Some law should be passed in this country to ensure the public against the possibility of purchasing spurious and adulterated teas as in Russia, where the dealers are compelled to sell their teas under government labels placed on the packages by experts appointed by the Government for that particular purpose and who work under official inspectors, the expense of examining and labeling being defrayed out of the revenue realized from the sale of the labels to the dealers. To such an extent was the nefarious practice carried on in that country that the adoption of this system became imperative in order to restore the confidence of the public in the genuineness of the tea offered for sale, with the result of having materially checked the traffic in spurious and adulterated teas in that country. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER VII. TESTING, BLENDING AND PREPARING. -------------- There is no article handled by the grocer which engages more of his time, demands greater attention, or has a more important bearing upon the success of his business than Tea. In many respects it stands ahead of all other commodities in commanding and maintaining patronage, also in that it is expected to attract and retain trade for other articles, and at the same time yield a larger margin of profit. As gain is the fundamental object of business, and as Tea plays such an essential part in determining this profit, we may be excused if, considering the article from a purely practical standpoint, we urge the relation which it bears to the success of the dealer in it, and who, as a rule, experience more difficulty in the selection of Tea than in any other article he trades in. The cause is obvious, being due to the numerous varieties and almost innumerable grades, characters and flavors with which he is confronted, and to be selected from, taken in connection with the diversity of tastes and preferences to be catered to, it requiring no ordinary skill or knowledge to make the proper selection under these circumstances to suit patrons. The acquisition of such knowledge, for all practical purposes, is not, however, quite as difficult as many may suppose, as it can be fairly obtained by a little study, a few simple and inexpensive experiments and repeated trials to familiarize oneself with the leading characteristics and values of the different varieties, grades and flavors of the teas best adapted to each particular class or section of the country.