IV TEA 129 



can be effected by the heat of the sun, the only thing neces- How to dry 

 sary being that the rolled leaves are spread thinly on mats, 

 or on clean trays. With a bright, hot sun the leaves will dry 

 in a little more than an hour, but they will require an occa- 

 sional stirring in order that the lower layers may dry as The leaves 

 quickly as the upper ones. In firing on a small scale, an 

 iron or tin pan, three feet in diameter, seven inches deep, 

 and flat at the bottom, may be used. The fire is made with 

 charcoal, and the heat must be just too much for the hand 

 to bear, say from 1 80° F. to 200° F. The leaves are put in 

 the pan as soon as fermentation is complete, and they are 

 stirred until they are perfectly dry, which happens very soon. Heat not to 

 Great care must be taken to prevent the heat from being too ^ ^^^^^' 

 great, otherwise the leaves will be charred, and the tea will 

 be ruined. 



Bulking. — The dry tea must now be prepared for the Great care in 

 market, and this is an important operation, for its condition, neceSy'^" 

 and therefore its value, depends greatly on the care it has 

 received after it has been manufactured. On large planta- 

 tions in the East, the tea is sorted into various classes as we 

 shall see later ; but where small crops are produced, it is ad- Sorted and 

 visable to ship the tea imassorted — it must, however, be free "e'S^^"'^ ^ 

 from dust and unrolled leaves. The dust is easily removed 

 by a slight fanning operation, in the same way as the parch- 

 ment is winnowed from coffee, care being taken that the 

 wind does not blow away the finer parts of the tea ; and the 

 large leaves, that have come out unrolled, are broken up and 

 added to the bulk. In India and Ceylon they are cut up by 

 machinery and sold as " broken leaf." The term " unassorted 

 tea" does not mean, however, that the produce is packed in 

 the chests or boxes anyhow, for the tea must first be bulked, Contents of 

 that is to say, it must be carefully mixed so that each chest ches^r'to be 

 contains tea exactly similar in character. Bulking is done Sacte" 

 by machinery on important estates in the East, but on a 

 small scale it may be effected in the following manner. A 



K 



