A ('KVU)N TKA FACTORY 39 



a slight variation in the qiialitj' of tlio various siftings 

 that fall into this grade — the leaves, you must re- 

 member, came from many diflerent plants, and some 

 plants are likely to have been a little better, or a little 

 worse, than others. And when the wholesale buyer 

 purchases a stock of " Orange Pekoe," ho must be 

 able to rely on the quality of the whole supply being 

 up to sample. Therefore the batches of Orange Pekoe 

 contributing to that supply must be well mixed to- 

 gether before a fair sample can be taken. In bulking, 

 many baskets of tea of one grade are arranged in a 

 circle round a thick canvas sheet, which is spread on 

 the floor of the packing room. The contents of the 

 baskets are then tilted on to the sheet in a heap, and 

 the heap is well shovelled inside out, and outside in. 



P.\CKiNO. — After bulking, the tea is packed into 

 lead-lined, wooden chests, and is then ready to start 

 on its journey to market. 



All Ceylon tea is manufactured by the up-to-date 

 methods which have been specially devised to prevent 

 human hands coming into direct contact with the 

 product. 



Most of the teas exported by this island are of the 

 black varieties. Some of the manufactured product 

 known as " green tea " is, however, produced. CJrecn 

 tea is made from exactly the same kind of leaves as 

 black tea, and by a similar process up to the rolling 

 stage. But the leaves are not fermented ; they are 

 transferred straight from the rolling mat hines to copper 

 pans, in which they are roasted. And from the factory 

 they go to a mill in Colombo to be coloured and 

 polished. Fuller's earth plays a very active part in 

 the preparation of British-made green tea, and only 



