204 



SPECIAL HERB AND LEAF CROPS 



always be relied upon to indicate the quality of the tea, since, 

 in both China and Japan, green teas are sometimes colored with 

 indigo and other materials. 



The process for making the black teas is somewhat different 

 from that required in preparing the green teas. The leaves are 

 exposed to the action of the sunlight until they wilt and begin to 

 ferment. This fermentation is prolonged until a certain odor is 

 given off, which is easily recognized by expert workmen. The 

 tea is then placed on a table and carefully rolled for twenty-five 



Weighing tea, Japan. 



or thirty minutes, after which it is packed tightly in baskets, 

 and left to go through a second stage of fermentation. Finally 

 it is put through another rolling process, preparatory to roasting 

 it on iron gauze sieves over a slow, even fire. 



The tobacco plant is a native of America, and is one of tli3 

 crops that was grown by the Indians at the time that our earliest 

 settlers came to this country. Sir Francis Drake is credited 

 with having carried the first tobacco from Virginia to England, 

 and Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have been the first person to 

 introduce its use at the court of Queen Elizabeth. Since then the 

 use of tobacco has spread over practically the entire world. 



