St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-01-07

CodISc tttl ludL Is lclJ dllcl All is sllJ-
ed is the Bohea or cheap tea.
After sitting, the teas are carefully
looked over before packing. The diff
fcrent kinds of tea are really made by
the size and age of the leaf. The young
and tender leaf bruising readily, be-
comes the best tea. The older and
coarser leaf is hard, and does not pass
through the sieve. But all kinds of
black tea are made as one tea, and then
separated by the sitting.
Green tea is made from the same leaf,
and it is picked and brought to the fac
tory in exactly the same way. The diff
ference is only in the process of manu-
facture. The leaf for green tea when
brought in is thrown ut once into a very
hot iron pan, instead of being spread
out to wilt. 1t is stirred about bIiskly
until it is well wilted and is steaming
freely. Then it is placed in a basket
in the sun for one hour, after which it
is rolled and pressed in a mat and is
again put out to dry in the sun. Then
it is again placed in the hot pan and
stirred a long time, until the leaves curl
up and become perfectly dry. This
process of placing the leaves at once in
the hot pau and not permitting fermen-
tation causes the leaves to retain their
original green color, and this gives the
name to green tea.
At il visit to another extensive tea
garden | stood beside the manager and
saw the leaf brought from the field and
| placed in the hot pan, where it was
worked until it became beautiful curl
ed green tea. The green tea is also
passed through sieves to separate the
| fine from the coarse. A moments thought
will show that the green teas are strong
er than the black, as all the juices are
retained and nothing is lost in fermen-
tation or drying. The black tea is,
however, the most healthful drink.
| These India tea gardens are usually un-
der the superiutendencs of Europeans,
and the tea is free from adulteration or
mixture of any kind. We think that
this Hmalaya Mountain tea is the best
that is made anywhere. The prices at
the factories are an average of about Is
cents per pound for Bohea tea. A very
fine medium mixture is sold at thirty
seven cents pound. The superior teas
range from fifty cents to one dollar per
pound. SO much for "India Teas"
A few weeks ago we were mourning
\ in all this part of India over threaten
! ing famine, when all at once flood
swept over the country such as has new
er been known before since the cree
ton of this old city. In about sixty
hours thirty-thres inches of rain fell in
the mountains, causing land slides, de-
stroying villages and causing great loss
of life and property. In Nairrie Tol
where there are some two hundred and
fifty summer residences for Europeans
a slide occurred, carrying Il very large
hotel, the largest store in the place, the
large assembly rooms, library, reading
room, etc, into the lake, burying ovel
forty Europeans and a large number OF
natives beneath the soil, most of whom
will never be found. After weeks Of
fruitiess searching, funeral services
were performed for the dead over the
fallen mountain and all were left to rest
as they fell.
The floods came down from the noun
tains, covering the plains so that rivers
were several feet higher than the high
est high water mark known. Hence on
the levi plains every foot that the wa
ter rose meant the washing of miles
and miles of the plain. Villages that
were considered quite safe, as water had
never come near them before, were
washed away entirely, the people per
ishing or saving themselves in trees OF
on some higher elevation. Hundreds o.
people were thus kept in trees for two
NClt
washed away, cattle and wild animal,
were washed away and many drowned
while others fioated to high place and
remained there until the waters abated
Had the increase of the waters cOntin.
ned one hour longer the city where W.
live would have been engulfed.
little river no larger than the Moose
became rushing, roaring torrent, from
seven to ten miles wide, carrying de
structiOn in its course all the way. The
little bridges built for the railroad owe
this stream were of no use, and henc,
the stream made n course for itself som,
five miles wide, taking the railroad EN-
bankment quite away. 1t will take sew
eral thousands of men long time t,
repair the damage done to railroads an,
carriage roads in this province, and tn
poor people will have severe winte
in the country that was flooded. Poo
+ India seems to have more than he
share of famines, plaques, pestiIences
floods and wars.
The American missionaries in Indi
are just now rejoicing over the news G
Garfield's election. We are all on on
side. We received the news within tw,
days-the first telegram simply Stain
that New York had gone for Garfield
which told the whole story.
, f. w. PARKER.
November 10, 1880.