The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-30
a Plants i'm the United States
Nl ~ roeoeRIc j. HAskIN
Nv FREDERIC J. HAskiN-

Louisiana by the 'Cajans. Up TO 1861
the yield for the first three States had
averaged over 105,000000 pounds of
cleaned rice each year for fifteen years.
Then Louisiana began to raise it on
n noticeable scale. The very old hand
methods of planting, gathering and
thresbing obtained generally, then in
the wheat countries Of the northwest
TO revolutionizo things. They looked
over the level Louisiana lands, and saw
that proper irrigation OF the buckshot
soil would not make it impossible for
heavy teams. After installing system
of reservoirs, canals and wells, they
brought down the wheat machinery
they had used in their northern fields,
and with slight notifications used it
for the planting and harvesting of rice.
A field Of from 200 to 300 acres can
be seeded TO rice by one farmer, q
helper and good teams, while the use of
barvesters has demonstrated that one
of those can do the work of forty men
This introduction of rice farming on q
large scale in Louisiana was followed
by Texas venture In 1900 A. p.
Borden OF Pierce put in 100 acres Of
rice on prairie in Matagorda county,
and despite green hands, unskilled man
agement and terrific storms, sold his
crop for $50 an acre, when it had cost
him only sis. He used the seed of the
famous kiushiu rice, which withstands
storms and which can be thrcshed and
polished with less breaking than other
varieties.
In 1904 there were go, 500 acres in
that region in rice, the tract extending
from the Mississippi to the Brazos.
Each year finds $4,000 acres added to
the rice lands, and experiments have
showed that there is available soil all
along the east coast OF the United
States from New York TO Florida, in
Arkansas, and even in some of the Lake
countries of the northwest. Last years
weld was i'll the neighborhood Of 40O,-
1000 pounds, valued at Sl3,OOO,0O0
which IS only about half the amount the
United States uses
While the United States is known to
all the world as the great coffee drink.
ing nation, the consumption Of ten here
IS also large item. in the year ending
June 30, 1905, the imported tea amount
ed to 112,905,541 pounds, at value OF
SlS,1l9,3l0. The same year the tea
farms of tho United States yielded
only six tons. While the amount was
small, the flavor and strength Of the
American product compared most favor
ably with the foreign brew. 1t has
proved its adaptability to the climatic
conditions of certain sections, and when
it can be raised at moderate cost and
marketed at the same price as the pro
ducts of Japan, China, Ccylon and
India, 1T suggests itself as profitable
enterprise for those willing to undertake
its culture.
The first tea plant in America was set
out IN Middleton Barony. near the
Ashley river, fifteen miles from Charles
ton, South Carolina, by none other than
the famous French botanist, Michaux.
This has grown into small tree since
It's planting in 1904. In 1882 the De-
partment of Agriculture undertook ex-
periments i'll South Carolina. though il
gave up tho work at many stations be-
fore definite conclusions were reached.
AS early as lS4S DR.. ,Junius Smith had
planting Of tea. but the first
tea was from the plantation
ot DR.. Charles L. Spepard Of Summer
vile, South Carolina, who sold some in
Baltimore in 1892.
Experts pronounced the Summerville
product equal to any of the English
breakfast teas. The Shepard farm is
known as the Pinehurst estate, and has
Z large grove of Assam Hybrid bushes.
Negroes are employed in the picking
Of the leaves, and have proved more
efficient than Oricntsls. A rather unique
solution Of the question of labor has
been made there. In order TO insure
skilled pickers, good school was
built, good teachers employed and all