262 COFFEE. 



" It is in tlie direction of the southwest from this city, and 

 the distance to the village from Sanjio is 3 Ris." 



Taking jinrihishas, each drawn by two strong and active 

 coolies, we passed through the outskirts of Kioto and over a beau- 

 tiful rolling country, for some six or seven miles, to the locality 

 above mentioned. The lowlands along this section are occupied 

 by rice-fields, while the uplands are cultivated principally for tea. 

 There is considerable variety in the mode of cultivation, but 

 the prevailing system seems to be to plant in rows, about six 

 feet apart. Three or four plants are usually planted together in 

 hills, which are about three feet apart, and these, as they grow 

 larger, fill nearly the whole space which is originally left between 

 the hills, thus making an almost continuous row. The plants are 

 raised from the seed, and take from three to four years to mature 

 sufficiently to yield the first crop. After that they are picked 

 continuously for many years. 



During the winter and early spring, in the districts yielding 

 the best varieties of tea, the plants are covered with mats, which 

 serve the double purpose of protecting them first from the cold, 

 which might injure the plants, and later, fi-om the sun, which 

 tends to make the leaves tough, and injures the delicacy of the 

 flavor. The first picking, which is considered the best, takes place 

 the last of April, or tlie beginning of May ; the second, about a 

 month later ; while the third, which is often omitted, particularly 

 when prices are low, takes place usually during the month of 

 July. 



The tea-plant is a species of camellia, bearing a thick and 

 glossy leaf, which, when green, has no tea flavor, or rather, has a 

 flavor very unlike the cured leaf known to us as tea. Left to them- 

 selves, the plants would probably grow to a considerable height, 

 but they are pruned and trimmed down, so that they are seldom 

 more than three or four feet high. This results in a large num- 

 ber of small branches, producing small and tender leaves, which 

 are the only ones sought for, although in rapid picking different 

 sized leaves will naturally be taken, together with a considerable 

 quantity of stems and other trash. Immediately upon being 

 picked they are taken to the buildings, where they are cured. A 

 considerable number of the flat baskets, in which the tea is 



