ISO 
THE TROPICAL 
AT3ffUCOt-TUm8T. [August i, 1889. 
lands in this province, which was refused.* So look 
alive ye speculators and millionaires ; the first in the 
field will doubtless secure the most promising and 
richest gemming land and water, which I calculate 
would keep several companies at work for years to 
come. 
The Gem Notary Assena Marikar, who has 
exhausted his Veralupe pits, near the 55th 
milepost from Colombo, offered Government R10,000 
for the land covered by the road and pro- 
mised to make a new one for nothing to be able 
to gem the land under the road. But his offer was 
refused. Surely this enterprising miner who has been 
at work for the past quarter of a century knows what 
is under this 30 yards of road or he wouldn't offer 
such a handsome price for it. More anon about the 
Gem Notary. I must close for the present. 
» 
MANUFACTURE OF GREEN AND FANCY 
TEAS. 
The following extract from Mr. E. J. Brace's 
" Essay on Tea Cultivation " cannot fail to be useful 
at this time to many Ceylon Tea Planters. The 
essay is now out of print. 
We now come to the manufacture of Green Teas. Bioh 
strong green teas have of late been realizing extreme 
prices in the London market, in many cases averaging 
more than 3s per lb. all round. As the supply must for 
some years at any rate be extremely limited, we may 
safely oonclude that these rates will be maintained for 
some years to come. The chief drawbacks to their 
manufacture are that they require more labour — closer 
supervision, and in no case are likely even in small 
quantities to find purchasers in this country. Their 
advantage on the other hand is that in dull and nasty 
Weather, wheu the sunshine fails us for withering our 
leaf for black tea manufacture, it can at once be mani- 
pulated for green tea. The planter will therefore in 
any case do well to have a sufficient number of green 
tea pans in his factory ; and to have his staff so trained 
as to be able to turn out equally well either class of tea. 
With regard to the setting up of the pans, some lay 
them in the masonry horizontally : others, at a slight 
incline. For my own part I prefer to lay them at an 
angle of about 30°. It is then easier to empty the pans 
of leaf. To lessen the risk of burning, add leaves here 
and there, and in the final process of bringing out the 
colour at a high temperature, the workmen will find 
tossing the tea easier work for their hands, and in con- 
sequence do so more carefully. 
As I have before remarked, the leaf intended to be 
made into green tea is not withered in the sun, in fact 
the manufacturing process may be commenced directly 
the leaf is brought into the factory. Previous to com- 
mencing manufacture, the pans have, I conclude, been 
fired up to a moderate heat, but not hot enough to 
cause the leaf to crackle violently so soon as it touches 
the pan. One man will be required for every eight or 
ten men employed in rolling to warm the leaf previous 
to its manipulation. The quantity of leaf that I usually 
allow to each pan to be worked off at one time is from 
twenty to thirty pounds. This amount having been 
weighed out, the head tea-maker takes up enough leaf 
to make up a double handful for each of the men roll- 
ing, and pans it at a gentle heat for about five minutes, 
or until it is pur fectly warm, soft and flaccid. The mass 
is then swept out of the pan Into a basket, and, thrown 
out from this on to the rplli|Ug table. It ; is..imnj.e,d'a.teLy 
taken possession of by ,the rollers, who set to, wprk at 
once. 
•There appears no doubt or hesitation in the 'mind o£,, 
our correspondent about this statement, but we hardly 
believe It possible. However, it will be easy to settle the 
matter by a question in Council as soon as the Legislative 
Council reassembles. As regards search for the " matrix," 
we submit the probability that whole ranges of gem-bearing 
hills have been worn down by the effects of the tropical 
heat and rain, have collapsed in fact, matrix and all, into, 
alluvium. In connection with somo of. the richest alluvial 
goyi diggings In Australia, all search for a "matrix," was 
in vain. We BUHpcct that deep digging w|ll reveal more 
•■in i han any possible blasting of overground rocks.— 
In rolling green tea a considerably greater amount of 
pressure may be brought to bear upon the leaf than in 
the ca6e of leaf for black tea, and the matter of the leaf 
being a little broken does not signify much so long as it 
is not really cut to pieces and leaves a fine close twiat 
all round. This can only be done by frequently breaking 
up the balls during this process. When the leaf has 
been rolled for from five to ten minute", each roller 
should take his allowance up off the table and compress 
it into a ball between his two hands, squeezing as much 
juice as he possibly can out of it. When this has been 
done, the leaf should be broken up thoroughly and 
spread out very thin on a table or mat. The latter 
point is of the greatest importance, as »ny slight heat- 
ing of the leaf would cause lermentation to commence, 
and a dark colour would be communicated to the liquor 
after infusion. 
So soon as the first batch of leaf has received one 
roll, a second is brought from the pan, and the process 
repeated until the whole amount of twenty ur thirty 
pounds has been similarly treated. The whole is then 
fired up again for from ten to fifteen minutes and 
then brought back again to receive a second 
roll. This should occupy about four or five min- 
utes, and the leaf should then be again compressed 
between the hands and any remaining juice freely 
expressed. If, however, the first roll has been pro- 
perly conducted, little or no juice will be seen to ex- 
ude from the balls. The latter are then broken up agaii , 
returned to the pans and the final drying off commen- 
ces. The temperature of the pan * may now be raised 
considerably, but uotto any excessive heat, until nearly 
all the juice contained in the leaf has been evaporated, 
and the latter has assumed a greyish black colour. The 
leaf will turn very dark as it dries, but the colour will 
be brought out all right afterwards. When the leaf 
seems fairly dry and assuming a greyish tint, the pan 
should be made as hot as the workman's hand caa 
bear it. Two men should now be set to each pan, and 
the leaf whirled round and round as rapidly as possi- 
ble, not a single particle being allowed to remain sta- 
tionary at the bottom of the pan for a second, or burn- 
ing will result. It is on this final process tbat the 
" colour" depends, and until the men have become ex- 
pert at it, and their hands hardened, it is very difficult 
to get them, without direct supervision, to raise the 
pans to the proper temperature. The men should re- 
lieve one another every half minute or so, until bloom 
has come out, which may be ascertained by picking a 
handful out of the mass and holding it up to the light. 
As the tea cools the bloom will be more strongly de- 
veloped. 
The colour to aim at is a bright, pearly French grey; 
and if the planter has never seen a really first-olass 
green tea turned out, he should procure a sample from 
a broker, and keep it carefully as a guide. When re- 
moved from the pans the tea may be partially cooled, 
and then thrown into an air-tight bin. It is of far 
more importance to keep green tea free from dam 
than with black ; it will absorb the slightest quantity 
of moisture, and the bloom will be lost, probably beyond 
all hope of recovery, by another firing. The planter 
should therefore ascertain carefully that the linings of 
his bins are free from holes and cracks, and that the lids 
fit close : otherwise green tea cannot be kept safely for 
any longth of time. 
The time taken in turning out a batch of green 
tea will occupy from two to three hours. I have 
done in the former time, but then I superintended 
the work myself the whole time- When the manu- 
facture is left to one's subordinates, it is better, to 
allow a little more time and run less risk of the 
tea being spoiled. An even, steady heat up to the 
time of commencing to bring out the colour is the 
great point, to aim at. If you hear your half-dried leaf 
hissing and crackling all over, have it out into a cooler 
pan at once. 
The tasting of green tea is conducted in precisely 
the same manner as that of black, but very different 
results are looked for. The liquor should be a pale 
primrose straw colour, and the flavour full, strong, 
and very pungent. The outturn of the leaf should 
be a bright pea-green. If the liquor be at all dark 
