SOME GOSSIP NOT OFTEN HEARD.
Of the millions of people who drink tea, very few seem to know how it is grown or manufactured.
They would hardly believe that there are just on 800,000 acres of land planted under tea in India and Ceylon, employing over one million people—all British subjects. Just imagine employing a fifth of the population of London for the production of one article! Then, again, look at the thousands of people who are employed in the tea trade at home—merchants, dealers, brokers—all dependent on this one article of consumption for their bread-and-butter!
And yet hardly ten per cent. of these know anything about tea manufacture, or have ever given a thought to the one million of people employed in its production.
The duty paid to the Customs during the past twelve months on Indian and Ceylon tea amounted to £3,805,935, to say nothing of the revenue accruing to the Indian and Ceylon Governments in taxes and a hundred and one little charges, all helping to swell the coffers of State, and enabling hundreds of thousands of people to maintain a living.
TURNING THE LEAVES FOR FERMENTATION.
Bourne & Shepherd Photo, India
Surely all these things should induce the patriotic British public to drink only British-grown tea, grown as it were by their own people—for are not India and Ceylon British? and are not the people of Great Britain and India and Ceylon one, under one Sovereign?
The plucking of the tea plant generally commences about the middle of March, and goes on till the end of November, except in Ceylon, where it goes on more or less throughout the twelve months, there being no cold weather to check the "flush" and allow the bushes to lie dormant.
A tea bush is not considered fully ripe for plucking until about five years of age, though a little "tipping" is done on low-lying gardens during the third and fourth years. It is generally carried on by the coolie women and children; the former are rapid and expert workers, and are paid so much for every pound of green leaf plucked. As the leaves are plucked they are thrown into baskets, the contents of which are taken to the factory twice a day for weighing.