The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-01-04
AMERICAN TEA.-The following letter from Mr..
Junius Smith, gives an account Of cultivation Of
tea in South Carolina:

AMERICAN IEA.-Ihe following letter from nir.
Junius Smith, gives SccOunt Of the cultivation Of
tea in South Carolina;
o0lDSs GsesnxiIs. s s. q e, Dee is Isis isoe'
My Dear Sir I'm your two last eenmunica-
tions notice your inquiries relating 70 she stzte OF
tea cultivation The experiment Of last year ter
minatng this month, leaves nothing to .desire
that subject. My expectations are fully realized.
The plant grows well, buds well, blossoms wei,
flowers well, and throws out Its foliage well There
fore do not perceive tn slightest reason 70 doubt
that the plant will soon cover the sunny fields OF
the South with uxuriantcrops as the cotton does
now. People within stones throw OF my tea gar
den, ask fifty times day, how does your tea
plant come on 2" have done answering those al
most silly questions by referring them to the gar
den itself for information. II il be not worth ten
minutes walk to see the how, 1t is not worth one
moment Of my time to teach them. The climate
for tea cultivation appears to exactly suited for
the requirements of the plant, sufficient heat In the
summer and suitable degree of cold IN the winter
The aspect of my garden, and the character Of
the soil, are not such as would wish. But per-
feet stranger in Greenvllle, with no one who felt
the smallest interest in the matter to advise aid,
but rather disposed to look upon the undertaking
one sufficiently ridiculous, necessitated to
cept the best location could obtain. fortunately,
limited my engagement to one acre. A plantation
Of about 270 acres was offered to my notice in June,
which purchased, and am culhvatings upon
Golden Grove, nine miles from the village. This
plantation meets my views in respect to soil, ell
mate and aspect, most fully. Ii all be well, shall
be able to plant out forty acres this spring and sum
mer. Ihave been, and still am, very tenacious OF
my plants, reduced by transportation, heat, cold,
drought and disease, TO tocomparatively small num-
Der. man may study medicine, and think himself
a DOCTOR but it is practice that makes him one. L
have not parted with single plant nor single
seed In this way, | trust, 4 shall soon get my
plantation into full seed bearing, and be able ult-
mately to expand my cultivation to meet the de-
mands Of the country. cannot afford to part with
my plants at present but if you viii provide bali
an acre of land upon the Southern or estern slope
of hill not so steep to impede cultivation, in
position where it can be beErigated in hot and drought
ty weather. with subsoil Of light friable clay, and
rather sand surface soil, moderately rich or
dinary garden shall be glad to stock il with tea
plants and believe with ordinary care, they will
flourish upon Long Island. They ought not to be
housed, or put into hot-house !; that would weaken
the vigor of the plant In very severe weather.
whilst young and delicate, they viii require cover
ing with clean straw--not with the litter Of Z sta
BILE. In two or three winters they will stand the
temperature as well as an oak. To show this fact,
have one green tea plantin my tea garden plHnted
out last December fresh from the case in which it
was imported, weakened by the voyage, and heated
the packing, which was never covered or pFoiected
in any way, that stood the severe cold OF February
last with the thermometer at zero. The leaves
which remained after transportation, dropped Oh,
but the branches and tNigs ten TO fourteen inches
in length, remained uninlrred, and came out IN
April in ine leaf and in that condition now, as
fine plant as ever grew. There the pens Stands.
an incontroyertible fact This leaas me % tbink
that you would succeed in your neizhoarheed
told you l had done experimenting. haa Il may
amuse you try your hand al il IN location where
the result viii be novel be il what i saT,