1839.] extent and produce of the Tea Plantations in Assam. 187 



manufacturer* make no distinction; they prepare all the Tea they can, 

 throughout the season, box or basket it up, and when the season is over, 

 they set off for Canton with their produce; at least all those who do 

 not wish to sell their Tea on the spot. The different merchants go in 

 quest of it there. It now indiscriminately undergoes the second process ; 

 that is, the different crops are all mixed up together. No old leaves can 

 be mixed in the Green, as in the Black-Teas ; for the long rolling in 

 the pan crushes them, and the fan blows them away, so that only the 

 young leaves are left. 



We shall now take a comparative view of the number of men required 

 by the Black and the Green-Tea makers for one pair of pans. 



For the Black-Tea makers there will be required, 



to tatch, 2 men 



— loll > 4 „ 



— attend to the fire, 1 



— dry, 1 „ 



— beat and put in the sun, 2 „ 



Total number of men. * 10 



To keep these men fully at work, from twenty-five to thirty coolies 

 will be required to pluck leaves, and they will turn out about two boxes 

 of Tea per day, (weighing one maund, or 80 pounds) if the weather be 

 fine and sunny ; but scarcely half that quantity if it be rainy, on account 

 of the coolies not plucking so much on a rainy, as they would on a fair 

 sunny day. As the people of the country become acquainted with the 

 gathering and manufacturing, three boxes, of forty pounds each, may be 

 expected in fine weather, adding perhaps a few men to the number of 

 coolies. 



A pair of pans for the Green-Tea makers would require during the 



first process, 



to tatch, , 2 men 



— receive the Tea from the pans, i „ 



— roll, < 8 ,, 



— attend to the fire, 1 » 



— put the leaves in the sun and turn them, 4 „ 



Total number of men, 16 



Thirty coolies would be required to keep these men in full play, and 

 they would turn out two boxes of twenty-three seers, or forty-six pounds 

 each, per day ; in all ninety-two pounds of Tea. If the weather be 

 rainy, of course the produce is much less : as the gatherers then do only 



