TEA MACHINERY. 259 



I now give an estimate of cost of i maund Tea dried by a machine 

 of similar capabilities, but drying with any sort of fuel coal, wood, 

 grass, bamboo, &c., say 2 maunds of firewood at 6 pie per maund = i 

 anna per i maund Tea. 



N.B. Price of firewood at 3 pie per maund should be nearer the 

 mark. 



3 men's pay, annas 4-6 for 5 maunds in 10 hours = annas 2-8 per 



maund. The analysis of the above comes to this 



R. A. p. 



Charcoal drying ... ... ... ... ... = i i o 



Coke ,, ... ... ... ... ... = o 10 8* 



Wood fire ,, ... ... ... ... ... =038 



We read of machines drying with any fuel, and doing double the 

 Tea of what I have estimated above, and how people can still stick to 

 charcoal beats me. (No signature.) 



Sorting or Sifting is the next process that is to say, 

 dividing the Tea (by passing it through sieves) into different 

 kinds, as Pekoe, Broken Pekoe, Pekoe Souchong, and Broken 

 Tea. All do not divide it thus, for some make other kinds 

 also. In the body of this Essay (page 122) I say, " I do 

 not believe in any present or future machine for sifting 

 Tea." I did not then ; that was in the early days of Tea ; 

 but I was wrong. A sifting machine, on the large scale on 

 which Tea is now made, is essential for every garden. 



Jackson's Sifter. I have seen this, and heard it well 

 spoken of, but I have no experience of it. 



Greig's Sifter. This I have not seen, but from the 

 drawing I have I should doubt if it would sift enough per 

 day for a large garden. 



Pridham's Sifter. This is quite a new thing. I know 

 nothing of it. 



The fact is, the manager at Phoolbarry and I have been 



* I should be glad to be set right if I have not rightly calculated the 

 price of coke. (Writer of the letter.} 



