The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-02-20
The Culture Of Tea in South
Carolina.

1t is we'll known that 10
many years~the tea plant ha
been gro..n in the South. The
plants flourish luxuriouslv il
most parts of the Carolinas, anC
in Georgia aud Louisiana. DC
casionallv the leaves were pickeC
and dried for use, but the pro
cess was tedious and the tea
strong and rank. Last wear
however, "a quantity of leaves OF
the tea plant grown in George
town, 5. G., were sent to impor-
tiers of tea in Baltimore, and by
e member Of the firm wee made
into excellent merchantable tea.
Mr.. Gillet Gill & Co. superin-
tended the drying, and was so
encouraged by the result Of the
experiment that he is nov tray
cling through the South with a
view to disseminating informa-
ton relative to the cultivation
of tea, and to ascertaining what
are the capabilities Of the most
favored localities. Mr.. Gill had
charge of a tea factory in Japan,
and Is familiar with the whole
process of growing the plant,
picking the leaves and preparing
Them for market. He has already
visited Charlotte, Columbia, Au.
gusta and lower Georgia, and
stopped in Charleston OF his way
to Georgetown.
There is no doubt that the
tea plant will grow we'll through
out South Carolina, and better
IN this State than in Georgia
The plant is not injured by or
binary cold weather, bearing
without danger, temperature as
low as , deg. Fahrenheit. Such
cold is al advantage to the plant,
as it checks the rapidity Of de
velopment. 1t needs no special
care, but Mr.. Gill finds that the
plant usuly is not trimmed close
~ enough. The leaves used for
making tea are only one OR two
and sometimes three leaves on
the extreme end of each limb Or
branch, and the object of the
cultlvator, therefore, should be
to keep the plant down so as to
multiply the number Of branch
es. This. also, renders the leaves
easier to pick. The plant can
be raised from cuttings or from
seed, and requires no particular
nursing. Plants in lighthouses,
free from the influences Of frost,
do not bear as we'll as plants in
the open air.
The common belief is that the
manufacture Of tea is attended
with peculiar difficulties. This
is a mistake. The different
grades Of tea made III China
come from the same plant.
They are, in fact, the same
picked at different sta ges
Of growth and differently cured.
1t is not essential that tea grown
this country should have the
same appearance as Chinese tea.
The Am rican tea is as fragrant
and invigorating, and, as avow-
edly American tea, will bring as
nigh a price as the Indian, Chi
lese, or japanese variety. Mr.
Gill is confident that the curing
and preparation can be done with
machinery of simple construc-
lion as thoroughly and more
:heaply than by hand. The
purpose is to form a company. in
fer the manufacture of tea,
similar TO the companies estab-
ished in India, which pay their
stockholders dividends of Is and
20 per cent. Our understanding
that Gillet & Co. will pur-
:hase. at the rate OF one dollar a
pound, such South Carolina
caves as may be properly picked
md forwarded to them for
manufacture.
We shall await with much
interest the formal report to be
made by Mr.. Gill upon his re-
lnrn and If X ia he hODad that