The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-14
WRITTEN FOR The SUNDAY REPUBLIC

WRITTEN FOR The SUNDAY REPUBLIC
1t II said that the first pound of tea in
America was brought home a curiosity
by q New England sea captain. The cap
tain's thrifty wife. having boiled the
strange foreign product thoroughly. threw
out the liquor and served the grounds as
green's to a number Of neighbors invited
in for the occasion. The guests at this first
tea party" having sampled the new deli
cacy. seasoned with salt and pepper, de-
cided that It did not begin to compare with
cowsaips or dandelions. and that the bring
ing of It from far of heather lands was a
foolish expenditure Of effort.
We who read this story now smile at the
ignorance Of the persons of whom it tells,
but considering the millions of pounds Of
tea that have been consumed in this coun-
try since then. how few persons there are
who have ever seen tea plant. or who
have any intelligent information of what
the plant is like and how it is cultivated,
or OF the process of making its leaves into
the tea which We know.
The Oldest and best known tea farm in
the United States Is that Of Doctor Charles
H. Shepard at Summerville, s. c.. who has
been experimenting with the tea plant for
fifteen years, and who has about 100 acres
set out to tea plants now.
During the season of 1902 the Pinchurst
tea gardens produced more than 5000
pounds Of dry tea, almost doubling the crop
VI 4sV1. ne average retail price OIL Tea
u about 81 a pound. The United States
Government has of late years contributed
toward the experiment work being done at
Pinehurst, and Doctor Shepard is a special
agent Of the department. The department
has purchased some rare and expensive
eesd, and also some improved machinery
for plantation. The fact that there is no
duty imposed on tea imported into the
United States now makes 1t impossible for
the Ptnehurst gardens to compete with the
low-priced teas
In the position which the United States
takes In this matter 1t Is almost alone
among great nations. Great Britain i'm
poses . tax Of u cents q pound on tea. even
1t comes from British colonies. In France
tho duty u more than 20 cents a pound.
Doctor Shepard says that duty Of IL to 15
cents pound on foreign teas would enable
the American planter to meet all compeu-
don In the home market on favorable terms.
This, he says. would exclude from the
United States most of the trashy teas
and enhance the cost Of pure medium
graAs srly about one twenty fifth Of a cent
pR cup Of the beverage.
II Is said that the repeal OF the recent
war tax on tea discouraged several men
who were about to SGT out large plantations
near Pinehurst That this American expert
snent u attracting worldwide interest may
be seen from this item In the Colombo (Cey-
10 probAhly no moro Interesting tea growing
experiment In the world At the present mo-
ment than that OF Mr. Shepard. at Pine
hurst. g. c."
POSSIBILITIES IN THE SOUTH.
How profitable the growing OF tea COM
mercially may be in this country Is yet
largely matter OF experiment. but It seems
aatogethsr probable that it can be grown as
. home product over q large portion of the
oouth. The plant Il an evergreen shrub.
With beautifully glossy. dark green leaves.
~ IN ornamental shrub, or set In hedges,
or planted In otherwise unutilized corners
around the house, It edds to the attractive
ness OF any home. Tie leaves can be cured
q home. In small quantities. and, as Doctor
shepard says, they will furnish, free Of ex-
pense, wholesome beverage in the place OF
the too often Questionable mixture bought
a. tea.
Il 10 said that the original tea plant is a
native Of Assam. Province Of British In
Ola. and that In tho steaming tungles of the
Brahmapootra River the plant grows to be
tree. with broad leaves. From that coun-
try the plant has been carried to Ceylon.
China and Japan. Cultivation In a cooler
climate has dwarfed the plant and made
the leaf smaller. BotanicaIly the plant Is
the carnelia thea. own cousin to the stately
camelia japonica OF the greenhouses In
the gardens at Pinehurst the two plants
grow outdoors. side by side. The differ
snce IN the commercial tea-whether black
or green-does not come from any differ
encs in the plants from which the leaves
are picked. but from different methods Of
curing the leaves.
Tea culture cannot be undertaken safely
except where the temperature rarely goes
lower than 3 degrees Fahrenheit and where
. plentiful supply OF water can be depended
upon. In February of 1893, however, the
mercury at Summerville went to one-half
degree below zero, and the plants survived,
although It was necessary to prune them
to the ground afterward. There was five
inches Of snow on the ground at the time
and plants covered by the snow suffered the
least
30 long ago a. 1s0 tea was successfully
raised In 0reenville. 8. c.. but the expert
mont was abandoned. Summerville is TWEEN
~ miles inland from Charleston. Originally
u was necessary to import all the seed
The Pinehurst gardens have tried seed from
almost all available foreign gardens. Some
Of the most encouraging results have been
obtained from seed brought from Ningpo.