, 1873-03-29
p. TEA IN CHINA.
Address of MIR. Lni sun In Springfield,
rpuSs.

nlnss.
From the Spyfnof<ld Ienu11tcou.
In response to general dosire for genuine in
formation upon tho subject Of toa1 culture In
China Chm Lai Sun, Chinese Imperial Con,mis-
aloner Of Education, delivered an aldrosg u1on
tllat subject boforo largo audience 1t tic rooms
Of tho Young Mems Christian Assoc,ation last
evening. 10 spoko excellent English, without
mis.acccnt now ana tloii. After alludihg brisily
to tho intonso oxcluBiyeness Of tho Chinese, ho
said that tea grows IN every province III China,
except three or four upon the nortlernmost
produced depends largely upon tho 1ooality.
Tho teR-pfant grows i've or six feet high, and is
like our currant shrub ouIy little thicker. Tho
loayes nro In Shape md eize like those Of the
willow: They are picked about tho middle OF
April, in May, and In July; sometimoH thoro arc
gloaninga az late as August. Tho loayes arc not
picked ono by ono, but striped off In handfuls
by men, women, aud children, who go about do
ing this work. Thero are yory few large toa
plantations; it is raro to Qud ono Of o hundred
acres, but there arc tea patches everywhere.
Tho roal business Of tho country people la raiH-
ing rice for food but they cultivate tea and silk
aB extras, and for pookot-money, "a the 1rishnan
nax pig MhSa tue ppSSd
boo aIats, md dried III the sun. The rolling III
to extract . portion Of the juice Of tho leaYos.
Ar hey hsgo boen dried in the they
fire, and incesaantly stirred until certain point
Of drynoss il reached. Tho operator stirs with
his hands, thrusting them In all portions Of the
pan, md practice enables him to dry the loayos
almost exactly alike. The raiaer goos through
this process, and then brings hia tea In bamboo
baakets to the tea merchant, who adjudgea its
quality, and bnys IT ut prices ranging from
SIG to 800 per ,pioul, equal to 1881 pounds.
fosner ts %GsNea' IL largo 1ss rssere % md R'sh'iSs Is
conyonionco weighs out d number Of pounds Of
tea leaves, and women and children spread them
upon largo stage and separate. the leaves into
grades, according to quality. The ten stalks aro
tho lowest grade, ana thS eoItors arc paid by tho
number OF ounces OF stalks they bring In. Chill
dron earn from cents to cents day tho very
bost workers rarely earn ns much IS 10 conts .
dny. Americans could hardly live upon such
wages, and until other nations can ratio seR for
"a cents pound thoy cannot compete with
Ohlna in it's production.
After tho sorting, each grado t8 packod by It,
solf In chests Or bamboo baskets; tho first tor
chest OF tea ia China weighs from 100 to ITO
pounds, ahhlf-cheBt from 60 to 70, and there aro
smaller boxes or caddieB, containing from five to
ton pounds. The Ghosts arc filled to their ut
most capacity, tho paokora even jumping in the
boxes 70 got in tho last possible ounce. The
chests are made porfoctly tight, and matted and
get them On this side tho water, Tho toa is then
pogsrs tG1 hlous n ester " pad
from o., 900 to 5000 per year, and his modus
| operandi Is AZ follows lie lna long, narrow
| Weighs exactly ono ounce from o gampie-box
Into ono OF those CUPS, and If no has samples
enouch. all tho o,1ps arc used, Hot Vptor ia then
nourei into each cup' md aftor fiyo minutos the
BOY calls tho mnatar who Sips from oyory cup.