The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-26
THE soUTH's TEA GROWER.
DIR. sAEPARD DESCRIBES HIS.
WORK IN CAROLINA.


sixty Acres in Tea Plants and Is
Putting His Tea on the Market.
Ills Purpose to Develop an Indus
try which VIII Give Employment
10 Thousands of People Through
out the South and BE of Lasting
Benefit to This Section.
Dr. Charles u. Shepard of Summerville,
s. c., spent yesterday at the De Soto. DR..
Shepard has the distinction of owning the
only tea farm in the Western Hemisphere.
For ten years he has been engaged in
making experiments in growing tea in this
latitude and his success has been very
catering. Although it has not yet been
established that commercial tea can be
crown at profit in this section, this point
VAS very nearly been reached Dr. Shep-
ard now has sixty acres in tea plants, the
greater part of which is productive. and
expects within a year or two to produce
1000 10 5000 pounds. His crop last year
was $500 pounds, the greater part of which
has already been marketed
DR.. Shepard was for number of wears
an agricultural chemist at the Charles
. ton College aud is well known as the au
thor OF many pamphlets upon agricultural
subjects. firing of the confinement of the
laboratory ten years ago he decided TO
seek some other occupation which would
enable MIN to lead an outdoor life and az
ehe same time be in line with his preyiops
etudles' lie finally decided to make test
OF tea planting in South Carolina with
view TO the possibility of developing an
industry which would prove Of great value
to this section of the country.
Ihe idea of cuItivating tea in this
country was not original with me" said
DIR. Shepard, in conversation with a Morn
ing News reporter at the De Soto last
might The experiment had been made
before, but with slight success Efforts
were MADE TO introduce the culture of tea
III south carolina in the early part of the
century and with some success but The
work was abandoned. Shortly before the
war the United States government under
TOOK to interest Southern planters in tea
growing, and a considerable quantity of
Seed ana plants was distributed in this
section. Some progress was made out
ahe civil war brought the work to a stand
sun Some time after the war Mr. John
Jackson, who had been engaged for
NUMBER of years with his brother in India
IN the tea industry, returned to this coun-
Try Tor the purpose of RESI- oring mis-
NiiANh ildu DIOkti uONn In tlat
tropical climate, and learning of the ex-
perments which had been made in South
Cafolna decided to take up the work
there The agricultural Department was
interested, and in 1881 Congress made
an appropria ion to aid the experiment.
Mr.. Jacksons health had so completely
broken down, however that he was unable
70 give the work the supervision which
IL required, and the experiment was tn
lavorably reported upon by the govern
ment expert"
The best evidence that the climate of
South Carolina is suited to the tea plant
is given by the fact that the plants which
mad been raised at Summerville and else
Where in this section from seed furnished
by the government during the various tx
perlments continued to grow and thrive
with but little attention, and Dr. Shepard
found quite a Furnishing growth of the
plants al Pinehurst when he arranged to
take up his work there. DIR. Shepard
found no difficulty in propa eating the tea
plant from seed obtained from other coun-
tries and he furthermore found the tea
plant to be very hardy one withstanding
degrees of cold which totally destroyed
floral growths and tender vegetation gem
orally ll-.U
Feb. IA last" said DR.. Shepard, there
occurred the lowest temperature ever re-
corded in South Carolina during a period
of $50 years, y degree below Zero My
oleanders, cameias and many other
plants were killed to the ground, but the
tea plants were only slightly hurt. This
was a very gratifying demonstration of
the ability of the tea plant to withstand
the variations in our climate
The English government has reduced
the growing of tea in India and China to
a science" said DR.. Shepard, land being
of scientific turn l naturally concluded
that the best course I could pursue would
be to follow their methods. 1 informed
myself very thoroughly on this score
ana obtaining plants and seeds from India,
Ceylon and China, set to work to cultivate
tea after the English system. After three
Years | found that l had made a mistake.
The climate and the conditions in India
ana Ceylon are so different from what
they are in this country that the same sys-
TEN OF culture was not applicable here. /
found that different methods would have
TO be adopted, and that the plants were
benefited by a certain manner of pruning
and cutting.
Nothing daunted I continued the ex-
pertinent, learning the best methods to
OBTAIN results by experience and observa-
ton. I think / can say that I have met
with fair amount of success. The acre.
age and the amount of tea produced has
gradually increased each year until / now
nave 20 acres in tea and the product last
year was $500 pounds. The crop should be
considerably larger this year. The exper-
lment has reached the stage where it has
attracted considerable attention in this
country and abroad and l am in constant
receipt of communications requesting in
Iormation on the subject. The United
states agricultural department has lent
us aid and an appropriation has been
made to further the work. While the
an cunt of tea produced has not been suf-
Hclent to affect the market in anyway.
me work has attracted the attention of
me large tea importers and Others inter
eSled in the business, some of whom have
sAown very decided interest in the mat
YER have even had an offer from
wealthy capitalists to furnish and to es-~
.aDhsh large plantation for the purpose
vi growing tea on a commercial scale.
provided | would agree to take charge.
Wy ambition does not lie in this direc-
ION however My idea in undertaking
1uis work was TO establish an industry
which would give profitable occupation to
-.9usands of nannle LhrnIl nhn,,t thn S.,,Li,