The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-01-08

stated that ali attempts to cultivate the
teasplant in this country have been aban-
doned. Is this true? u ss, ~ -
,1o1e ,G'"-.>' - .s7 B. c. LIZ
The possibilities of tea culture in this
country have attracted widespread 'atten.
tion during the past few years in the
Southern States, and numerous expert
ments have. been. made, with results both
favorable and adverse to the successful
cultivation of the plant. While there
have been some failures reported, the
experience in most cases of those who
have been engaged in tea growing seem
to show that the industry can be made as
profitable here as in India, China or
Japan, and that equally as fine plants
4can,be raised and as good an article of
tea cauibe made as the best imported
from the East.
Mr.. @. Menelas, the owner Of large
plantation about sixty miles below jack
son, Mississippi, where. he has expert.
mented, successfully for number OF
years in tea cultivation, recently ex-
pressed himself fully satisfied that the
industry will in time assume great
importance in this country, and that
imported teas will be thing almost un-
known. Mr.. Menelas has about 100
plants of producing age upon his planta
tion; with which he expects to attain 8
practical knowledge Of tea manufacture,
and an experience in the culture of the
plant which will enable him to success.
fully manage a'largei farm. he expects
about rs pounds of imported seed in q
short time, which he will SOW in beds,
and which, if properly grown, will fur
pish at. least fifteen acres of plants. Mr..
Menelas is deeply interested in the sub.
,ject, and firmly. believes that in q large
section of the South, including Carolina,
Middle Georgia.and- Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi aud Louisiana, where the soil
is favorable ahdswhere there is copious
rainfall, the Industry can be carried on
as successfully. as 10 the tea:growingiand
tea.making countries of the East. In 8
recent rec trip through Carolina he visited a
number OF. tea gardens for the purpose of
observing the growth oftthe plant. In
narrating thesresult of5his visit he said !:
,"I left Savannah a few weeks ago for
Georgetown, S. c., to visit Mrs. A. NJ.
Forster's garden. Her SOD met me at the
depot, and quarter of an hour later we
reached the old mansion, substantially
built seventy-iye years ago, and in q
manner that bespeaks oficomfort, ele:
gance and wealth, passed away for time
only T hope. Mrs. Forster / found an
elderly lady, but full of life and energy,
highly cultivated and remarkably we'll
.versedin all fhe mysteries and beauties
of botany.
"Her husband, the late DR.. A. M.
Forster, was very hopeful for tea culture
in heSouth, and procured, in 1868,
dozen tea plants. From the seed pro.
duced bY1those few plants Mrs. Forster
has now in her gardens over 4, 900 plants,
from one to FIVE feet high. A few of the
first plants growing in bushes measure
oyertwenty feet in circumference. Some
sare iin: rows GA, but the majority are9in
nursery rows, and although: the.soil is
very sandy and poor, the plants show a
remarkably vigorous growth.
"a year or 80 ago they were examined
by gentleman who lived several years
in China and was engaged in the tea
business there, and, were pronounced by
him as being of, q very good variety. 1
myself tasted some lea prepared from
the plant'by Mrs. Forster, and found its
aroma delicious, and its color beautiful,
but deficient in taste for want of better
knowledge to cure it. Mrs. Forster had
some three bushels of seed saved last
year from her plants, and the day I left
her plantation seed bed was prepared
to receive the seed for the purpose of
propagating plants which very soon will
represent very good money value.
''From thence l. proceeded to Summer
vile to, visit the Government tea farm,
upon which so much money has been
expended without any satisfactory results.
Had the selection of the spot for an ex-
perimental tea farm been as fortunate as
the conception of the idea to raise our
own ltea was excellent and practicable,
that all important question would have
!, been satisfactorily solved by this time.
. The Government has decided to abandon
the farm and nothing. has been done
there since last July. The plants remain
III uuEsCIJ IOHo3 uu0 1u1iAu6 w ahe @Ao'o
ture enough, they send their tap roots to
an enormous depth and present miser.
able existence. Had only one-quarter of
the money been spent on richer soil
and in section of the country where
the rainfall is copious during the spring
and summer months, the results would
have been most encouraging"
"What would be your advice to those
who anticipate planting tea garden 2"
eff were allowed to offer any advice
to the Southern planter who lives in
sections as above described, I would
most conscientiously say, lose no more
time plant from so to 500 tea, plants for
home use, and before they reach the
stage Of being utilized you will have all
the information required to manufacture
your own tea."
"B. G. L." will learn from the above
that attempts to cultivate the tea plant
in this country have not been abandoned.
IT,. A., c..t 49,, v, =, ~ - ~, o,,,or,, oF