The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-21
SOUTH CAROLINA TEA FARM.
A British Consular Report on Our
 Rivary of China.

The British consul at Charleston. in his re- port on the trade of that district in 1901. says There are many persons living outside this State who have no just idea of the growth oi the tobacco industry in the east of South Caro-
 lima e years aSo sx sowns s,n o the State; experience. however, has proved that this plant can most successfully be grown on rich sandy lands, with a clay sub soil. such as abounds along the section of the Great Pee Dee River. This includes the coun- ties of Florence; Darlington, Marion, Horry' Large warehouses and factories have been built for handling the crop and it is said here as in Danvilie. Va. the center of ulc Virginia tobacco industries.
 The South Carolina tobacco crop produced last year is reported to be 20 900 900 pounds. which was sold at an average of 10 cents per pound yielding the growers $2, 0o0 900. The crop is put on the market as early as the first week in July and sales continue until the following April It Is noticeable fact also that the growing of tobacco has not made any material reduction in the cotton crop in the district where 1t is now grown 1t being now regarded in this State extra money crop very much like the peach crop is in Georgia.
 Tobacco growing is expensive and uncer- tain in several respects. and requires most careful cultivation and attention. These who appear to succeed best are the small farm CTS. who. with the assistance of their wives and children. do all the work themselves Few pay if hired labor is employed and paid for out of the proceeds of the product The AmeIi- can Tobacco Company has g buyer in every market, and 2ractica.ly fixes the price from day to day The South Carolina product is used principally in the manufacture of cigar cites and smoking tobacco. a considerable part of which is shipped to the United Kingdom and other countries in Europe.
 While 1t is probable that the, experiments men tea farm at Plnehurst near Summer vile. will be carried for several years more with different qualities. under. widely differing conditions. the most important facts relative to American tea culture have alreardy been demonstrated. Among other things, 1t has been proved that number of kinds of tea from different countries-Japan China, Siam and Formosa-can be grown with profit. and that several other varieties have been found unprofitable in a commercial way. Flu ture experiments will probably continue along this line with the view of getting the great shortest time Another important point as certained Is that the tea bush can survive very cold weather. While 1t is undoubtedly better that it should be grown where the mer- cury does go beok 25 degrees Fahrenheit vet in the frost of two Winters ago the tea gardens were subjected to a temperature be. low zero and suffered little injury thei efrom
 Tn the east, where tea grows naturally the rainfall is from two to three times as fciency has been compensated for in the Caro- lima gardens by system of irrigation The careful ea labor needed in picking the delicate school advantages to all the little negroes ilv- ing in the vicinity who are willing to avail themselves of them, and the children are ing. and during the tea gathering season they are given remuncratiVe work.
 Experimenting in tea culture was begun at the Pinehurst gardens in 1891 by Dr Charles |. shepard. This was several years after the Government had failed to get satis- factory results from an appropriation made by the United States Congress for tea ex- periments Dr. Shepard's work has proved successful and lately he has received the kind est interest and valuable pecunuiary ass st ance from the Secretary of Agriculture and from Congress.
 "Frrom reports reoe.,-ed from Dr sbenard relative to this. the only tea farm on the American continent, 1t appears that the most important result of work done In the past Sum has been clearer distinction arrived at to what will prohably be profitable and unpToftahle tea culture in this countrr It was fully recognized at the outset of the P ne- hurst investigatiens that their industrial value must rest a clear and demonstrable pe- cuniarY profit nevertheless as an expe. irnent station it was proper to insti'ute numerous risls with different kinds of seed under varying conditions.