Chap. XIV. 
SOIL OF WOO-E-SHAN. 
217 
CHAPTER XIV. 
Soil of Woo-e-Shan — Sites of Tea-farms — Cultivation and Man- 
agement of Tea-plantations — Size of Farms — Mode of packing 
— Chop Names — Koute from the Tea-country to the Coast — 
Method of Transport — Distances — Time occupied — Original 
Cost of Tea in the Tea-country — Expenses of Carriage to the 
Coast — Sums paid by the foreign Merchant — Profits of the 
Chinese — Prospect of good Tea becoming cheaper — Tiing-po's 
Directions for making Tea — His Opinion on its Properties 
and Uses. 
The soil of the tea-lands about Woo-e-shan seemed to 
vary considerably. The most common kind was a 
brownish yellow adhesive clay. This clay, when mi- 
nutely examined, is found to contain a considerable por- 
tion of vegetable matter mixed with particles of the 
rocks above enumerated. 
In the gardens on the plains at the foot of the hills 
the soil is of a darker colour, and contains a greater 
portion of vegetable matter, but generally it is either 
brownish yellow or reddish yellow. As a general rule 
the Chinese always prefer land which is moderately rich, 
provided other circumstances are favourable. For ex- 
ample, some parts of Woo-e-shan are exceedingly sterile, 
and produce tea of a very inferior quality. On the other 
hand, a hill in the same group, called Pa-ta-shan pro- 
duces the finest teas about Tsong-gan-hien. The earth 
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