The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1884-04-03

as they feed themselves on the succnIeht
| Brazilian articho,ses that yield over five
hundred bushels to the acre, and ar must
excellent fattening food.
! The forests hereabOuts are of read oak,
water oak, sweet gum, cypress, magnolia
and pine. The last named is most abun-
dant and is of large growth.
| Mr.. Menelas has experimental with most
gratifying success with silk worms and the
/ attendant necessity, the mulberry. He
now has FIVE acres bearing dense and
( Nigorcus growth of white mulberry trees,
which grow like weeds" all the year
round. The silk industry will undoubted
/ ly become a source of vast revenue for
this region in the course of time. The ea~e
aud cheapness of raising silk worms where
the mulberry il so prolific is so apparent,
that many will undoubtedly enter into the
industry.
In tea culture Mr.. Mcnelas has also expe-
rimented with such CRAFTY ing success,
that it is only a question of time when it
will become a great Industry. He has now
five acres set out with tea plants, and this
area is SON to he increased To vast eX-
tent by cuttings and seedlings. On this in
teresting topic of Tea Culture in the South
an observing writer, who visited here a
short time since, said:
"Among the new avenues to wealth
crowding on the opening steps of Southern
progress. is e pecially to he noted tea cul-
tnre. Mr.. e. Memelas whose experiment
with jute is known to all the South as well
as his remarkable enterprise and public
spirit, has already Oh his Mississippi plan
tation some beautifully huurishIng tea
plants. There is undoubtedly n0Thng
needed to cause the culture to spring
into Immediate success in Mississippi eX-
cept, if we may so phrase it, the knowledge
of manipulating the product. 1t wOnld be
practicable for any wealthy planter to i'm
port IL man from China or India say on
five years cOntract-tO instruct the neigh
bOrhoOd. We venture to say that purse
m"de up for the purpose 10y a number of
planters would return interest in a few
years. little time and patience are re-
quisitr.
at is Il mistake TO suppose that tea is a
tropical plant. A specimen of the green
tea plant lived some twenty years in the
open air near London, being finally killed
in the severe winter of 1873. when the
thermometer fell to ~ degrees Fahrenheit.
In China, it is grown from about % to 40
degrees. but mostly from "a to 80 degrees.
1t ought to he practicable anywhere Ill
Mississippi, were there Is deep rich soil and
first rate drainage.
~
tea per annum, chiefly from China and ia
pan, there is Il home market for every
pound Southern gentlemen may please to
raise. Mr.. c. Menclas in Il recent letter
says: That we shall produce tea i'll this
country, that we shall become independent
of oriental Asia, and shall save our coun-
try from paying it an annual tribute of
from s25, 900, 600 to $50. 900, 600 have not
the slightest doubt This prophetic Opti-
mist has studied the subject practically as
well as Theoretically
Another important industry to which
these gentlemen have given great care and
study, one that is ultimately to be of vast
Importance TO planters as cotton is found
less and les renumerative, is jute culture.
This commodity is used in such variety
of ways, that it is a staple in great demand,
ana pays fabulous profit. Right here in
Mississippi it grows in luxurious abun-
dance, and is of superior quality. The
great Dolphin Manufacturing Company of
New York regard il as the best. The main
obstacle that has hitherto prevented the
profitable culture of inte has been the ina
bllity to discover machine that would
break aud remove the heart or core of the
stalks SO that it could he produced as
chraply in America rs i'll Asia, where the
low cost oslabor makes il possible to per
loIIn lHlS Sltclal llaTt on ilIS pIplluCt ny
hand. with profit. Bnt at last this great
difficulty has been SurmoHntrd. Mr. Albert
Angel, Il widely knnwn inventor, spent
about two months this fan OH Mr.. Menelas'
plantation, experimenting with jnte and
with his new machine. 1t is now decided
without duuht that the improved Angel
iute machine will do the work OF d-c0rtl-
cation perfectly.
We all pronounced it an Interesting and
pheasant day that we spent on this grand
old plantation. We tranpetl all over it,
viewing the craps in their inmumerahle
variety. including many StranTc aud rnrl-
Gus products. We admired the cattle,
horses and poultry, jokcd with the dar-
kies and pickaninnies, picked the leaves
and SredS of the tea plant, examined silk
cocoons and mulberry trees, discussed the
subject of grasses and grains. visited the
cotton gin aud press, the sugar. mill. saw
mill and lrist mill, aud the engine house
where the power is ohtnined. Standing
on the front gallery of the mansion we adj
mircd the charming scenes that presented
themselves To our view. In the house we
eniGyed the freedom of a bachelors hall.
We smoked, joked, and listened to the rem
dering of imnumerable superior selections
upon the piano by Mr.. Mikas, who is an
exceedingly proficient musician. And we
did full justice to the dinner which was a
princely feast. In fact, our visit was i'll
every particular IA decided success.