The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-11-07
DR.. Shepards Tea Farm.


the duel S1MK1Ns.
DR.. Shepards Tea Farm.
To the Editor of the Sunday Ne,cs::
Following an invitation of DR.. Shep-
ard to visit his tea fields, nurseries
and curing house, the iron horse of
the 4 o clock train wheeled us in forty
minutes to Summerville and fifteen
minutes later we arrived at Pinehurst,
the Doctors rustic vile and the gov
ernmental seat of his pet industry,
which considering it's recent origin
and present wonderful development,
gives great promise of future success.
Owing to the late hour the Doctor
could this evening only show me his
curing house, where two men were
sitting in the porch preparing cuttings
of the broad leaf and narrow leaf AS
sam hybrid tea, which we saw later
planted in hot house with artificial
heat under the frames.
In the house he showed me the
baskets with little holes in the covers
in which the children gather the ten
der leaves from May to October.
These leaves have to be wilted by
spreading them on the floor and on
frames, then they are rolled by an in
genious, elaborate and costly English
machine called the Little Giant, which
was invented by William Jackson, a
brother of John Jackson, who was at
the head of the first experiment Of tea
culture in Summerville. The two sur
faces Of the machine, which have
complex rotory motion, press upon
each other and have openings with
ridges like human fingers, do the work
which in China is done by human
hands more thoroughly, more evenly
and .turally, much more cleanly,
preserving the pristine aroma Of the
leaf, which is bound to suffer from
contact with the human hand. The
Little Giant is great step forward,
and the difference in the quality OF
tea is very great, as proved to me the
next day by comparing its product in
the cup with tea rolled in the primi-
tive way.
Then the tea must be oxydized by
the atmosphere, after which it is car
ried to the evaporator, then sifted to
get the dust, takko and big leaves out.
FINALLY the process of firing perfects
the article, which is now ready for the
table.
After supper, over a bottle Of most
excellent chablis, the good Doctor
dived into the "reminiscences OF his
student life at Gottingen, and | was
surprised to find that two of my broth
ers had studied under the same Prof.
Baum five years before him. Several
interesting episodes of the birth OF the
German Empire the Doctor confded
to my ravenous ear, but the recital OF
these would spin out my article too
much.
In the morning we rose with the
sun, and after hearty breakfast the
Doctor carried me to his tea patches,
which he has distributed here and
there as he thinks field is adapted
and prepared for the culture. "You
see," the Doctor said, "this all is the
broad leaf Assam hybrid, which, l
think, makes the best tea here, but
notice how the plant has improved
without treatment. Look at the coarse,
tough, dark leaf of the mother plant
and now observe the bright, tender,
large plant leaf of the voluntary shoots
around the root. But even these
leaves are too large and old For use.
We can only use these tiny young
leaves at the end Of the branches, be-
cause my aim is to produce only the
best tea. In lower grades l could not
compete with the imported article,
which is brought in free Of duty,
whereas I had to pay handsome duty
on the Little Giant rolling machine.
My tea is perfectly natural product
and will not stain the table cloth like
many of the imported varieties, some
of which are even colored with Berlin
blue. My tea. also holds out better in
strength and is especially adapted for
iced tea. Some Of my friends have
told me that my tea goes twice as tai
as the imported article. Next year |
hope to produce the famous Mandarin
tea, which in China costs $40 to s25
per pound, and which is only used by
the Mandarin class over there. This
variety can only be produced from the
very tip ends of the tenderest shoots.
You see here this tiny newborn leaHet,
which has not yet unfolded? These
have to be treated with the utmost
care, and finally to be packed in tiny
little bundles wrapped with ribbons
like you do some cigars. This tea Is
never exported from China because its
flavor is too delicate and evanescent
and cannot stand the trip on the sea.
"But, Doctor" I said, ''you do moi
expect to get $50 a pound for this tes
here?"
"Why not" he answered. "LooI
at the elegant dinners and suppers
given by the wealthy classes at tht
North, where often hundreds Of dollars
are spent for flowers alone. Wha
should prevent lady that wants tt
give an afternoon tea from buying {
quarter of pound of the Mandarin
tea for So? This will give her fit!
cups of this delicious beverage at th'
cost of 10 cents per cup. And once
an aristocratic lady starts the bal
rolling, I shall not be able to satisf!
the demand. "
The tea farm has now under cult
walton twelve acres Assam hybrid
five acres Ceylon, three acres Chinese
two acres Indian, one acre Japan.
We next went to remote field II
the extreme corner of the Doctor
possession. 1t twas a beautiful sight
the even bushes, planted like soldier
in accurate rows, four feet each way
almost all of the same size, the gloss!
foliage glistening in the bright Oct9
Der sun.
Chow strange I said, "that tn
plants should thrive so we'll in a sol
with so much sand. And pray wha
are these red lumps?"
"Oh," retorted the Doctor, "thi
soil is most excellent for my purpose
and as to these red clap Jumps, the!
even contain little phosphate. "
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