86 Plucking. 
on hand, and`so many coolies will not be required 
for picking during the rains; so that more coolies 
are available for cultivation and transplanting. 
CHAPTER V. 
PLUCKING. 
Of course every thing depends on what sort 
of pruning has been done. And what sort of Tea 
is wanted and whether Fine Teas, Medium Teas, 
or a large quantity of coarse tea is to be made. 
In any case directly the bushes begin to 
shoot have a gang of coolies on taking out all the 
open leaf which shows. Puton a good many coolies, 
„as if once the leaf 1s allowed to get ahead, it will 
be almost impossible to catch it up again and 
even then a good deal of the open leaf will be 
hard and make very poor stuff. Whereas this first 
open leaf if taken sharp enough makes very fair tea. 
If you have pruned very lightly and intend 
cutting down in May, or mean to make one- 
third of the tea from Ist Flush, in the old 
