Linnaeus says, that there are 

 two species of this plant, the Bohe'a, or black, 

 and the vir'idis, or green tea. The green, which 

 has much longer leaves than the black, is a more 

 hardy plant, and, with very little protection, bears 

 the severity of our winters. 



As tea is a most important article of commerce 

 to the Chinese, they bestow the greatest possible 

 care upon its cultivation. It is propagated by 

 seeds, from six to twelve of which are put into 

 holes at regular distances from each other, and 

 about five inches deep ; so many of the seeds being 

 sown together, because it is supposed that only a 

 small number grow. 



When the tree is three years old, the leaves are 

 fit to be gathered ; and the men who collect them 

 wear gloves, that the flavour may not be injured. 

 They do not pull them by handfuls, but pick them 

 off one by one, taking great care not to break any ; 

 and although this appears to be a very tedious 

 process, each person gathers from ten to fifteen 

 pounds a day. 



The fresh leaves are first exposed to the steam 

 of boiling water, after which they are put on plates 

 of copper, and held over a fire till they become 

 dry and shrivelled: they are then taken off the 

 plates with shovels, and spread upon mats ; some 

 of the labourers taking a small quantity at a time, 

 L 4 



