510 MANUAL OF THE NILAGIRI DISTRICT. 



CH. XXIX. teas. Previous to the introduction of the trays now in general 

 ^^ use in Southern India^ the tea used to he dried off in 



bamboo basket dhools over charcoal fires. The objections to 



these wei'e very great : in the first place the sides were never 

 air-tight and the greater portion of the heat was wasted. To 

 obviate this, the sides were often plastered with cow-dung, and 

 any stray spark catching this imparted a full but doubtfully 

 desirable flavour to the tea. Secondly, the belt in the centre 

 on which the bamboo sieve was almost always irregularly pitched 

 did not fit accurately the sieve on which the tea rested. Thirdly, 

 from the constant falling through, on to the fire, of fine leaf and 

 dust, the chances of turning out " smoky burnt " tea were 

 much enhanced. Lastly, an enormous number of these dhools, 

 and a proportionate number of men to watch them, were neces- 

 sary in order to dry off any quantity of leaf. A better form of 

 dhool, i.e., one made of cast-iron, was proposed by Mr. Haworth 

 in his report on tea in Cachar, but even this did not provide a 

 remedy for the last-named objection. In fact rather than use 

 appliances of this nature I would prefer to dry off the teas in 

 pans, but this is a tedious process, and the risk of sourness 

 (perhaps the worst fault a tea can possess) is rendered much too 

 probable. 



The most satisfactoiy apparatus for drying off tea that I have 

 hitherto met with, is the tray apparatus (the invention of an 

 eminent Cachar planter, and also figured by Mr. Haworth in 

 his report) now in almost universal use on the Nilagiris. I 

 regret that I have no means of appending an illustration of it ; 

 but intending planters have but to visit the nearest tea estate 

 to see it in full working. In Bengal these drawers are always 

 laid on masonry over charcoal fires. The introduction of the 

 hot-air principle by means of an iron plate let into the masonry 

 of the furnace at a height of 18 inches was an improvement 

 introduced by a Nilagiri planter, and, both as regards economy 

 of fuel and excellence of quality of the article manufactured by 

 its means, is worthy of universal adoption. The advantages of 

 the iron plate system are — 



1. That the heat can be better regulated. 



2. That there is less risk of burning, or, as in the case of 



bad charcoal (the furnaces are fed from outside), of 

 communicating a smoky flavour to the tea. 



3. That as there is a false drawer with a zinc bottom to 



catch all the dust and broken tips when the teas 

 are turned over in the course of drying, the risk of 

 smoky burnt teas, caused by particles dropping on 

 the fire or iron plate is obviated. 



4. That the cost of preparing charcoal is done away with. 



