136 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



As I well know brass sieves cannot remain in favour 

 after the others have been only once tried, I shall confine 

 my directions to the Chinese kind.* 



I practise, and I advise, Tea to be sifted daily. The 

 Tea made one day, sifted the day after, and in fact stored 

 away in the bins ready sifted. I find it is more carefully 

 done this way, for by the other plan a larger quantity being 

 done at once by several men, they cannot, from want of 

 practice, be expert. But by the daily plan one, two, or 

 three men, as necessary, can always be kept on the work, 

 and consequently they learn and do it well. 



To sift the following, Chinese sieves are required ; and 

 if daily sifting is resorted to, they will be found ample for 

 any ordinary-sized garden : 



4 of No. 4 

 6 of No. 6 

 6 of No. 7 



9 of No. 9 

 9 of No. 10 

 6 of No. 12 



4 of No. 16. 



Previous to sifting all red leaf should be picked out of 

 the Tea. This, as stated under the head of " Manufacture," 

 should be done twice before the " roll" is fired ; but towards 

 the end of the season especially, some will still remain in 

 the made Tea, and this must be carefully separated. 



From what I have said it is evident that no rules can be 

 laid down as to what sieves to employ to get out certain 

 Teas. Only practice can teach this. 



Further, practice can only enable you to judge in a Tea 

 broker's point of view of different classes of Tea. This 

 essay would, however, be incomplete did it not contain a 

 description of these. Such a description has been ably 

 given by Mr. J. H. Haworth in his " Information and 



* Even to break Tea on them it is a mistake to use brass sieves. Tea is 

 best broken by a wooden roller, heavily weighed with lead, run in. The glaze 

 or gloss on Tea is thus preserved. 



