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I i p R 7 r ri l 5 5 TEA RAISING IN THE UNITED J STATES WK y 5 The Tho Department of Agriculture Presents Present American AmericanS S TI I Tea In Tablet Form orm GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL The Department of Agriculture has hasteen been teen making some experiments which from present results seem to promise a revolution In the method o of packing packing pack pack- ing tug and preparing tea The Tho usual method adopted by tea raisers heretofore here hero I has been quite crude In that the dried tea leaves were merely stowed In a loose and bulky package The effort of the Department of Agriculture is to furnish PUI pure purs tea in a a. most convenient convenient convenient con con- form and In a a. manner to protect protect protect pro pro- the leaves from froni losing any of their strength through exposure to the air This has resulted in a method method meth meth- od of compressing the leaves Into tablets tablets tablets tab tab- lets each o of sufficient size to make a delicious cup of tea What would orS ordinarily ordinarily or or- S make snake a a. big package o of tea can by this unique u method be placed In a space about the size of a safety I match box Another significant feature o of the experiment is that the tea used people of the United States are aware that tea is grown in this country A Aa As Asa a a. matter o of fact however this country country coun coun- try not only raises tea but produces produce an article said by experts to be o oa of ofa a higher grade than imported tea and which has no equal for cup qualities For years there has been a gigantic gigan- gigan tic struggle straggle between British and Chinese Chi nese nose tea growers for supremacy Inthe Inthe in inthe the worlds world's tea trade The most im feature of this struggle has I been the substitution by the British o of modern and specially constructed d machinery In place o of the ancient manual man manS ual operations which the tho Chinese seem to o envelop In mystery Labor in India In dia dla while cheap was not cheap enough to o accomplish the overthrow o of the Chinese producers and leave a a. margin of or profit The conflict between the rivals thus settled down to a a. trial o of watch thermometer an and steam or IhO S S. S 4 I S 'S Sa a TEA TABLETS The Bulk of Loose Leaves eaves Is Equal to 0 One ne Box of ot Tablets S In these tablets Is not imported but V on the other hand is grown at the theS S experimental tea gardens of or th the Department Department Department De De- De- De of Agriculture at at- Summer Summer- S. S C. C A few weeks ago Dr B. B T. T S Galloway chief o of the Bureau of Plant Industry received a large box o of sampie sample sam sam- S 'S pIe packages from Summerville S Each box o of compressed tea contains twenty tablets about the size o of a a. cent but probably twice as thick The TheS S various kinds o of tea such as Oolong American Breakfast black and green etc are all prepared in tablet form ranging from sepia to dark green in color The tablets as heretofore stated are made from tea grown at the Pinehurst Pinehurst Pine- Pine hurst burst tea gardens Summerville S. S C. C and contain the purest of or leaves thought to be unsurpassed by any imported imported im im- S ported tea The tablet form Is accomplished accomplished by compression with machin machin- ery The directions furnished for using us us- lD lug ing the tablets are re as follows Drop one tablet In teapot for tor each cup of or tea desired Pour In freshly boiled balled water and after atter allowing It to stand stanel four minutes stir sUr gently strain and serve If made in the cup use one tablet Tea will Immediately settle to the bottom of or the cup then strain the S liquor Into another cup al aid a d sugar and cream as desired While it is explained by officials of the Department that this new form o of tablet does not improve the flavor or taste of the tea the chief value lies 5 S I in the fact that the product occupies 1 less space A pound package of ordinary or or- f tea ib lt Is 1 occupy about twenty twenty five five times as much room r as one o of these little packages o of twenty 57 f ty tea tablets prepared by the Agricultural Agricultural Agri Agri- cultural Department pj g- g f- f Tea Ten Handled by Machinery 1211 f fk k S- S The effort of the Department of Agriculture Ag Ag- r 5 for sometime has been to tor r find means for providing food for the Army and Navy which could be preS prepared prepared pre pre- S pared in such a way as to save space Tablet form naturally suggested itself S S S to them and It is now believed by the government officials that the tea tablets tablets tablets tab tab- lets will fill the requirements not only o of the general government but those merchandise and family use S o of general ft S An Important feature in connection of tea into tablet tabletS with compression S form which should be considered o of prime importance is that modern machinery ma ma- chinery takes the place o of the ancient manual operations o of the Chinese O Of S. S course a great advantage of the maS machine ma ma- S chine In the tea industry is reduction In the price o of labor but a more fin- fin Item Is the elimination as far farI faras I as possible o of human contact By testimony tes tes- tes o of travelers in the Orient It Itis itS S S is stated that the tea factories o of that section are as a rule anything but butS cleanly the result o of the herding together together together to to- S gether of so many people people not not very dean clean or healthy people people people-In In cramped and aad often very hot workshops The S tea tablets tableta as prepared by the Depart Depart- Department l L ment o of Agriculture are made from the thel l tea after It has bas been dried and rolled It Is then put through a boiling process process proc proc- S S ess after alter which it Is placed in small S moulds about the size o of a cent where whereS whereby S by means of or great force foree it is compressed com corn t pressed Into small tablets The operation operation op op- S o of the machinery Is so perfect gad and so rapid that the leaves c can n be If t. t picked from the plant at noon and In Inless Inless S in time for less lese than three hours or supper can be made into tablets and 5 ready to serve on the table Few S Sj S j 5 5 5 S S 5 water power against the unique and unnecessarily elaborate functions of the Chinese manipulator On the up-to- up date British tea estate almost the whole I process of tea making from the transportation trans of the plucked leaf from the gardens to the factory to the final boxing o of the finished product is performed performed per per- formed by machinery With all this machinery however it is necessary that two processes must b be performed by human hands the hands the plucking of the thelea leaf lea from the bushes and the cutting out of or inferior leaf lea or accidental admixtures admixtures ad ad- mixtures such as stems straws etc from the finished product The intense activity in the tea Industry industry industry In in- o of other lands awakened a like Interest in the United States A bundred hundred hun bun hun hundred dred years ago the first tea plant was introduced at Middleton Barony on the Ashley River near Charleston S. S C. C Mr Mt Junius Smith in the forties made experiments In te tea culture at Greenville Greenville Green Green- ville S. S C. C and in the fifties the United United United Uni Uni- ted States Government collected in Asia and distributed tea seed by the Patent Office through the so south th Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlan Atlan- tic and Gulf states which later gave rise to many thrifty little gardens capable o of supplying all domestic wants While these experiments prove the adaptability of the tea plant to the tho United States they did not prove the possibility of a a. lucrative Industrial un un- un- un The United States States- Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment o of Agriculture however in the thelast thelast thelast last quarter o of the century undertook undertook un un- un an Investigation along this lat- lat S 0 r t S I 1 I fT S' S q qS t. t S S E OF OP THE TEA FACTORY AT SUMMERVILLE S. S SC a 0 ter line Une and established an experimental 1 tal station near Summerville S. S C. C For various unavoidable reasons the i undertaking was a failure and aban aban- e S S 5 L r Towards the tho close of the cen tury Dr Charles U. U Shepard at his own expense renewed this this' plantation and later received the tho general assistance assis assis- tance of ot the Department o of turo ture This is tho the Pinehurst tea nursery nur nur- sery of to-da to to The Fhe American Tea Ten Garden Carden The Pinehurst gardens embrace at present about 90 acres o of tea plants In various stages o of advancement and produce from a considerable variety of seed over pounds of dry tea annually The original seed for the Pinehurst tea gardens was procured through the offices o of the United States Depar Department ment of State and the Chinese Government from the celebrated Dragon Dragons Dragons Dragon's Drag Drag- on ons on's s Pool estate near China whose output commands too high a local price to admit o of its exportation Picking tea at Pinehurst is done by a carefully trained and well superintended superintended tended corps of colored children who show great aptitude in this direction In stances have occurred o of tine fine plucking by one ono child in a a. day of over 50 pounds pound of o greenleaf whereas the average average average aver aver- age in the Orient hardly exceeds 20 to 30 pounds Experiments at the Pinehurst Pine Pine- hurst burst gardens show that tea from all modern modem climates could be made as uro- uro here as at their source a change in climate and the difference in cultivation and manufacture having a tendency to affect the quality of tea when prepared for the table This is the he reason assigned for the difference in n the American grown tea from that o of imported The Pinehurst early season seaon season sea- sea son on tea is considered more delicate and milder than that o of cooler climates The he autumn season tea is stronger in color olor and taste and resembles the product from the more southern regions regions regions re re- re- re gions o of the Orient The S Secretary of Agriculture believes that hat there i Is an excellent field in the United States for a home tea indus- indus 17 for r we consume approximately pounds of tea annually or a i little less than one pound per capita Our MA A people be ne says says' pay at retail about a year for tea as against for coffee ansI ann Si 1 PAn for alcoholic bever beverages It It has been een calculated that the American peor peo- peo peo people r i pIe drink gallons of tea ten anI an- an We arc are primarily a nation of or I ct Coffee cioffee drinkers in proportion to our population we consume only about one one- sixth as much tea as the Britain whether at home or in the colonies colonies' colonies While the United States does not import im urn- port the cheapest kind of tea nevertheless nevertheless never never- our Importations are chiefly o of inferior qualities Th The first demand of the American consumer is cheapness cheap cheap- ness and often oftentimes he will purchase tea of f poor quality on account o of acc acc accompanying ac ac- ac- ac c companying allurements of crockery Colored Children Picking Tea The First Tea Factory Under hider the Flag V-T V I I 4 i I j I'S S L 0 S S 4 5 5 z and other gifts gifta Nevertheless comparatively comparatively comparatively com com- small consignments o of better grades are imported for those who are willing to pay for them |