The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-11


Liberia December 15. The Colonization
Society has already. applied for accom-.
mooations for sixty emigrants, aud the
number will probably be increased to
eighty or one hundred before the day of
sailing. 4 clergyman will go out to Join
the Episcopal mission.
THE TEA PLANT.
Rensons WHY the Tea Plant May bo Sue
cessfully Grown by Anerlcens.
at the regular monthly meeting of the
New York Horticultural Society Mr..
Saunders of Washington, for many years
connected with the agricultural depart
ment, read an elaborate paper on the
cultivation of the tea plant. The sub.
stance OF that portion of the address
which bears upon tho question of the
possible introduction of this industry into
the United States is given below: al.
though the tea plant Thea virldia) has
been cultivated in China from remote
antiquity, 1t has never been found in that
country in q wild state. In 1886 it was
discovered that the plant was indigenous
IN Upper Assam, aud English capitalists
at once conceived the idea of cultiyatinp
it in that region. In 1870 Joint stock
company began operations on an extern
slve scale, and after immense outlaws.
reckless managements aud temporary dis.
aster, the enterprise at lust became an
established success. The success of theae
English planters in India is of special
interest because it has overthrown many
supcrstitlons in regard to the curing and
preparation for market of the tea leaves.
These operations are by no means so
mysterious and complicated rs the world
has been led to believe. It is an estab.
lished fact that the ten plant
WILL GROW IN THE UNITED STATES.
Specimens were hourishing in Charles.
ton nursery as early as 1912, and in 1913
Junius Smith of Greenville, S. c., made
an attemp- at cultivating the plant.
Conclusive Evidence was furnished for or
against this industry becoming profita-
BILE venture. In 1853, our government.
through tho commissioner of patents i'm.
ported 10000 plants from China, which
soon Increased 10 $4,000, and these were
distributed through tho southern states.
In 1862 the department of agriculture
continued to propagate plants, and fur
nished them to all who applied for them.
but, under the prevalent belief that SO
much manipulation was needed in the
manufacture of the article that we could
not compete with the cheap labor of the
Asiatics, no special effort was made to
disseminate the plants. Reports of the
success in India now began TO arrest atten-
tIon, and the department. was stimulated
to secure more seed, and begin the prop
agation of the plants in earnest In 1868
it was found that an abundance of seed
could be obtained from tho plants al
ready growing in the south. Since 1868
from 10000 to $4,000 plants were dis
tributea every year until 1876, when en-
couraging assurances from planters led
to still more extensive operations, 80 that
1000 plants have been sent out during
the past two years, and the department.
has some 1901 900 now on hand. All this
has been done with the intention of ren-
dering
THE CULTIVATION OF TEA POPULAR
as domestic product, and with the hone
that public interest would be ultimately
directed to its cultivation as an article of
commercial value. One more fact has
been established on undoubted testimony
"a good quality of tea can be produced
here. Even with the imperfect knowl-
edge of planters as to the proper time for
picking and the proper means of curing,
an article has been produced which ex-
perlenced dealers pronounce very good.
1t has been tested in Washington and
| other cities with the same result. One
,auy IL Ooiuuibia, 5. O., reports tihat: siiie
mas obtained five pounds of good tea
from single plant. Another lady makes
an article which sells readily for $3.50
per pound, and which experts pronounce
stronger and superior flavor to the inn
ported article. The remaining question
to be solved is: Can tea be grown in this
country as profitable market crop?
The cultivation of the plant is as sim
pie rs that of the goosebcrry. The plants
only need to be set in rows, thoroughly
titled and properly pruned to induce a
low. compact growth and an abundance
OF shoots. No leaves should be picked
until the fourth year from planting. TO
insure robust, healthy and we'll estab-
lished growth, SO that they endure the
strain OF successive strippings, for under
the best conditions, the leaves are picked
several times each year.
| WHATARE THESE CONDITIONS Z?
| In the first place, a rich, loamy soil is
Indispensable, aud the strength of the
land should DO sustained by fertilizers.
| Ihe climate must be warm. for although
the plant will endure zero chill, it
thIives best whore the summers are long.
| and where the temperature is never low.
er than six or eight degrees below freez.
ing. Tho last necessary condition ia
abundant moisture. In India the rainfall
is from eighty TO 100 inches per anunm.
and 1t is doubtful whether the leaves
wonld form with sufficienb rapidly to
make this crop successful in any part of
the country whero the annual rainfall is
less ihan sixty inches, and oven this
should be diffused pretty equally over
the spring and summer months. OF
course where irrigation is possible the
rainfall is of less Importance. There is
only one way of learning whether these
aud other essential conditions, if such
there be, exists together in this country
ttS q iegTee which would insure success.
Perhapa the government might accom-
plish something if it would cease to re.
ly upon indirect methods of encouraging
experiment, which can only be desultory
and unsatisfactory, and begin some oer-
sistents trials Of its own ON scale q suf-
ticient magnitude to settle the question
conclnsively. An appropriation of $780,
600 would be sufficient TO purchase and
stock farm OF ample size in what
seems o favorable location, and it would
cover all needful expenses for a series of
experiments through term of years. IL
would then be found what quantity of
lee yse an ac:e .sygeeia yield, ...d what
would DO the cost of picking and curing.