New-York tribune., 1901-11-17
AMERICAN TEA GROWING.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS AT PINE
HURST, 8 C.-"THE FINEST TEA
IN THE WORLD"

|
| fortunes well good tea, for Amertcans-the
latter. according to Oriental standards they now
| never get
| While experiments will probably be continued for
years with different teas, under widely dlhereH'
conditions, the most important facts ABOUT tea
culture IN America have already been demonstrated
| 1t has already been proved that number OF kl'us
/ of from different countries-Formosa, Japan
China and Sam-can be grown with pront' yet
other kinds have been found improbable in COM
| mercal way. The experiments will continue aIons
this line and also with view of getting the great
est productiveness from the plant in the least
| possible time Another important point demon
strated is that the bush survive very cold
weather. While 1t is better that 1t should grow
where the mercury does not fall below % degrees
Fahrenheit, yet in the freeze of two winters ago
the gardens were subjected to a temperature
| below zero and suffered little damage
In the East. where tea grows naturally the i0-
fall particularly in the is from two To
| three times much here This deficiency "-i
been compensated for by having the gardens llti
gated The careful labor needed for picking ule
delicate leaf provided by giving special schooi
advantages to all the little negroes in the Fcll'S
| who take them and these children are ouIlhe
school hours, instructed in tea picking. Ihen' ou,
| ing the season, they are given remunerauNe "0i'
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS
Experfnenting with tea was begun Pinehurst
near Summerville in 1891, by DR.. Charles l. 0hep
ard. This was several years after the goVerliii9"
had failed to get results from an appropriate"
| made by Congress for experiments IN tea cui1
DR.. Shepard's work proved successful ana reCe"'-S
he has received the kinGest interest and most
| ful pecuniary assistance from Secretary W "l4soI
| and from Congress In speaking Of the only 'ea
| farm on this continent. Dr. Shepard said:
Among the most important results OF the worn
OF the last summer has been clearer dlSuhc'ioii
between what is probably profitable. and not. II
was fully recognized from the outset OF the fllle
| hurst Investigations that their Industrial 'at
must rest on a clear. demonstrable pecun1arS pio
| Nevertheless. experiment station II was
proper institute numerous trials win dilLete"
seed under varying conditions.
The most common objection to the plea lor lLie
| est a blishment of American tea INDUSTRY No-
tnued Dr. Shepard 'is the difference in the price
of labor here and in the orient But with lui
appreciation of its force. as applied 10 pooleedI
grades. there has always appeared TO exist 1 in
profit in the production of those hlgher fbor
whose cultivation and Eaanufacture chfap 1a'of Of
plays minor part And me ha n3ie el drVing of the
leaf need not carried TO the same extreme hea
beneficial necessarily follows
TEA PROTECTED FROM SUNLIGHT
Among the experiments, the cultivation OF tea
in gardens protected from the direct sunllght o9
mating has proved successful, so far as quatS
goes Whether II viii be possible to produce d
tea commanding tenfold more, the price Of that
grown in the open. as IN Japan, remains to De
solved. as also how great must be the expense u
the additional labor and outlay. Years may elapSe
before there shall a demand in the United states
for teas costing so a pound and upward, as in the
| Far Orient where such prices not infrequent
finest grsea teas sold in the East sometimes as
high as so pound wnen ,n ,ne abont fe@ Is cents a
pound. Foreigners could not use this tea, Whe'he'
or not they were willing to pay the big prices. De
cause II would not bear transportation; ,
Continuing. he said Other things being .t at fqgai
skilled labor expended upon IT, but chiefly on ,e me
5y OF bn 5a Pkoe TIPS Which are the yet
unfolded leaf at end OF the young shoot might
wholesale. as IS during the great early sum
in China would cost % but but ens rev esrth that
chiefly determines the value Of the product
MODERN MACHINERY USED.
The introduction OF modern tea making ma
chinery Invented principally at Pinehurst has i'm
proved the qualities OF Pinehurst black tea and
rendered entirely unnecessary the disgust often
expressed by Oriental travellers at the unstnted
blending Of human sweat in the laborioqs manipu-
ne teft 10 another With the least possible hand
ing and is pure notable for its uniformity, and
especially for the pre-eTninence among other teas
IN fragrance and delicacy. and yet by no means
A notable gain has been made in the mechanical
manufacture Of green during the last season at
PInehurst The adaptation OF machinery to the
ttsed especially in the British colonies but with
exception OF the steaming process; as yet only
slightly applied il remained successfully to substi-
tute mechanical operations for hand foot labor
labor In 5te precndes the method used in the East BY
means OF the rotary witherer. invented and sue
from the garden is quickly and satisfa pre-
further
and fring at nodicun, Of risk and expense, and
with a resultant product which has received from
tea experts high praise. These teas are devoid OK
all adulteration. whether for taste or color.
BLACK TEA AT 81 POUND.
Special trials have been made certain areas
with both black and green teas. and the results,
although these gardens in year two ex-
pected to double In productiveness. already
| profitable. There is a steady demand for all the
black produced at the rate of 81 pound. This
cured from China. II cannot stand transportation
for long distances and retails in he province in
which Il grows for 81 50 a pound These gardens
will produce three hundred pounds OF tea year,
ZEN times more than good cotton land DR. Shep-
ard has sold some tea, so fine as TO be almost dust
The general interest which the Pinehurst expert
ments have wrought throughout the country, as
exenplihed by the honors conferred upon them at
the Pan-American Exposition is manifestng itself
in the actual entry OF capitalists In the new ln9uS
al the outset appeared chimerical, has attained
Importance. One Of the early results will be an
attempt to have an import duty placed on tea The
United States stands alone among nations in this
respect. Free trade Great Britain imposes duty
MES and they furnish almost all that she CON
sumes. The other countries OF Europe place dutg NY
best tea placing the highest duty. Immense guam
titles cheaper sort Of tea is thrown upon the
| United States
THE QUESTION OF DUTY.
DR. Shepard favors duty tea. He thinks 20
cents would not be too much Where climate and
| labor best subserve, he knows of more prom
,sing undertaking. The cultivation of tea offers
easy outdoor occupation for men incapable of hard
labor in a hot maarial region. 1t enables women
and children to their livelihood According to
the Pinehurst experience. ordinary skilled and in
dustrious laborers may be safely paid as much II
Aside for the market Dr. ShepaFIo
urges that it be raised like any vegetaipie II,
| the garden every home 1t can be cultivated
with the roses. and used as hedges instead OF unr
slightly fences. And. in addition TO the economy OF
profit the people will drink such tea as they nav