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GROWTH */ T E A. 
The general name which the Chinese give ta green tea, 
is songlo. It grows in a little higher latitude, chiefly in the 
province of kiang-nan, and generally in a lower ground than 
the bohea : the fame care is neceflfary to drain off the water. 
The fhrub and leaf of green tea are fo much like thofe of 
bohea, that it requires the fkill of a botanift to diftinguifh 
them. 
Hyson, or hysoon, fo called by the Chinese, as well as by us, 
probably from the place of its growth, is either a different fhrub 
from the green tea, or the buds are picked more early : it 
is alfo diftinguiffied by being higher dried, and as it is rendered 
more crifp, it keeps longeft : however, this yields at prefent to 
fine green tea, which you think excells in color and flavor. The 
fineft fort of the latter, which the Chinese call byng, and we 
denominate imperial, its leaf is conflderably larger than hyson. 
Byng is dear in china, and very little of it is brought into 
Europe. — The inferior fort of green is gathered in august, of 
which there are various qualities, according to the foils and dif- 
ferent times of gathering, as already mentioned of bohea. Tea 
picked in wet weather, can hardly be ever well cured. 
The manner of curing thefe leaves, is by putting them into 
a veflel like a ftew-pan, about a foot deep, and four or live feet 
diameter, which we call torches, probably an English name 
for thtfe veflels, well known alfo in india, under the fame de- 
nomination. Shaking the leaves over the fire, not only dries, 
but curls them up in the manner you fee them : it is remarkable, 
that if by any accident tea becomes moift, fo as to make a 
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