1839.] extent and produce of the Tea Plantations in Assam. 511 



an inclined plane the leaves always come tumbling back towards and 

 near the operator, as he pushes them up from him, moving his hand 

 backwards and forwards and pressing on the leaves with some force 

 with the palms, keeping the ends of the fingers up, to prevent their 

 coming in contact with the hot pan. After one hour's good rubbing 

 the leaves are taken out and thrown into a large coarse bamboo-sieve, 

 from this into a finer one, and again a still finer one, until three sorts 

 of Tea have been separated. The first, or largest sort, is put into the 

 funnel of the winnowing machine, which has three divisions of small 

 traps below, to let the Tea out. A man turns the wheel with his 

 right hand, and with the left regulates the quantity of Tea that shall 

 fall through the wooden funnel above, by a wooden slide at the 

 bottom of it. The Tea being thrown from the sieves into the 

 funnel, the man turns the crank of the wheel, and moves the 

 slide of the funnel gradually, so as to let the Tea fall through 

 gently, and in small quantities. The blast from the fan blows the 

 smaller particles of Tea to the end of the machine, where it is inter- 

 cepted by a circular moveable board placed there. The dust and 

 smaller particles are blown against this board, and fall out at an 

 opening at the bottom into a basket placed there to receive it. 

 The next highest Tea is blown nearly to the end of the machine, 

 and falls down through a trough on the side into a basket; this 

 Tea is called Young Hyson. The next being a little heavier, 

 is not blown quite so far ; it falls through the same trough, which has 

 a division in the middle ; this of course is nearer the centre of the 

 machine. A basket is placed beneath to receive the Tea, which 

 is called Hyson, The next, which is still heavier, falls very near 

 to the end of the fan, this is called Gunpowder Tea ; it is in 

 small balls. The heaviest Tea falls still closer to the fan, and is called 

 Big Gunpowder ; it is twice or three times the size of Gunpow- 

 der Tea, and composed of several young leaves that adhere firmly 

 together. This sort is afterwards put into a box and cut with a sharp 

 iron instrument, then sifted and put among the Gunpowder, which 

 it now resembles. The different sorts of Tea are now put into shal- 

 low bamboo baskets, and men, women, and children are employed to 

 pick out the sticks and bad leaves ; this is a most tedious process, 

 as the greatest care is taken not to leave the slightest particle of any 

 thing but good Tea. But to assist and quicken this tiresome process 

 beautiful bamboo sieves, very little inferior to our wire ones, and of 

 various sizes, are employed. The different Teas are thrown into 

 sieves of different sizes, from large Gunpowder to Dust Tea; they 

 are shaken and tossed, and thrown from one person to another iu 



