The evening times., 1899-07-14
RAISING AAMBRICA
J
Mr.. Saunders Report to the Agri-
cultural Department.
The Horticuituri~t'r Visit to the
Culture of the Fragrant Shrub.
Experts Say That a Superior Ar
ticIe Is Produced In This Country.


Department of Agriculture, at the instance
of Secretary Wilson. has made a visit to
the great American tea garden in South
Carolina. and has given his observations
in pamphlet just issued.
The Shepard tea farm is one of the fea-
lures of South Carolina. The farm, or,
as it is spoken OF in technical parlance.
the tea gardens" lies on the Southern
Railway, between Columbia and Augusta,
estate is locally known as Pinehurst. 1t
comprises about TOO acres. The surface
throughout is gently undulating, and the
soil is mainly sandy loan; in some of
the lower parts it is composed OF a GER
tain amount of peaty matter, but these
portions are confined to small areas.
There are belts Of natural tree growth,
among which the Southern long-leaf pine
abounds.
Twenty years ago the question of tea
culture in the United States was agitated,
and many plants were distributed in or
der to encourage and foster the industry.
So far as the study of successful condi-
tions as presented in tea growing coun-
tries could then be determined, II was ap-
parent that various adverse factors had
to be encountered in this country, and at
the time they seemed insurmountable.
The principal of these drawbacks were the
cost of labor and deficiency of rainfall.
The first garden visited by Mr.. Saun-
ders at Pinehurst was one of about two
acres in extent, where the pickers were
busy collecting a ''fiush,' term which
means a crop Of young leaves. The first
attraction Of the garden was the remarka-
BILE color of the foliage, deep velvety
green, shining with vigorous health on the
lower leaves of the plants. The uniform
ity and perfection of shape of the plants
indicated skillful pruning. Skill in prun-
ing was also apparent in the vigorous
growth OF the young shoots, giving sue
culency to the leaf and promoting rapid
development of continuous flushings.
DR.. Shepard has tea gardens planted on
different sites. This is for the purpose of
experiment with varied aspects and varied
conditions of soil. Having many varieties
of plants from different countries and from
various attitudes in these countries, he
forms garden of each kind by itself. But
in all the gardens there Is vigorous
growth of the plant. II has been proved at
Pinehurst that many of the varieties which
are considered inferior have become SO
through neglect and iniudicious culture.
Chinese kinds, which at first produced mar
row, hard leaves on scrubby bushes, under
generous treatment have greatly improved
in the size and the quality of the leaf.
1t Is said that when DR.. Shepard re-
solved TO experiment with the culture and
manufacture of tea, he was quite familiar
with the tea plant in South Carolina, where
lit had been growing in the home gardens
for about century. He also knew of the
previous efforts TO grow tea IN America
with profit, and the results of those at
tempts.
Among the problems he set himself to
solve was that of growing tea for the mar
ket in a district where the annual rainfall
was about fifty six inches, while Asiatic
authorities declare that the rainfall should
be between eighty and one hundred inches
| year. 1t is said that some of the best
tea districts in the world have an annual
| rainfall of 120 inches. The Asatic author
| tiles agree that the temperature should
| never fall below 40 degrees, for although it
| is we'll known that the tea plant will live
| in climates where the zero point is often
reached, yet the best product is obtained
where the plant is exempt from frost At
| Summerville, S. c., the temperature fire.
| quently goes down to Is degrees.
The profitable production of tea depends
| principally upon rainfall or the presence
of moisture in the soil. With an ample
supply of water the plants are maintained
! in constant vigor, and the operations OF
| manufacture proceed uninterruptedly dur
| ing the whole period of active growth. In
| districts favored with sufficient heat and
| rains the plants furnish from fifteen to
! twenty pickings yearly. In some parts of
| China the plants are picked four times
only. OF course, something depends upon
| the soil; il ii is poor, the growths will be
| limited compared to what will be realized
| If it is rich, although the rainfall may be
the same in both cases. The condition of
| the soil is specially important where there
| is a lack of rain, as then the richest soil
| will support the best growth.
To establish a system of soil treatment
that would far as practicable compensate
| for the scarcity and unequal distribution Of
| rainfall, DIR. Shepard concluded to pay par
! ticular attention to its physical condition
| and its relation to air and moisture. He,
| therefore, as first step toward improve
ment and as foundation for others that
may follow, underdrained his land; it was
afterward plowed deeply, followed with a
| subsoil plow, stirring up and pulveriZing
to depth of eighteen inches or more.
| This system Of soil preparation is not con-
| fined to low grounds or those seemingly
| wet, but it is applied to high and rolling
! lands in order to prevent the rapid flow
| of rainfall from the surface and washing
| Of the soil. 1t is now re. ognized that drain
! ing, in connection with deep cultivation,
secures a more ample and lasting supply
of moisture in dry times, and maintains
the continuous growth of vegetation during
even severe droughts. This is well exem-
plified in these tea gardens, those on roll
| ing grounds showing verdant color of leaf
equally with those on lower and richer
looking spots. This conversation of mois-
ture is further enhanced by careful sys-
tenn of surface culture which prevents, In
| a great degree, the evaporation of mois-
ture from the upner stratum of soil. Thus
gain of moisture equivalent to fall oi
ten to fifteen inches of rain is secured.
The Labor Problem.
In all considerations relating to the
profitable culture of tea in this country the
labor question is always "a dominant fac.
tor. 1t has seemed ihpracticable to com.
pete with the cheap labor OF Oriental peo.
pies, and while some of the processes o.
manufacture have been delegated to ma.
chinery, the picking Of the leaves, requir.
ing discrimination in selection, has to bt
done by hand. At the lowest estimate, il
costs about eight times more to pick one
pound of tea in South Carolina than the
price paid for the same service in Asia
This is the most serious consideration tha
presents itself to the tea growers here.
DR.. Shepard soon found himself face t.
face with this problem of labor His tes
gardens not being of sufficient area to EN-.
ploy constant force, in the gathering O.
the first flush he would obtain any week al
the pickers required, but when the mex
4 flush became due he would find all hi!
former pickers scattered and unobtainabl,
just when most needed. In this way hi
operations were SO embarrassed as to en-
4 + Ill -