Friday, October 21, 2016

Cultivating tea … in 1848

"No plant is more simple in its cultivation, and none requires less skill and attention than the Tea Plant; any one who can cultivate a cabbage can cultivate the Tea Plant."

— Junius Smith, "Essays on the cultivation of the tea plant"

 
My latest discovery on the Library of Congress website? This 1848 (1848!) book titled "Essays on the Cultivation of the Tea Plant." I couldn't believe a book on US tea cultivation was written this early. I'd seen the 1899 book on tea cultivation by Dr. Charles Shepard, founder of Pinehurst Tea Plantation in South Carolina, whose plants were later transferred to the Charleston Tea Plantation.

But the discovery of an 1848 book on growing tea strikes me as quite a discovery, so I've downloaded it to my iPad and started reading!

For those of you who share my passion for tea history, here's a link!

5 comments:

  1. Well, I've never tried to grow a cabbage OR a tea plant but it is amazing that this was written about it in 1848!

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  2. Wow. How neat is that?

    You sure can find 'em, Ang!

    Have a wonderful weekend - it's cold and raining here - a good day to light a fire and to sip a hot cuppa to get the chill out of one's bones.

    Hugs and love. ♥

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  3. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
    Marilyn

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  4. Interesting. I've grown cabbage maybe I should try tea.

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