The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-06-19
OUT OF THE BLUE CUP.
The Jamestown Exposition, When Bloc Cop Overlooked,
and Other Timely Topics.
Tea Pot Tattle.
By W. E. PABOR. No. ,.

Tea Pot Tattle.
Give million cups of tea," said the
Genie. Gust think Of it,
The blue Cup overlooked with won
der. How many times it had been
filled, at the home table, from teapot
whose contents just suficed for one
small cup apiece and one extra half
cup for the owner Of the Blue Cup.
And here we were, sitting inside OF
Tea Cup that would hold enough
to fill five million cups to the very
brim.
The lid must have been at least six
feet in diameter; the depth of the pot
perhaps fifteen, and at it's best fully
as much in diameter; it's bottom was
covered with oil cloth, and there was
rocking chair, other chairs and a
dlvan, with lots of room to spare.
l sat down, OF course, in the rocking
chair and unused, for space on this
largest teapot in the world; of the
armies its lnvlgorating contents could
nourlsh, of the comforting draughts
it could offer to the invalid, young or
old, and to such as l, on the sunset
slope OF lite, whom cup Of hot tea
ever cheers but never inebriates. Then
noticed that there was a name on
the side OF the great structure, the
name OF tea we used to drink in
Colorado years ago, but had not seen
IN the p1ney woods where the Blue
Cup and its owner have their home.
For little l watched the people
almost wholly women-come in at one
door, look up at the great domelike
cover, make some wondering COM
ment and then cross the floor to the
other door, and pass out. To them
it was a great, big teapot nothing
more; to me it seemed to fill the Blue
Cup full to overlooking with memories
OF other days and other shores than
these Of Chesapeake Bay; the waves of
the Carlb bean Sea washed the banana
banked shores of Spanish Honduras;
on San Diego's white sand beach the
bathers seemed to come into clear
vision; the Blue Cup was dipped into
the white waters that come down-as
do those Of Lodoro-from the Seven
Falls on Cheyenne mountains, under
the shadow of Pixies Peak, in Colo
rado-but stay, the list is too long of
travel trove evoked by this overflow,
that almost drenched the Genie of the
!nk-Horn, crouching under the crown
ing side of the cup.
The fortune tellers use dried tea
leaves to tell all too willing listeners
the future that awaits them. But to
me they are full Of the hotsam and
jetsam Of the years that are past, and
SO ends my reverie, sitting inside the
great Teapot in the Food-Products
building at the Jamestown Exposition.
A word now as to the practical part
OF this lea Pot tattle. The American
nation uses millions of pounds of teas
that come from India, Japan, China
and Ceylon. How many know that
there IS South Carolina tea on the
market? | saw some half-pound
packages in glass case in the Gov
eminent building devoted to the
United States Department of Agri-
culture. Bureau Of Plant Industry. For
years this department has carried on
experiments at, I think, Summerville,
). g., to establish variety that would
succeed, at least, in the Gulf States,
and has now black tea that is put
up for commercial purposes Years
ago l saw tea plants growing on the
grounds Of DR.. Sonviel1e, in South
Jacksonville, and have a few young
plants from Reasoner's nursery, making
slow growth in my home garden.
Then whv should WE NOT oro1u o,,~