324 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



hot and dry, and gather the small tender 

 leaves, that are not above three or four days 

 old, and previous to their being unfolded ; 

 these are picked off one by one, taking great 

 precaution not to break them or injure the 

 shrub. However tedious this may appear, 

 yet they will gather from four to ten, or 

 fifteen pounds in a day. This first gathering 

 is called Jicki tsiaa, or tea-powder, because it 

 is used pulverised. Towards the evening, 

 they carry these leaves to the house or build- 

 ing erected for the purpose, containing a 

 number of small stoves, where they are put 

 on a hot polished iron-plate immediately, be- 

 fore they have time to ferment, in which case 

 they would turn black ; they continue to 

 turn them about until they are withered, 

 when they are removed on to mats, or paper, 

 and left to cool, after which the leaves are 

 folded and curled in the palm of the hand : 

 they are then placed on a second hot plate, 

 and turned as before with the hand till they 

 are tolerably firm. They are then cooled 

 suddenly a second time, by agitating the air. 

 This operation is repeated three or four times 

 in order to extract all the moisture from the 

 leaves. The principal object of cooling the 

 leaves quickly is to preserve the curl, which 



