| TEA PLANT. This picture of the tea plant shows the leaf, blossom and seed pods. The bush often shows blossoms and seed at the same time. If left to nature, the tea plant will grow to a height of twenty feet, but as cultivated it is kept down to from two to five feet by constant pruning. The average tea tree lives for fifty years, though it is said that there are records in China of trees living three hundred years.
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PICKING TEA IN CEYLON. Here the Tamil coolies are seen at work under the watchful eye of the task-master. The tea baskets hold about fourteen pounds and the average is three baskets per coolie per day. The picking begins about the end of April and usually lasts until the end of November. Only the tip of the shoot and soft leaves are picked.
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| TEA ROLLER. After the tea is picked it is spread out on trays or racks and left to wither from eighteen to twenty hours. It is then taken to the roller, which we see in this picture. The object of rolling is to squeeze out the moisture left after withering, and to give the leaves a good twist.
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FERMENTING. The next process is fermenting. The leaf is spread on the floor of a cool room, covered with wet cloths and allowed to ferment until it turns to a bright copper tint. This is when black tea is wanted. If green tea is desired, the leaves are not fermented. Green tea and black tea may come from the same tree; the difference is due to the manner of treatment after picking.
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