The news & observer., 1901-03-17
DR.. Sherph erd's Great Work
New Haven RogIstcr.)


1t is prophesied that before long India,
China. Ceylon and Japan will be com
PEELED to recognize Western rivalry in tea
culture. In the past they have had it all
their own way. Not less than $4,000 600
annually crossed the ocean to foreign cof-
fers. Now the outlook is that some of
this wealth may be kept in the country.
The tea plant has established it right to
existence in the Western Hemisphere
and, having gained foothold, there is
tinue to prosper.
In the current number of the Review of
Reviews Leonora Beck Ellis describes
American Tea Gardens, Actual and Pos
sible." DR.. Charles Z. SHEPPARD is the ex-
pcrimental grcwer of tea gardens not far
from Charleston, S. C. Ninety-six years
ago Michaux introduced the Oriental
plants into the State, and since that time
one porsevering student after another has
studied the conditions required in search
of the elements of success. Michaux in
the same year, 1904, planted the camellia
japonica on the Ashley River. This near
cousin of the tea plant, or camella theife-
fourished. Why not the tea plant? In
1881 the United States Government set uot
gardens, but the retirement OF cne man
ager and the death of the second caused
the scheme to be abandoned before real
results were proved
DR.. Shepard investigated past as yAcll as
existing conditions and became convinced
that tea culture was still a probable
AY11n ian mir 1frx NH 10 fhrn Nick
| he was actuated by the belief that II
successful this new field of agricultural
| labor would give comparatively easy out
door employment to many thousands un-
| fitted for rougher toll, and enrich them
with the revenues being sent across the
| Pacific. Two difficulties in the way were
the less rainfall and zero weather. Caro-
| lima has an average annual rainfall of 56
inches, while Asitic authorities say tea
requires between so and 100 inches, and
the best gardens have 12O. Also that
| the temperature should rather drop be-
| low 40 degrees Fahrenheit though hardy
varieties do survive zero cold. During
ten years DR.. Shepard has put to the
test all available varieties of teas, soils
and situations, establishing a system OF
soil treatment with a view of conserving
the moisture. BY using the hardest
varieties grown in high attitudes he has
| been rewarded, says his historian, "by
seeing the gardens upon which he counted
most strongly pass unscathed through the
| Carolina winters, being but temporarily
set back even by that unprecedented cold
| of st. Valentines Day, 1S99.''
Rival tea garens, inspired by the sue
cess of DR. Shepard, have been planted in
Louisiana, in South Carolina and in Geor-
| gia. While labor costs eight times as
much for each pound of tea in Carolina
than is demanded for the same work in
| Asia, yet this seeming loss is balanced
| by greater productiveness in the field anC
| by the use of machinery in the factory
in place of hand labor employed in the
Orient Outside the tea hedges, in his
park on Pinehurst estate, DR.. Shepard
| has seventy five acres planted. His actual
cost of production is 2714 cents a pound
This he expects shortly to reduce to Ia
cents a pound. The retail price Of the
STANDARD Pinehurst Black Tea" is 81 a
pound. The Rose Garden of Assam
Hybrids may be taken as fair iilustra-
tion of the possibilities of this new indus
try. It is less than an acre in extent and
was set out in 1890 with nearly 1000
plants Nearly doubling its yield every
year. it's crop of 1898 afforded about 1900
pounds.