Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-20

cured tea, four classes being distinguished
by the growers, viz: A. intended for i'm
mediate consumption in the neishborlood
b, FOR storage and consumption IL the
ne1ghborhood. c, for a short transporta-
ton, and D, for long transportation.
AS each operation involved human labor
which is ridiculously cheap in the far east
ana expensive in the west, as late as 1850
all investigators agreed that while tea coulC
be grown in the United States, the enor-
nous amount of labor involved rendered it
a commercial impossibiity. In official re-
ports OF that period, as well in the
perlments of amateur agricultucsts, may
be found pathetic declarations of the
trouble and expense involved in raising q
few pounds of-tea The experiments in this
direction were tried in North and South
Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Cal
norma and Oregon. In consequence of the
opinions thus published, people gave up all
1aith in the possibility of American tea
culture, and from 1860 to 1885 little or moth
ing was done in this direction. Yet there
We're prophetic voices during that period
and even heretofore. In Greenville, s. c..
DR.. Junius Smith grew quite large
amount of tea and sold it at fair prices.
DR.. Turner Wilson of Turner, N. c., had
several hundred plants under cultivation
and made a very fair beverage from the
dried leaves. Samuel Brannan had tea
farm at Calistoga, Napa county. Cal. in
the fifties, which yielded abundant crops.
Not knowing the secrets of curing he
merely dried the picked leaves, from which
L..
better than that made from the CHEAPEST
variety of the imported leaf.
Modern Methods.
To the British government and to the
tea planters of Ceylon is due the simpllfica-
ton of the Chinese methods of culture and
curing of tea. The first great step forward
was made when they declared that the sys-
tenn employed by Christendom in the grow
ing of all economic plants applied perfectly
to tea. The proclamation was received
with considerable doubt by many alleged
experts and yet the views proclaimed
might have been formed by any one IA
miiiar with oriental agriculture. In the
east pillow is a stick of wood, which werely
scratches the surface of the soil. 1t does
not reach deep enough to permit the rains
TO soak the earth thoroughly, and the
farmer is, therefore. compelled to use the
hoe and mattock constantly, and to irri-
gate whenever the weather is dry for three
or four days. With an American pillow and
the culttVator of the west one man and
two horses can do the work of hundred
tea coolies and achieve far better results.
The next important step lay in ascertain
ing the amount of water required by tea
plant, especially during the spring and sum-
mer; the dftchlng and drainage of lands
which were too wet and the supply of wa
ter when too dry. Along with this was the
determination of the kinds amounts and
application of fertilizers to the soil in the
tea 1leld. This solved many seemingly diff
1cult problems The new regime gave a
maximum yield to each plant and about the
same uniformity of size to the leaves as did
the Chinese system. The greatest advance
of all was made in the curing of the leaf
and was possible through the fact that the
west uses labor saving machinery, which
the east does not. The Chinese statesman,
In his desire to give employment to every
Workingman, opposes bitterly all labor-sav-
ing contrivances, and favors those systems
which involve a multiplicity of manual du-
ties.
In India and ceylon.
The moment modern methods and me-
chanical devices were applied the twelve
operations dwindled down to .five-wither-
ing, rolling, fermenting, summing or desic-
eating and firing The new method had
many consequences which were not expect
ed by its inventors. The fired leaf required
no special treatment for transportation or
expectation. By this process the tea turned
out from the new tea factory could be used
by the proprietor the same day or shipped
around the globe and stored for six months
without appreciable deterioration The re-
suit of this series of improvements was
peaceful revolution in the tea trade The
plantations of India and Ceylon, which had
heretofore paid but 1 per cent return upon
the capital invested, now began to pay 10,
Is and even 20 per cent per annum. Their
teas soon began to compete with those of
China in every market of the world AS
their exports increased those of Japan and
China, especially the latter, began to de-
crease. The Japanese government took
alarm, and with the keen, quick intelli-
gence which marks it's administration sent
out a commission of inquiry, adopted the
new methods and soon regained it's former
position. China, on the other hand with
characteristic conservatism kept on with
it's old-fashioned methods, with results that
were tragedy to her tea planters With a
swiftness which has no parallel IN trade
history the tea of India, Ceylon and Japan
drove that of China from the markets of
Australasia and Great Britain and cut down
its sales nearly one-half in the United States
and Canada. The present generation has
seen the famous tea fields of Annoy fall
from wealth to pauperism and the export
tea trade. of China diminished 60 per cent
AS early as 1880 the British planters no.
ticed that the finest grades of Chinese tea
would not bear export, and those which
were exported especially of the middle
class, We're not to be compared when used
In foreign lands as when used at home
They therefore turned their attention to-
ward the production of the finer grades of
the leaf, and have thus far met with con-
siderable success. Several Americans have
seen the drift of. affairs and, realized that it
might be made of advantage to the United
States. Among these were Gen. La Gendra
former United States consul at Annoy; Jo-
seph M. Walsh of Philadelphia Gen. LIE
Due, commissioner of agriculture, and Dr.
Charles U. Shepard of Summerville. 8. c.