The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-04-11
Tea Culture in the United States.

Uc 1ohullSSlOucT VI
General lie Due, has taken up Ameri-
can tea growing as q hobby. He is of
the opinion that tea equal to that of
Japan and China can be grown in the
Southern States. In his enthusiasm he
has already started" 100000 tea plants
and is ready to supply orders free as soon
as they have sufficiently matured. His
bulletins on the subject have set a tide of
correspondence flowing towards him and
he is now in receipt Of 600 letters daily,
all begging for instructions and-tea
plants.
For all this the new Commissioner
proves himself a friend of home industry
and DESTROYS to please, but he is trying
nothing new. The business of tea grow
ing in America has been tested thor
oughly for many years, and it has failed.
On this subject any one interested should
consult the Patent Office reports from
1S49 to 1859, in which DR.. Junius Smith
describes Enthusiastically his expert
ments in Greenvile, S. G. Tea culture
was also tried in California previous to
1872 on soil aud in climate analogous
to that of China and Japan, under the
SUPPLEMENTARY of IL man who had mas
tered the art of raising and curing it
practically in Japan; but the product
wherever used fail to give satisfaction.
In 1874 the tea mania broke out again in
some of the Southern States, and the
Agricultural Department kindly distrib-
uted thousands of the plants, aud these
were set out in localities said to resemble
in all outward respects the tea country of
the Celestials. The plant takes root in
these friendly Southern hills. grows and
puts forth leaves, which, after being
properly treated, tastes like tea. The
quantity produced so far is inapprecable
None of it finds way into the great tea
market as a competitor. Its value for
the alkaloid theme and its merits as to
color aud flavor have never been reported
on by an expert to our knowledge. The
Commissioner of Agriculture in 1874 did
not confess that his pet idea was delu-
sion, but in his report of operations he
explained why it had turned out no bet
ter. The chief difficulty alleged was the
great cost of labor for the manipulation
and preservation of the leaves. At the
same time it was thought that many of
the old operations could be dispensed
with and improved methods of curing
, adopted, and that tea culture might be
expected To increase over large parts of
the Southern country. The view taken is
hopeful one, and no one will refuse it
to Commissioner lie Dues interesting ex-
periments. The expense to Government
is triiling, and to the customers nothing,
and it is yet within the limits of proba
bility that the tea culture can be made
more of trade than curiosity in Ger
tain portions of the United States.
Bat apart from all their other advan-
tages which it seems cannot be elsewhere
| duplicated, China and Japan will always
! lead the world in the tea production, for
! the Reason that they have tie cheapest
! skilled labor. The proposed action on
the Chinese question, in keeping out the
, low priced labor, will operate adversely
| to tca-culture in this country, and people
can have but little faith i'll it in America
until the men who have tended the plants
from Childhood have been Imported and
put 10 work on the most favorable sites
in the South. This would briug forth
the manipulating skin which IS every
! thing, and also the cheap rates of
labor, but under DO condition has die
pleasing hobby II very tiattering chance
of success. And regarding the gu, sti"r
, free trade paper says: "Perhaps moth
! ing should be said to encourage thee
ventures. For if American tea culture i
born and becomes AN ".niant industry
, the persons engaged in it will immcd!-
aieIy demand n high protective tariff on
teas! And this would have in its favor
many reasons stronger than those which
have led to the imposition and continu-
ance ut numerous high tariffs for the
| Toledo Blade.