SUCCULENCY OF THE LEAVES. 259 



taneous heating may be beneficial to the leaves, 

 evaporation is hastened by exposure to the sun, and 

 after excessive rains to the action of fire, in each 

 case for the purpose of effecting that state of dry- 

 ness or relative moisture in the leaves which is fa- 

 vourable to the elaboration of a saccharine prin- 

 ciple, which is here surmised to be necessary to black 

 tea previously to roasting. But with green teas any 

 lengthened exposure to sun or air, or spontaneous 

 heating of the leaves, would be injurious. Thus we 

 find it to be the practice of the Chinese to keep such 

 leaves as cool as possible. If the leaves of these teas 

 are overcharged with aqueous fluid, evaporation is 

 hastened, not by sunshine or artificial heat as in 

 black tea, but by spreading the leaves loosely on 

 tiled floors, or on sieves, or stands, in cool places 

 exposed to a current of air ; and this when neces- 

 sary even through the night, as the Chinese say, 

 without injury. At Java it is stated, however, 

 that the leaves there cannot be so exposed without 

 detriment. This may be due to the greater heat 

 of the climate, and even in China it is not desir- 

 able and cannot be done without risk. In ordinary 



mi 



cases the green teas are roasted as soon as gathered, 

 even with the dew on the leaves. It is therefore 

 evident, from the difference of treatment which 

 these two classes of tea receive previously to roast- 

 ing, that the green tea leaves are brought to the 

 roasting vessel more exuberant in juices than the 

 leaves of black tea. Consequently they ought to re- 



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