the leaves are roasted as soon as they have been
gathered, and are then rolled and dried; but the leaves intended for
black teas are spread on bamboo trays five or six inches deep, and
placed on frames where they can have plenty of sun and air. They remain
here from noon till sunset; and if the weather is damp they are further
dried by artificial heat. For this purpose they are placed on frames
over shallow pans containing burning charcoal, and are tossed and
stirred with the hand until they emit a certain fragrance. The heat
should be very slight; and the frames are made so high that it is
necessary for a man to mount a small ladder in order to reach the
trays.

"The sense of smell in the skillful workers of tea is very acute, and
they can tell, to almost a minute, the exact time when the drying should
cease, and the next process begin. The Chinese workmen are better than
any others for this branch of the business, and on many plantations most
of the manipulation is performed by Chinese, though their labor is more
expensive than that of the Malays. Our host showed us through his
factory, where the men were busy in the various processes; and as he
told us about each step of the business, he took us to the department
where that particular work was going on.

"After showing the leaves spread out on the frames, he led the way to a
sort of stove, where a man was manipulating some tea in a pan over a
charcoal fire."

[Illustration: DRYING OVER CHARCOAL.]

"'This is what we call roasting,' he said, 'and the great object of the
roaster is to dry the leaves without burning them. You see he does not
allow them to be quiet a single instant, but tosses and turns them in
all directions, so that none may stick to the bottom of the pan, which
they might easily do, owing to the moisture they contain.'

"We watched the roasting till we thought we understood it well, and as
the place was hot, we did not care to stay there a great while. The
leaves lose their fragrance when first thrown into the roasting pan, and
give out a rank smell, but they gradually recover their perfume, and are
ready for the next process, which is called rolling.

"The tea from the roasting pan was given to a couple of men, who stood
in front of a table or bench, with bamboo mats before them. One had a
large mustache, the largest we had ever seen on a Chinese face, and the
other consoled himself for the absence of that hairy ornament by smoking
a pipe.

"