Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-08

| IVY ri III NLkA States. Last summer
al 4lAJ the first, pickings were
| taken from plants that
| sprouted in 1889. The
| Wv product, submitted TO
expert tea tasters and merchants, has been pro-
nounced excellent and readily marketable at q
high price. It Is declared to have a character
distinct from the teas of any other country.
There is reason to believe that it can be grown
with profit on . commercial scale. Not requir-
ing special curing for export, like Chinese and
| Japanese teas, the leaves can be dried for do
nestle trade and sold In bricks like other herbs.
| Ten years ago the Department Of Agriculture
| attempted to grow teas In South Carolina. The
effort was abandoned without a fair trial, is
now believed, and 1t is being resumed. At the
request Of Uncle Jerry Rusk the Department Of
State issued requests to consuls at the tea ports
for seeds Of the best teas. Experimental gar
dens have been established near Summerville,
SC, where plants Of Japanese. Chinese. For
mosa and Assam hybrid varieties under
| cultivation. The first seasons crop was thirty
eight pounds Of the cured article per acre. 1t
| takes four pounds of fresh leaves to make one
pound of cured tea. It is expected that from
400 to 500 pounds per acre Of fresh tea can be
raised yearly. In China the cost Of picking is
| cent per pound of cured tea. The cost in
South Carolina is cents pound.
| THE COST OF AMERICAN TEA
On account Of this difference in the price Of
| labor American teas can only compete with
| high-priced imported grades. 1t is estimated
that the cost Of raising pound Of tea in South
Carolina is 20 cents, in addition to the rental Of
! the land. II successful this new field for agri-
cultural enterprise will furnish an easy outdoor
occupation for many who are unequal to
rougher employment in the fields. Taking an
| average every man, woman and child in the
| United States consumes twenty-one ounces Of
| tea per annum. Just half OF it comes from
China, AZ per cent from japan and the balance
| from India and other British possessions.
The first plant Of this species grown in South
Carolina was set out BY Michsux, the French
| botanist, in 1904, fifteen miles from Charleston.
During the latter half Of this century people in
| that section have cultivated little patches and
! larger gardens of tea, which have produced
crops Of fine flavor, though usually not strong
enough to satisfy many drinkers. 1t is be-
| lieved, however, that the failure Of pungency
| has been due to defective curing. Many fam
| lilies in that part Of the country today grow
what tea they require for household use. A
| Fayetteville On. CO. man writes that half a
dozen bushes furnish his family Of six parsons
with more tea than they can consume. His
| wife prepares it by heating the leaves in an
| oven until they are wilted, squeezing them by
hand until the Juice Is expressed from them and
| finally drying them again in the oven. The tea
| is then fragrant and ready for USE
The tea plant is ever green. II left to follow
the intention Of nature it assumes the form Of
slender tree from fifteen to twenty feet in
height When grown for its leaves it has the
appearance of low spreading bush. being kept
| cut down. 1t bears II beautiful white flower
| with little scent. Bees are very fond OF the
blossoms. The seeds resemble hazel nuts.
| They have hard shell and a bitter kernel. The
capsules Of these tea nuts make very pleasant
| bitters. In some parts OF the south they are
held to be rs good for malarial feyers as
| quinine.
THE CLIMATE REQUIRED.
Tea is usually considered to require hot and
damp climate. 1t cannot be too warm if
sufficiently moist. 1t is said that pleasant
climate to live in cannot be good for tea. A
good tea climate cannot be healthy one.
Fever and tea 60 together. Such are the
opinions generally accepted on this subject.
Nevertheless. tea that is grown in temperate
climates is liked much better by many people.
| 1t certainly has more delicate flavor, though
| much weaker. Teas that are grown Mt moderate
elevations in the Himaayas fetch good prices
| in the London market. The point is that tea
will grow almost anywhere, but in not many
climates will it pay. An ideal climate for pro-
ducing 1t Is that OF eastern Bengal, whore the
thermometer never goes down below fifty-five
degrees, and there is sometimes twenty-five
feet Of rainfall in year.
In 1858 the United States government
obtained 900 tea plants from China-trans-
ported in boxes filled with soil, in which the
seeds were sown just previous to shipment.
The plants averaged eighteen inches in height
on arriving in Washington. They were at once
placed under propagation, and in q short time
| the stock was increased to 80. 900 plants, which
were distributed through the southern states.
The propagation and dissemination Of the
plants formed important feature in the
operation Of the agricultural bureau. then a
division of the patent office. until 1861 when
the war put stop to the business for the time
being.
After the war fresh supplies Of seed were i'm
ported from japan. But in 1867 it was found
that an abundance OF tea seed could be pro-
cured in some Of the southern states from
plants given away in 1858. For several years
the Department Of Agriculture distributed an
nually from 5000 to 10000 plants. reaching
90 600 in 1876. BY this means It was expected
to popularize the culture Of tea as a domestic
product, with the hope that public interest
would in time be directed to its cultivation as
an article Of commercial value. Encouraged
by reports OF successful culture, supplemented
by samples Of manufactured tea Of excellent
quality, the department devoted increased at
| tention to the propagation and distribution of
plants. In 1878 and 1879 the number dissent
mated rose to $4,000 per annum.
THE CULTIVATION SIMPLE.
The cultivation Of the tea plant is as simple
as that of the currant or gooseberry The seeds
set out at the end OF a year, five feet apart
No leaves should be gathered until the fourth
year, and the plants should be robust and
healthy before picking begins for that process
! weakens them. A fair picker will collect
twenty Ave pounds OF leaves in days work.
The early spring pickings make the best teas.
These yield the famous Young Hyson. At this
period the leaf is very thin. having large pro-
portion Of juices compared with the solid
matter, and is dried usually Of green color,
| retaining most delicious flavor This grade
Of tea seldom reaches distant markets, as it
speedily fermcnts if put up in masses for ship
ment and can only be conveyed in small guam
| titles by land routes. 1t is unknown ia this
country and is one Of the luxuries in store when
tea culture becomes an American industry
1t is popularity supposed that black and green
| teas are different varieties. In fact, they are
| the same, the color depending on the method
| Of curing the leaves for market Various kinds
Of tea are classified according to the age of the
| leaf. For the sake Of illustration, here is
branch Of tea plant.
4 q