D. A, SPECIAL REPORT ON TEA RAiSING EN SOUTH CAROLINA 1893 My mm I 1 (Hi' \\lrn i ill I } I I II 1 1 B li 111' i ; ' li!i! ^ -, OF GAL, t ' 1 , S -SL. AGRIC. PERT. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. AGRICULTURA SPECIAL REPORTJI LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA TEA-RAISING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. CHAELES U. SHEPAED, M. D. FROM THE REPORT OF THE SECRETAHY OF AGRICULTURE FOR 1892. WASHING TO^: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1893. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. SPECIAL REPORT m-RAISING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. BY CHARLES U. SHEPARD, M. D. M FROM THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE FOR 1892. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1893, Main Lib. Agric. Dept SPECIAL REPORT ON TEA-RAISING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. SIR: In compliance with the suggestion of the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, I have the honor to submit the following report upon experiments in the cultivation of the tea plant at the Pinehurst Experimental Tea Garden, near Summer vi lie, S. 0. It embraces, also, certain general observations regarding the varieties grown, yield, profit and loss, and an account of the damage to the plants by the winter of 1802-'93. Very respectfully, CHARLES U. SHEPARD. Hon. J. M. BUSK, Secretary. THE TEA PLANT IN THE UNITED STATES. The first tea plant in this section was set out by the French botanist Michaux in 1804, at Middleton Barony, on the Ashley lllver, and dis- tant some 15 miles from Charleston; with it was planted out the first representative of its cousin , 1 he Camellia japoniea. As I saw the former a lew years ago, it had grown into a small tree about 15 feet in height, while of the latter there were many specimens fully twice as tall. The publications of the U. S. Patent Office and the U. S. Department of Agriculture record the results of many subsequent attempts to inau- gurate an American tea industry. Nor is it strange that repeated failure has not checked the ardor of those experimenters who constantly enjoy the realization that their climate is especially favorable for the outdoor cultivation of the Camellia japoniea, Azalea indica, and many other subtropical plants, and have read that the flora of the tea-pro- ducing countries of the East finds, to a certain extent, its counterpart here. The little patches and, in some instances, larger gardens which have resulted from these attempts have produced tea of fine flavor, although very generally devoid of that strength of infusion which ap- pears to constitute a most desirable quality for very many drinkers. It may be presumed, however, that this failure in pungency was largely due to defective curing, and especially to inadequate rolling of the leaf, in consequence of which the cup qualities of the tea were not fully developed. So far as is generally known, it remained for the National Department of Agriculture to begin, about ten years ago, the first serious attempt to produce American commercial tea on a scale suffi- ciently large to arrive at a decisive result. The retirement from office of Commissioner William G. Le Due, to whose great interest in this subject the inception of the experiment was duej the death of Mr. John Jackson, under whose experienced manage- 627 320961 628 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. men t the gaTderis^Vete^ established; the great distance of the station fromrits source of management, and the opinion of Commissioner Georg <&. L/briog: tbat;^thj o 81 70 o 63 58 71 83 75 71 7 26 42 56 30 8 9 58 54 3 l) 54 09 In regard to the climate of the Chinese tea-producing provinces, Mr. Samuel Ball has afforded the following information in " The Cultiva- tion and Manufacture of Tea in China:" The quantity of rain which falls at Canton and Macao during the southwest mon- soon (May to October), Avheu.the winds come charged with moisture from the sea, amounts to 67.85 inches, whereas during the northeast monsoon (November to April), when the wind blows over the laud, there falls 11.11 inches; thus making the total quantity 78.96 inches. But the annual quantity which falls at Peking is only 27.98 inches. Hence it appears that the southerly winds, in their passage over this exten- sive Empire, deposit the moisture with which they are saturated gradually and less copiously as they advance to the north, till finally both one and the other become exhausted as they reach Peking. * * In the center of these two extremes, Pe- king and Canton, and between the latitude 23 and 33 north, the tea plant was found indigenous at a remote period of the Chinese history. This comprises the central as well as the most populous and flourishing provinces of the Empire, and includes that part most suitable to its growth, and where it is found to flourish in the present day. In this division of the country between north latitude 27 and 31 are also situated the districts connected with the foreign trade, whence the greater part of the tea most esteemed by the Chinese is also procured for their home con- sumption. In the green-tea country, situated in the district of Wheychew-fu, north latitude 29 58' 30", from December until March the weather continues cold; frost frequently prevails, and snow occasionally ; water freezes in the house. In July the summer regularly sets in, and the intensity of the heat is equal to that of Canton. * * The Bohea (black tea) 'country, in Fokien, dirt'ers little from the Hyson districts in point of temperature. The tea nieu describe the cold as less severe, and the fall of snow, as well as the thickness of the ice as somewhat less. * * * At Amoy (lati- tude 24 27' 36"), which is a tea district producing teas suitable to the foreign mar- kets, and some of very delicate flavor, the temperature seems hardly to vary from that of Canton. Annual mean temperature was 69.7, the lowest temperature marked being 49 and the highest 90. The preceding remarks are sufficient to show that severe frost and occasional snow prevail in the tea districts, and on some occasions, though rare, so late as the vernal equinox. Yet there is reason to believe, on average of seasons, that the frost is not very intense or of long duration. CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS. We may, therefore, assume that a deficiency in one of the conditions usually insisted upon as being requisite for successful tea cultivation, viz, an equable and rather elevated temperature and somewhat exces- sive rainfall, does not preclude the establishment of that industry on a safe foundation. It is probable that the strength of tea may be con- siderably impaired by a material deviation in Avhat is regarded as the normal climate; it may not serve to fortify weak teas, but there is ground for hope that it may occupy an independent position, at least in a country where the strongest teas are not relished and where a delicate flavor is highly appreciated by a sufficiently large class to war- rant the fullest deference to its demands. So far as concerns any American tea that is likely to be produced during the next generation or two, there will be no occasion to look beyond our own markets, and at present they are almost wholly supplied from China and Japan. If, therefore, it be contemplated to cater to the American taste, it must Tea Report, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1892. PLATE I. Tea Report, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1892. PLATE II. Tea Report, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1892. PLATE III. ASSAM HYBRID TEA PLANTS AT PINEHURST, THREE AND A HALF YEARS OLD AND LESS, SHOWING VARIATION IN SIZE OF LEAF AND GENERAL VIGOR OF GROWTH. SPECIAL REPORT ON TEA-RAISING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 633 surely prove more remunerative to manufacture an article similar to those in use here, rather than to imitate (even if it were possible) the more pungent Indian teas, which at present are only slightly imported. It is said that the tea from Formosa commands the highest price in this country, but some fine grades from Ceylon and India find a high price in rather limited quantities, the former being generally preferred. It should not be understood that the attempt to produce strong as well as delicate teas has been abandoned at these gardens. The best writers on tea concede that delicacy of flavor and strong raspiness do not go together. The ideal beverage should possess both strength and flavor, as may be attained by picking only the youngest and tenderest leaves and a generous application of manure. The idea that a colder climate than the Bengalese plains (it being immaterial whether the result of a greater elevation or a higher lati- tude), and one that may be regarded at least as healthy, is not suited to the production of the largest crops of superior teas, seems to have been refuted by the experience of the mountain gardens of Ceylon; but special stress is laid, in this case, on the richness of the soil as compensating for the deficiency in temperature. That ordinarily severe cold, as evidenced by ice and snow, seriously curtails the annual yield there can be no doubt, be it from the shortness of the growing season or the too intense hibernation of the plants; nor is it probable that the most generous cultivation can atone for an extreme winter. It is to be regretted that further meteorological data are not at hand. Never- theless it may be urged that the citations given above afford a reason- able basis for the hope which is the corner-stone of our undertaking that the climate of this section does not necessarily proscribe success in establishing a successful tea industry here. It is anticipated that natural deficiency in some directions must be counterbalanced by ex- traordinary artificial stimulation in others. But it ought not to be regarded as stranger, should ultimate success crown our efforts, that unusual care and attention can compel the remunerative cultivation of tea outside of its natural zone any more than in the case of tobacco and many other crops. QUALITY OF THE TEA PRODUCED. This past summer some of the Pinehurst plants were sufficiently advanced to warrant picking the leaf. The great majority of them had been raised from seed in 1889, and set out that autumn. A limited number were a few months older. They belong to the "Assam hybrid" variety, i. e., the cross between the Assamese and Chinese sorts, and came from stock that had been thoroughly acclimated by probably thirty years 7 growth in this country. The plants had been systemat- ically "topped" with garden shears and afterwards carefully pruned with a knife during the winter of 1891-'92, and throughout their growth had been carefully cultivated and generously manured. (Plates i-in.) They covered small areas on various soils, viz, underdrained pond and high swamp, the slope of a clay hill, and a flat, sandy pine land. So free had been the artificial enrichment of all of these plats that no material differences in the quality or quantity of yield were observed. It was designed to test by these first experiments whether commercial tea could be raised at all. Below are given the results from picking and curing such leaf as appeared to be suitable for manufacture, and might be spared without impairing the subsequent luxuriant develop- ment of the plants. A proper regard for the space that can be allowed this article necea- 634 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. sarily limits the publication of the reports which have been received from those who have tested the Pinehurst tea of 1892. As the Assam hybrid leaf is better adapted for the manufacture of black (i. e., fer- mented) tea, that mode of preparation was followed. It is not claimed that all the responses were equally enthusiastic, but all were favorable. Some of the experts, as might have been expected, did not hesitate to express the doubt whether the Pinehurst teas would find favor in their sections of country. But we shall be pardoned if only the more flat- tering testimonials are published, especially as it is our object to demonstrate that superior teas may be grown here. (1) Letter from Hon. Edwin Willits, Assistant Secretary of Agri- culture, dated November 2, 1892 : I wish to say that we are very much pleased with the samples. Not only this, but we sent a sample to the traveling agent of a large tea firm in Detroit for his judgment, advising him as to where the tea was produced. He took the tea to the store, and without giving them any information with regard to the same, it was tested by two of the leading members of the firm, each making a separate test. They pronounced it very excellent English breakfast tea, and, as I recollect, claimed that it was better than any breakfast tea they had in the store, or at least equally good ; and when the information was given them as to the place of production they were very much surprised and wished to know if any considerable amount could be purchased. (2) Letter from Mr. N. W. Burchell, of Washington, D. C., under date of July 16, 1892: The No. 2 tea is the best American tea I ever saw, and would bring at wholesale a good price. If sold as American tea, and thereby creating a sentiment for a season or so, it would bring more than the same high grade of India tea. (3) Opinion of Mr. Gillet Gill, of Martin Gillet & Co., the celebrated tea merchants of Baltimore, Md., as published in the Sun, of that city, and other papers : The first marketable tea ever produced in the United States was brought to Balti- more to-day by Charles U. Shepard, of Snmmerville, S. C., who grew and cured the plant on his farm. The American tea was tested by Mr. Gillet Gill, who pronounced it equal to the best high-grade English breakfast tea and superior to many grades that come from India and China. The samples brought here by Mr. Shepard are all of one quality and character black, crisp, and well scented. It makes a strong beverage. This quality of the American tea is said by Mr. Gill to be due solely to its treatment in fermentation and curing. Other methods of curing the American product will produce tea similar to the several brands that come from India and China. Judging from Mr. Shepard's samples. Mr. Gill says he believes the success- ful growing of tea in the United States is established, and that the industry should be encouraged and fostered. (4) Opinion of Mr. Charles Kerr Eeid, tea expert and merchant, of Philadelphia : Picking of June 14, season of 1892. Report on samples from the four grades into which the tea was sifted : No. 1. Rather handsome, rather small, even blackish leaf with Pekoe flower. Strictly extra fine tea; strong, full, and rich South Carolina Pekoe flavor. Value, 32 to 35 cents wholesale. No. 2. Blackish, even leaf, with a few Pekoe tips. Fine to extra fine tea; strong, brisk South Carolina Souchong Pekoe flavor. Value, 25 to 30 cents wholesale. No. 3. Rather bold, evenish, curled black leaf; middling tea (or preferred), strong, brisk, fresh-burnt South Carolina Souchong flavor. Value, 22 to 25 cents wholesale. No. 4. Bold, black, uneven curly -leaf middling tea; rather strong, fresh-burnt South Carolina Souchong flavor. Value, 20 to 21 cents wholesale. The retail prices are generally more than double the wholesale on the finer grades, and from 50 to 100 per cent higher on the lower qualities. Mr. Eeid has kindly added the following remarks: Your teas I find have an individual, distinct, and pronounced character, different from the teas of any other country, consequently, I describe their character flavor SPECIAL REPORT ON TEA-RAISING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 635 as "South Carolina flavor." They have merit nntl intrinsic value of a high order. I have very much pleasure in offering you my sincere congratulations on the com- plete success of your enterprise in having produced from the soil of the United States of America the commercial article "tea leaf/' equal in style and value and on a par with the fine teas of the world. (5) Concerning the best of these samples, and after submitting it to a thorough trial, a friend in Xew York, who was formerly and largely interested in the tea trade, has written : It is good original stock aixd is unusually well prepared ; has all the character- istics of an Indian or Ceylon tea, and is particularly brisk or toasty in firing, which is desirable. I am inclined to believe that it is better tea than Tettley's, which is sold in dry goods stores at 50 cents for a half-pound package; that would make the original value before packed somewhere about 35 cents per pound. The same authority subsequently wrote in reference to some similar teas of a later manufacture: The sample B, as well as the sample which I valued in New York at 38 cents, in- terested me. Yours is not a showy tea, but has the " solid merit," holding its line quality in taste as it becomes cold; it is what we would call a " deceptive tea" to the tea-tasters, not to the consumers, and if the consumer were once, accustomed to it, he would think other teas trash, which the tea-taster might have called "only a trifle poorer." Based on Mr. Reid's valuations, 100 pounds of Pinehurst tea, divided into classes by sifting, should have the following valuation, viz : Yield. Value. Whole- sale. Retail. No. 1 passed through one-t'ourteeiitli-inch openings Pounds. 16.00 30.00 52. 50 1.50 $5.36 8.25 12.34 .30 $10. 80 16.50 19.19 .49 Mo. 2 passed through oiie-ciglith-inch openings No. 4 coarser than the above sizes Total 100.00 28.25 46.98 The result, then, of sorting by size of finished leaf is to obtain a bulk valuation of 28J cents per pound, or 47 cents retail price in the larger cities ; in the country, the latter price would be from 60 cents upward. As an interesting fact' may be mentioned that the picking of August 22, 1892, was prepared as a whole that is, without division by sifting. Concerning it Mr. Reid reported, " Rather bold, rather uneven, curly black leaf, with bloom and Pekoe flower. Fine tea, rather rich, strong, brisk, malty, Pekoe touch and flavor. Wholesale value in this market in bulk, 30 to 32 cents; retail value in the same, about 60 cents." Very truly has Col. Money remarked, in referring to the teas made by Mr. Jackson in this country, "No reason why the teas should not be good;" and we hope later on to successfully combat his further sugges- tion, " but the labor difficulty will, I think, prevent tea paying there." YIELD OF TEA. Col. Money gives the following estimate of the probable yield per acre on flat land, good soil, in a good tea climate, and with hybrid plants, if really high cultivation and liberal manuring is carried out : 636 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. Tear. Tea per acre. Year. Tea per aero. First Pounds. Sixth Pounds. 400 Second - Seventh 480 Third 40 Eighth 500 Fourth 160 K4nth 600 Fifth 320 Tenth - f 640 The Pinehnrst plants had been set ont at greater distance than is the practice in the East, with the object of substituting cultivators and plows drawn by mules for hand labor and the spade. After making due allowance for this difference and for average vacancies (where plants have died), and thus estimating the production by the same number of plants, we find the average yield of the Pinehurst gardens for the past season to have reached about 37^ pounds of (cured) tea per acre. Of the earlier " flushes " (as the successive crops of young and ten- der leaf are called), purposely very little was picked; of the midsum- mer ones we were careful to confine the picking to the smallest leaf, and in the autumn at least one abundant flush was permitted to remain on the bushes. In other words, the standard production as laid down by Col. Money might readily have been attained. Indeed, in view of subsequent events, it would have been better to have picked the late (October) flush, as probably thereby we might have prevented the florescence of the plants, with all of its attendant drain on their re- sources, and the subsequent entailed cost. of picking off the incipient seed in order to prevent the yet further exhaustion of the bushes by its full development through the next season. But we will assume that the Indian grower exercises as much care with his own gardens, and we will rest our case on the actual figures submitted. The results at Pinehurst are all the more gratifying as they were obtained on plants exhibiting great difference in form and luxuriance of growth and in flushing. The seed from which they sprang had been brought from India long before the inauguration of the recent suc- cessful attempt to raise the grades of those teas by a judicious selection of seed and most careful cultivation. From the gardens now being es- tablished at Pinehurst, and in consequence of the great care bestowed on their composition, it is hoped to obtain much finer teas in the future. The results obtained at Pinehurst during the past summer are cer- tainly gratifying, and yet the partial success already achieved carries with it great anxiety as to the future. The summer of 1802 was spe- cially favorable for the growth of tea, and the bushes made great strides under the influence of abundant rain in the picking season. The rain- fall was as follows for that period, viz: May, 3.03 inches; June, 10.32 inches; July, 10.33 inches; August, 4.73 inches; September, to 28th, 11.77 inches; for picking season, 40 inches. The meteorological statis- tics for this region do not extend the hope of the frequent repetition of such weather. Then, again, who can tell how soon some detrimental or even fatal blight may attack our gardens? This does not appear probable ; butthe red spider or some other wretched enemy may suddenly swoop down and create great destruction. For the present, the plan is to develop the utmost luxuriance of growth on the part of the better plants and to extirpate all feeble bushes. PROFIT OR LOSS. It is as yet too early in our experimentation to exhibit calculations as to the cost of production. Our gardens are small (altogether not SPECIAL REPORT ON TEA-RAISING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 637 exceeding 12 acres), and under no circumstances capable of bearing the "fixed charges," which with little advance might apply to a much larger acreage. For the immediate future there is no necessity of erecting and conducting a regular factory such as may be found on almost all Indian and Ceylonese plantations; although it would be de- sirable to impart to all tea the uniformity of preparation which the per- fected machinery of to-dfiy affords. With the substitution of steam machinery for hand labor and the attendant economy, and an enlarge- ment of the gardens to warrant such outlay, the difference between the actual cost of Asiatic and American teas would be reduced to those manual operations in the field where it is impossible to replace hand labor by machines. Nor has the public had, as yet, an opportunity of forming an opinion on the merits of American tea, and as an industry it must rely on the patronage of our people. It is, however, natural to presume that some "ciphering" on the question of profit has been indulged in. With some misgivings, but nevertheless that this article may not be incomplete in this respect, we submit the following (hoped-for) estimate of the expense involved in raising and curing a pound of tea in this section, if the future results corroborate those of the past. The following quotation is taken from an article recently prepared for "American Gardening:" Estimated cost of tea to be produced at Pinehurst, when the gardens shall pro- duce at the rate of 400 tooOO pounds per acre and per annum, and after the intro- duction of machinery, whenever it is possible to substitute it for manual labor: Cents. Picking leaf 6. 00 Withering leaf 0. 50 Rolling by machinery 1. 50 Breaking roll and sifting by machinery 0. 50 Firing by machinery 0. 50 Packing and boxes (in India, 2 cents) 4. 00 Cultivation of land 5. 00 Incidental expenses 2. 00 Cost per pound of (cured ) tea 20. 00 This estimate does not include the proper fixed charges, which must amount to a large sum by the end of the sixth year after planting a garden, when under favora- ble conditions the outlook should equal 400 pounds of (cured) tea. The reader must decide whether this exposition of the present out- look of the Pinehurst farm is sufficiently encouraging to warrant the rather roseate predictions that its friends* have indulged in; as also whether there is justifiable ground for anticipating the successful es- tablishment of an American tea industry. The U. S. Department of Agriculture has kindly consented to place on exhibition at the World's Columbian Exposition some of the Pinehurst teas. EFFECT OF INTENSE COLD ON TEA PLANT. Beginning with the 27th of December, 1892, and terminating January 22, 1893, an exceptionally long period of intense cold prevailed in the South Atlantic States and produced a marked effect on the local tea gardens. Although considerable injury followed this cold wave, it was well that this severe test should have been encountered thus early in the experiment, especially if the proper lessons can be drawn from the unusual experience. Mr. L. N. Jesunofsky, observer in the Weather Bureau at Charleston, has very kindly prepared the accompanying table, which demonstrates 638 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. in a very lucid manner the exceptional duration of this winter's cold. The table permits the following important deductions: December, 1S92. The mean of three consecutive coldest days was 27 F. ; lower than any record for the same month. The number of days with a mean daily temperature below 32 F. was 2, only equaled in 1872. The minimum temperature, 25 F., was surpassed only in 1876 (23 F.) and 1880 (13 F.). The number of days with minimum temperature below 32 F. was 5; only surpnssed in 1872 (7 days), 1876 (10 days), and 1880 (6 days). January, 1893. The mean of three consecutive coldest days was 24 F., only sur- passed in 1886 (20 F.). The number of days with a mean daily temperature below 32 F. was 5, surpassed only once in 1886 (6 days). The minimum temperature, 20 F., was surpassed in 1873 (19 F.), 1884 (13 F.), 1886 (10 F.), and 1887 (17 F.). The number of days of minimum temperature below 32 F. was 13, which is far beyond any previous record. o r . The mean temperature for January for twenty-three years was 50 The mean temperature for January, 1886, was 43 The mean temperature for January, 1803, was 43 The coldest December was in 1876 44 The coldest January Avas in 1886 and 1893 43 The coldest February was in 1886 48 January, 1886, was regarded as the coldest weather experienced for fifty years. If the weather for thirty days from December 27, 1892 (inclusive), be compared with any of the above records, it will be seen that its mean temperature is 39.8 -P.* Thus there is ample ground for believing that the duration of extremely cold weather in the winter of 1892- 7 93 was larger than any year of which there are records. The cold was much more severe at Pinehurst than in Charleston, as the folio wing notes show: The week following Christmas was very cold, so that much ice was formed and the ground frozen to the depth of about an inch for several mornings, although in the afternoon it generally thawed out. The week January 8 to 15 was also cold, so that all pruning was abandoned for the time being. But the week January 15 to January 22 has been unusually severe, as the following observations show : Saturday, Janu- ary 14, 17 F. at 8 a. m. ; Monday, January 16, 20 F. at 8 a. m. ; Tuesday, Janu- ary 17, 14 F. at 7 a. m. ; Wednesday, January 18, 18 F. at 7 a. m. On the 18th 2- inches of snow fell in the forenoon, followed by sleet in the 'afternoon, and the whole was frozen in the early night. Thursday forenoon all vegetation was covered with ice, and of such weight as to cause great destruction among the largest trees (yellow pine and oaks) of this region. Freezing weather continued steadily until Friday afternoon, when a slight thaw occurred. Ice covered all the tea bushes until Saturday afternoon, and those in a sheltered position until Sunday, the 22d, at midday. The cold weather continued with frozen ground every morning until Wednesday, January 25. The depth of frost in the ground rarely exceeded 2 inches. The effect of the prolonged cold upon the tea gardens has sufficiently developed since the return of the usual winter weather and the occur- rence of several showers, so that now it may be possible to judge of the injury inflicted. Quite young plantations have suffered considerably by the loss of their tenderest leaves; but they will probably recover almost entirely, with the exception of one garden of very tender and young Ceylon plants, which have been very generally killed to the ground. These last may spring up again from the roots. Nevertheless enough of these plants have survived the trial to furnish abundant material for propagation by cuttings another autumn, so that there shall be a garden devoted to the most hardy of this tender and valuable variety. Partly from a belief that the location of the Ceylon tea garden was unusually exposed and partly from our confidence that by a judicious mulching * This is half a degree lower than the mean temperature of the thirty days (Janu- ary 9 to February 8, inclusive), covering the phenomenal cold of 1886. SPECIAL REPORT ON TEA-RAISING ltf.bj[TT4 "Q-AROLIN/A;' 639 with pine straw during the first wiiitrs/eHofcS' 9$&jjp.tt$p f be averted, even on the repetition of the weatner o'f*l92-'93, several 'acres are now being planted with the best Ceylon tea seed. Other seedings and young plants, particularly in exposed situations, have not infrequently lost their top foliage; but the loss is inconsider- able, although involving the retardation of their development. Among the larger and older plants the injury from the cold weather shows itself in two directions, viz, a splitting of the bark of the trunk, whereby the latter becomes denuded and the plant dies. This form of damage has happened to not exceeding 1 or 2 per cent, but the plants thus affected were (as might be expected) among the thriftiest and finest in the tea gardens. The other injury was the loss of the youngest leaves and twigs on plants of apparently greater suscepti- bility. But it does not seem to involve further destruction, except in comparatively few cases. Very careful examination of the older gardens shows that the total loss from cold during the past winter is decidedly less than 5 per cent of the total plants. The location and drainage of the tea gardens are of the first impor- tance in climates where there is liability to such extreme cold. Even tender Assam survived the experience of this winter where sheltered by trees from the wind and on a dry hill. It may be well to avoid encouraging by autumnal manuring the growth of plants during the winter where it is apt to be cold. TABLE 1. Showing frequency of prolonged periods of low temperature at Charleston, S. C., for January, February, and December, 1871, to date (January, 1893), inclusive. [Furnished for C. TJ. Shepard, M. D., Summerville, S. C.] Tear. January,. FeVnary. December. \i K. +1 +- o> ! I.; 1 H II. No of days mean daily temperature below 32. * N 9 Pi a o> p _q M H V. No of days minimum temperature 'below 32. 1 1 Is, il *1 ? 1. No. of days mean daily temperature below 32. A (_l cc PH a * P q i M H TV. No. of daya minimum temperature below 32. 0> 11 -u vj I 1 a I II No of days mean daily temperature below 32. * A t-t e P< a