The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-01-27
Tea Culture in California.

A correspondent of the Morning Gil,
writing from the japanese colony, in FL
Dorado County, where japanese agricul-
turists are preparing 20 engage extensively
in the tea culture, and raising other pro-
ductions hitherto peculiar to their own
country, gives the following information
concerning the tea plant and its culture
in this State, CLEANED from conversation
with Herr Schnell, the manager and pro-
prietor of the experimental farm. The
only question involved seems TO be
whether labor can be obtained by con-
tract or otherwise in California, upon
such plantations, at sufficiently low rates
to make the business profitable. The
freight, interest on capital during transit,
exchange, and diminished cost of pack
ing, all would operate in favor of tea
raising in this State, and help to compen-
safe for the difference in the rates of wages
prevailing in the two countries.
From the experiments thus far made,
Mr.. Schnell is convinced that the problem
of tea culture in California is solved, and
there is no longer doubt but we can raise
as good teas here as are produced in China
and Japan.
The tea shrub in Japan is an evergreen,
from four to six feet high, with straight
Growing wild, the shrub will reach
height of fifteen or twenty feet The
stem is of bright gray color, the branch
es chestnut, and the wood hard, and hav-
ing peculiar odOr. On the young
branches are the short, soft, green, small
leaves, which are arranged in intervals,
and are of ar elliptical shape, with teeth
on the borders, resembling closely the
leaves of the wild rose. The color is a
bright green, of different shades, deepen
ing as the season advances. Between the
leaves sprout the blossoms, which are At
first of rose color, but in the course of
their development assume lighter shapes,
and finally, when full-blOwn, are Of the
color of the ordinary tea rose. They have
no odOr, and are very tender, but are put
to no use. The story that these flowers
are preserved for mixing teas that are
only drank by the Emperor and the nobili-
ty, is fabrication. When these flowers
fade away, they leave a small fruit which
is divided into two or three partitions
three, which contain the seeds;
they are difficult of preservation, and
easily decay The tea shrub is very easy
of cultivation, and will grow nearly every
where, with plenty of air and snow, but
cannot live in shady places. All of the
new plants at Mr.. Schnells plantation are
raised from seeds, which are planted in
rows in burrows, from four To SIN inches
deep, in a manner similar To that in which
beans are usually planted; but out of this
number of seeds, probably but one or two
in each hill will sprout, owing To the decay
produced by the excessive quantity ot oil
they contain. The proper time for tea
planting is IN November or December,
when ii sprouts through the ground IN
about thirty days. BY the ensuing MayIu
reaches height of about fourteen inches,
when the perfect and tender leaves are
stripped off, and are placed under imme-
date manipulation. They are first PIT
in large copper pan and roasted,
then put in baskets and shaken
and swung in the wind until they are
dried of the moisture which has been eX-
uded by the heat, then roasted again, then
rolled in the palms of the hand toseparate
the leaves, and To prevent their crumbling
into powder, then dried again in the baS-
kets by shaking and swinging, and then
put in jars, when they are ready for mar
ket. The black teas are roasted three
times, the green teas !but once or twice.
Every year the trees or shrubs are
trimmed down 30 height of about three
feet, alter having reached that nelghl,
and when properly taken care OF, will
produce good crops for upward of thirty
years. Ii is absolutely necessary that the
plants should have the morning sun, and
be on the south side ofa hill, or the leaves
will become yellow, and the tea be Of an
inferior quality. Mr.. Schnell has about
100 acres of good agricultural land ready
for planting, and about 400 acres of rough
land, which he proposes to clear as soon
as he can bring it into requisition. His
plants will require no irrigation, but he Is
digging a well on his place for other pur
poses. San Frdncisco Bulletin.
A GENTLEMAN visited Atlanta one year
ago, bought a plug of tobacco from an
Irish clerk, and handed him what he con
sidered the proper change. Yesterday he
walked into the same store for the first
time since the purchase of the tobacco,
and was handed the amount he imagined
he had paid for it, The lrishman in
formed him that after he had left the
store. he found that two bills of the same
amount sticking together had been given
TO him by the gentleman in question, and
ba took this the first OnnOTfunltV of re-