296 EXCESS OF EXTRACTIVE AKD 



black tea, and not in green, which Mulder terms 

 Apothem? It would be desirable to know what 

 this product is. 



The greater amount of extractive, and less 

 amount of lignin, contained in Hyson tea,- may be 

 traced to other than chemical causes. Tt may 

 depend on cultivation, or soil, or both. The com- 

 parison is made between Hyson and Congou : the 

 one a highly cultivated plant ; the other a compa- 

 ratively neglected shrub, which receives no atten- 

 tion beyond that of weeding. The leaf of the one 

 is soft, flaccid, and pulpy ; the other harsh, stiff, 

 coriaceous, fibrous, or even ligneous. Again : the 

 Hyson is a carefully selected tea ; all the old coarse 

 and badly curled leaves being separated from it 

 after skilful manipulation. The Congou tea is a 

 comparatively coarse cheap tea, in which all the 

 leaves remain mixed together. It also contains 

 many stalks, in common with all black tea ; which 

 are carefully sifted and separated from all green 

 tea. Thus it is clear how more extractive may 

 be obtained from Hyson tea, and more lignin from 

 Congou. 



Again : the greater amount of soluble matter in 

 boiling water found in Hyson tea is doubtless due 

 to the greater delicacy of the leaf. Agreeably to 

 Peligot, Gunpowder tea contains 51*9 per cent, of 

 soluble matter, Hyson 47*7, and Twankay 42*2 : thus 

 affording also a test of quality. The quantity of 

 soluble matter found in black tea does not afford 



