The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-27
Tea Culture in the South.
Reportet for the Baltimore Sun.

Reported for the Baltimore Sun.
Mr.. NJ. G. Gill, of the firm of Martin
Gillet & Co., who has been travelling
through the State of South Carolina and
Georgia for the past three weeks, visiting
localities where tea plants had been dis
tributed by the Department of Agricul-
ture at Washington, has returned to Bal
timore. Mr.. Gill says no one who has
not visited the rice plantations, formerly
producing so abundantly, can form any
idea of the great changes which have
resulted from the transition from slave to
free labor. 1t is seen in the crops, in the
tumble-down cabins, in the neglected rice
fields and desolation everywhere. MIR.
Gill said:
GAS for the plants growing in the South
to perfection there is no question, for l
saw them as fine as any that ever grew
in China. And it is crop exposed to
none of the vicissitudes of climate or
chance-unlike seed or fruit, the leaves
always come. It may not be generally
known that the tea plant is not indigo
nous either to China or Japan, and there
are no climatic reasons why it should
thrive better there than in our land. No
more striking evidence of the value and
practicability of tea culture by Europe
ans can be offered than the experience of
the English in India, where, under the
most adverse circumstances, they have
succeeded in producing teas that rival
those of China in quality, and at a cost
that enables the companies to declare
large dividends; in fact, tea culture in
India has proved most profitable busi-
ness for the past five years, and when
famine, from the failure of the crops of
cereals, was devastating the land, the tea
plant continued to yield its accustomed
leaf.
"At Georgetown, South Carolina, I
found a gentleman of the old school,
whose hospitality was unbounded, and
whose broad, fertile lands, 1000 acres in
extent, with over 200 cabins, store-houses
and a church upon the plantation, which
before the war was regarded as sinecure
against all future want, and, even with
rice at three cents, yielded a revenue that
was more than sufficient for all the wants
and luxuries of large household, now,
with rice at six cents, and free labor, 1t
does not pay to cultivate, and the owner
practices medicine for an income. The
trouble is the labor question, for it is i'm
possible to get the negroes to work with
that steadiness and diligence that is re-
quired for the successful production of
rice. 1t was because rice culture had
failed to be remunerative that this gen.
mans attention was directed to tea cul-
ture. Ee had planted large number of
tea plants, which were all doing we'll,
and one of which, two-year old one, L
have brought on with me to show the
actual results.
GAS an illustration of the hardihood
of the tea plant, the seeds, which are
hard and round, were used as marbles by
the negro children, and I could see young
plants springing up all over the old play
ground. But the intelligent interest
taken in tea culture by this gentleman is
exceptional, and 1 regret to say that
many of those supplied with plants by
the Department of Agriculture procured
them out of curiosity, and because they
could be had for the asking, without any
idea of making business or industry out
of it. Then, again, the majority are too
poor to spend labor on an article that
will require three or four years to pro-
duce any return, and my opinion is con-
frmed that, unless some organized efforts
with capital are made, the enterprise will
not have that chance of success it other
wise would.
"The fact of the successful growth of
tea being demonstrated, the only ques-
ton remaining is, can the leaves be man
ufactured into tea at cost that will give
profitable results? Now we have great
advantage over the English in India in
respect to our mechanical appliances. In
India machinery is applied to all the
of tea manufacture except
the simple gathering of the leaves, and
from what I have seen of these machines
feel quite satisfied that American ingc-
nuity would greatly simplify and improve
them. have made arrangements with
those having tea plants to express to
Baltimore all the young leaves they pro-
duce this spring. Here they will be ex-
perimented on, and tea of American
growth, on American principles, will be
produced which will practically demon
strate the possibility of producing in our
own land the fragrant herb that cheers" "
An American who has had experience
in tea culture in East Bengal writes to a
friend in South Carolina expressing the
view that the Southern States of the
United States are favorable in every re-
spect to the culture of the tea plant, and
possess advantages over East India. To
make it profitable over the skilled labor
of China, Japan and India he suggests
machinery, which he is confident Ameri-
can inventive genius will supply. With
rolling machine he can roll off $500
pounds of green leaves day, which
yields 400 pounds of good tea, yielding
in English markets Is. Cd. per pound,
exclusive of duty. He uses also firing
and sorting machines, but there is room
for great improvement in machinery. He
recommends that the plants for cultiva-
tiOI UC oGG OuI Uy tSSeJ w SA'S S"SA
plant 16 feet square, which would admit
of using the Howe cultivators.
In Bengal the writer used to advantage
one of Rees' cultivators slightly altered.
The great difficulty to be overcome is in
plucking the leaf. Every 100 acres OF
full bearing plants require fifty men, boys
and girls to gather the crop during June,
July and August; half the number would
do for April, May and September. In
Bengal half a cent pound is paid for
plucking, and the coolies average forty
pounds each a day; some reach eighty
pounds, ard 90 or 40 cents a day is con-
sidered good pay for this kind of labor
in that part of the world. If gangs OF
laborers could not be had to 60 from farm
to farm in America, and send the leaf to
some central factory, he thinks it will be
good to plant out gardens of 300 acres or
80 with its own factory. He thinks if he
had a plantation in the South he could
manufacture and land tea in the markets
of Europe at cost Of Is to 18 cents
pound, of such quality as to fetch in
Enpland 2s Cd and in the States 45 cents