of the plant into Northern India is due, strongly urges the necessity of importing seeds from different localities in China celebrated for their teas.

Method and season for plucking and gathering leaves.—­The season for picking leaves commences in April and continues until October.  The number of gatherings varies, depending on the moisture[12] or dryness of the season.  If the season be good, as many as seven gatherings may be obtained.  If, however, the rains are partial, only four or five.  These, however, may be reduced to their general periods for gathering—­that is, from April to June, from July to 15th August, and from September to the end of October.  But few leaves are collected after the 15th of the latter month.  As soon as the new and young leaves have appeared in April, the plucking takes place, this being done by the Chinese, assisted by the Mallees.  The following is the method adopted:—­A certain division of the plantation is marked off, and to each man a small basket is given, with instructions to proceed to a certain point, so that no plant may be passed over.  On the small basket being filled, the leaves are emptied into another large one, which is put in some shady place, and in which, when filled, they are conveyed to the manufactory.  The leaves are generally plucked with the thumb and forefinger.  Sometimes the terminal part of a branch, having four or five young leaves attached, is plucked off.  All old leaves are rejected, as they will not curl, and therefore are of no use.

As the season advances, and manufactory and plantation works become necessary, the Mallees are assisted in gathering leaves by Coolies.  The process is simple, and thus every man, woman, and child of villages could be profitably employed, on the plantations being greatly extended.  Certain kinds of leaves are not selected in the plantation, in order to make certain kinds of tea, but all new and fresh leaves are indiscriminately collected together, and the different kinds separated on the leaves being fired.

Method of manufacturing black tea.—­The young and fresh leaves on being picked (they only being used, the old ones being too hard, and therefore unfit to curl), are carried to the manufactory, and spread out in a large airy room to cool, and are there kept during the night, being occasionally turned with the hand if brought in in the afternoon; or, if brought in during the morning, they are allowed to lie until noon.  Early in the morning the manufacturers visit the airing room, and pack up the leaves in baskets and remove them to the manufacturing room.  Each manufacturer takes a basketful, and commences to beat them between the palms of his hands with a lateral motion, in order to soften and make them more pliable for working, and thus prevent them, when rolled, from breaking.  This beating process continues for about an hour, and it may either consist of one or two processes;