Edible Products. 



448 



[May 1908. 



Green Tea. 



The green tea is made from the same 

 leaves as the black, although some varie- 

 ties are best adapted to make each of 

 these respective kinds. The green-tea 

 process is the same as that tor making 

 black tea, except that instead of wither- 

 ing from twelve to twenty-four hours 

 and fermenting from three to six hours 

 (when oxidation takes place, which 

 renders it black; the green leaves are 

 quickly brought in and placed in a 

 covered double boiler— that is, a sauce- 

 pan with a hot-water jacket (1 lb. of leaf 

 to a 4-quait boiler)— and allowed to re- 

 main surrounded by boiling water from 

 seven to nine minutes ; the cover should 

 be removed and the leaves stirred at 

 intervals. This will render the leaves 

 very soft and flaccid, repdy for rolling. 

 During this rapid process the oxidising 

 agencies of the leaf are sterilised by the 

 boiling water and steam in the hot-water 

 jacket surrounding the leaves, and the 

 production of a green tea is rendered 

 possible. These flaccid leaves are rolled 

 in like manner to the black tea for about 

 ten minutes, being stirred at intervals 

 until they lose some of their moisture 

 and become sticky ; then they are again 

 rolled from fifteen to twenty minutes 

 under all the pressure that can be 

 applied. After rolling, they are imme- 

 diately placed in the oven in a pan and 

 turned at intervals (similar to the black 

 tea) until they are dry and brittle to the 

 touch and a slight scent of tea is 

 given off. 



How to Prepare Tea for Drinking. 



Attention must be called to the fact 

 that ordinarily tea is not drawn pro- 

 perly, which not only makes it less palat- 

 able than would otherwise be the case, 

 but also makes it very deleterious. 

 Chemically, tea leaves yield principally 

 thein and tannin. The former is the 

 mild stimulant that is sought, while the 

 latter should, as far as possible, be 

 avoided. The thein is very soluble, and 

 nearly all dissolves in water that has 

 been brought to the boiling point and 

 allowed to remain on the leaves three or 

 four minutes, whereas if the infusion 

 be longer extended only a little more 

 thein is extracted, but much more 

 tannin. 



To make tea properly, bring freshly 

 drawn water to a boil, pour it on the 

 requisite amount of tea in a previously 

 scalded pot, and allow it to remain 

 covered from three to five minutes ; 

 then decant or strain into another re- 

 ceptacle. The spent leaves should not 

 be used again, because practically all the 



stimulating ingredient has been removed 

 and that which is left is very deleterious 

 to health. 



Conclusion. 



The cultivation of the tea plant in 

 home gardens is not only profitable but 

 a great deal of pleasure can be derived 

 from it at the same time that the use of 

 the much adulterated foreign article is 

 avoided. This is often found to contain 

 Prussianblue, indigo, turmeric, soapstone 

 and leaves of other plants than tea, some 

 of which are injurious to health. 



In the autumn this beautiful evergreen 

 plant is covered with handsome, fra- 

 grant, whitish flowers having a golden 

 yellow centre, making it an excellent 

 ornamental plant. 



The children as well as the older mem- 

 bers of the family may derive abundant 

 pleasure in plucking and making the 

 leaves into tea, although the process is 

 so simple that this work can easily 

 devolve upon any intelligent servant. 



The crop of an average tea bush is 

 about 3 oz. of cured tea during tne pick- 

 ing season, so that 100 plants will yield 

 about 18 lb. a year. As 1 lb. makes from 

 350 to 400 cups of tea, fifty plants should 

 furnish a cup of tea apiece to a family 

 of nine for every day in the year.— U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Farmer's 

 Bulletin 30. 



This paper is of interest as giving the 

 history of tea in the U.S.A.. and as 

 showing the line the Department of 

 Agriculture is taking up ; one which, 

 if well pushed, may reduce the Southern 

 American demand for ten.— Queensland 

 Agricultural Journal, Vol. XX, Part 4, 

 April 1908. 



SORGHUM POISONING. 



By S. S. Cameron, m.r.c.v.s. 



Numberous fatalities of both horses 

 and cattle have been recorded as a re- 

 sult of feeding too plentifully on plants 

 of the sorghum family when in a green 

 state. In years past the trouble was 

 attributed to the animals being affect- 

 ed with hoven or tympanitis through 

 the formation of gases by the fermen- 

 tation of the excess of green food. 

 Later on it was put forward by 

 authorities of India that the fatalities 

 were due to the excess of saltpetre 

 (nitrate of potash) wnich is present in 

 large quantities in the plant tissues of 

 young sorghums, especially during dry 

 periods ; but the deaths occur too sud- 

 denly, and saltpetre, even if it were not 



