The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-06
Taking out the sleeping
silkworms.

Taking out the sleeping
silkworms.
Japanese Literature De-
voted to Qualification
of the Tea Leaf---I'he
Singing Women OF
the Fields
the bottom Of the trays is so hot you
can hardly touch it. yet these men.
once tn" cast of leaves is placed be-
fore them must ku,ad and turn il end
lrSsly. bruising the dark green mass
till II glst'uS and is soft and pliable.
II takes two hours. Precipitation puurs
from them; their muscles stand out
IKE cords. 1t Is a strenuous scene
Ih"N allowed me To photograph them
time exposure for which they paused
fnur seconds. Even at that one man
could not wait SO long. and blurred
his part Of the picture.
After the kncading the tea Is spread
out on pans To dry under steam heat, Is
whricd in wide centrifugal machine.
and is picked over again for stalks.
which they call homes" once the tea
Is dried, and 1t takes different length
~ tim" according to the quality, il is
passed through trturating machine.
consisting Of two frames of wlrc-net-
ting that break the leaves short between
them. They are then passed over n
succession of dancing sleeves worked by
machinery for grades. There il no
dcarth of water power round Kyoto, so
no coal or wood Is necessary.
For ceremonial tea the process Is
much quicker. only the finest leaf is
used, and 1t is treated in a separate
room where the temperature is kept at
100 deg. Fahrenheit. when dried it is
ground To an impalpablc powder. The
best grade Is sold at 20 cents American
per pound 1t is packed in soldered tin
cases.
Mr.. Tsugi over a cup Of his best tea.
introduced US to his father and his wife,
He employs about 12O hands in the sea-
son. His output of picked leaves is
about $4,000 pounds. In the curing
process they lose so per cent. of their
weight so that he is satisfied To get 10
per cent of marketable tea.
We left the cheerful household-all
of miles TO the tea fields. They
stretched all over the country under a
sea of yellow straw mats that made a
golden twilight beneath. We entered
the Tsugl frd-a mystic realm it
seemed-and noted that there were
dozen women picking
with a quick jerk they took off the
proper leaves between finger and
thumb. slipping them into the palm
until the hand was full. when they
dropped them in the basket. They were
singing when We entered but stopped
as soon as they saw US. 1t required
much coaNing to induce them to take
up their song. At last one Drawer than
the others said even have a new one"
and began 1t was wild, sweet air, not
unlike MY Lagan Love" that John
Mccormack sings so quantity. one Of
our party said it sounded like a Budd-
hist hymn. | was curious to know, and
a Japanese who knows English well
smiled,
ct is not a hymn; it is a love song"
by this time all the women were sing
ing il, not pausing in their work. and
the wise man said. Il have got the
first stanza" And this is what it
proved To be.
The sparrows perch ON the bamboo tree
And fly away;
But once love perchcs upon my heart,
It's there for aye.
Fancy that, out under the straw
mats among the tea plants of Iii
peasant women singing the song that
solomon sang; the song that shook the
towers Of Ilium to their fan; the song
nf IN. 80 ia lf
,ug to-day