Q£.  T^/>  /  Am.  Jour.  Phar  m 
ou  leu.  \    February,  1903. 
although  it  is  true  that  some  varieties  are  preferred  for  the  black 
and  others  for  the  green.  So  far  as  I  can  determine,  quick  drying 
without  fermentation  gives  green  tea;  slow  drying  with  fermenta- 
tion gives  black  tea.  We  see  this  principle  involved  in  drying 
plants  for  the  herbarium.  If  rapidly  dried  they  remain  green.  If 
slowly  dried  they  discolor,  become  brownish,  and,  if  fermentation 
takes  place,  they  turn  black.  Even  with  the  flowers — quick  drying 
tends  to  preserve  the  natural  colors,  while  slow  drying  causes  them 
to  change  color. 
Green  Tea. — The  leaves,  as  soon  as  brought  from  the  garden,  are 
spread  out  for  a  short  time  until  they  wilt.  They  are  placed  in  pans 
over  a  charcoal  fire  for  rapid  withering.  During  this  process  they 
are  kept  in  motion  by  tumbling  them  about  with  the  fingers.  In 
the  five  or  eight  minutes  of  this  roasting  they  lose  a  large  part  of 
their  moisture  which  is  driven  off  as  a  vapor  and  they  become  quite 
flaccid.  They  are  then  rolled  by  hand  upon  a  table  and  each  couple 
of  handfuls  is  then  made  up  into  a  compact  ball.  The  rolling  and 
balling  give  the  curl  and  twist  so  noticeable  in  the  tea  as  we  know 
it.  They  are  allowed  to  remain  in  the  balls  for  a  brief  space  of  time 
to  help  set  the  twist,  but  not  long  enough  to  permit  of  any  fermen- 
tation. They  are  then  placed  again  in  the  firing-pan  and  dried  as 
quickly  and  as  thoroughly  as  possible.  Often  the  leaves  are  given 
two  roastings  and  rollings  before  the  final  drying.  During  the  roll- 
ing process  the  leaves  which  are  oversize,  or  of  bad  color  or  other- 
wise inferior,  are  put  to  one  side  and  used  for  making  low-grade  tea. 
After  the  leaves  are  thoroughly  dried  they  are  placed  in  the  hopper 
of  a  fanning  machine,  consisting  of  wooden  paddles  turning  in  a 
circular  wooden  box  and  having  an  outlet  through  which  a  current 
of  air  may  strike  the  tea  as  it  falls  from  the  hopper.  The  current 
drives  the  dust  and  lighter  particles  of  tea  to  a  distance  and  roughly 
assorts  the  leaves  as  to  weight  and  size.  The  final  sorting  is  done 
by  passing  the  tea  through  bamboo  or  wire  sieves  of  varying  mesh. 
It  is  then  packed  in  zinc-lined  boxes.  The  finest  grades  are  some- 
times packed  in  large  pewter  jars,  ingeniously  contrived  to  exclude 
air,  and  yet  permit  of  easily  reaching  the  contents  by  merely  draw- 
ing out  the  stopper. 
Black  lea  After  the  leaves  are  gathered  they  are  spread  in  the 
sun  for  thorough  wilting.  They  are  allowed  to  remain  thus  for 
several  hours,  except  that  they  are  occasionally  tumbled  about  to 
