Opening the text

The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom: Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c.Simmonds, P. L. (Peter Lund)

Science

The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom: Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c.

Name: The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom: Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c.
Author: Simmonds, P. L. (Peter Lund)

Simmonds, P. L. (Peter Lund)

Botany, Economic

of cold water is thrown in, and a soft brick-bat and bamboo broom
    used, to give it a good scouring out; the water is thrown out of the
    pan by the brush on one side, the pan itself being never taken off.
    The leaves, all hot in the bamboo basket, are laid on a table that
    has a narrow rim on its back, to prevent these baskets from slipping
    off when pushed against it. The two pounds of hot leaves are now
    divided into two or three parcels, and distributed to as many men,
    who stand up to the table with the leaves right before them, and
    each placing his legs close together, the leaves are next collected
    into a ball, which he gently grasps in his left hand, with the thumb
    extended, the fingers close together, and the hand resting on the
    little finger. The right hand must be extended in the same manner as
    the left, but with the palm turned downwards resting on the top of
    the ball of tea leaves. Both hands are now employed to roll and
    propel the ball along; the left hand pushing it on, and allowing it
    to revolve as it moves; the right hand also pushes it forward,
    resting on it with some force, and keeping it down to express the
    juice which the leaves contain. The art lies here in giving the ball
    a circular motion, and permitting it to turn under and in the hand
    two or three whole revolutions, before the arms are extended to
    their full length, and drawing the ball of leaves quickly back
    without leaving a leaf behind, being rolled for about five minutes
    in this way. The ball of tea leaves is from time to time delicately
    and gently opened with the fingers lifted as high as the face, and
    then allowed to fall again. This is done two or three times to
    separate the leaves; and afterwards the basket with the leaves is
    lifted up as often, and receives a circular shake to bring these
    towards the centre. The leaves are now taken back to the hot pans
    and spread out in them as before, being again turned with the naked
    hand, and when hot taken out and rolled; after which, they are put
    into a drying basket and spread on a sieve, which is in the centre
    of the basket, and the whole placed over a charcoal fire. The fire
    is very nicely regulated; there must not be the least smoke, and the
    charcoal should be well picked.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.