LIBRARY AT CORNELL UNIVERS' 3 1924 052 092 461 DATE DUE UGT _c 'sm m GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S A, INEX The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924052092461 O^tna^ng Its Cultivation, Harvesting, Marketing and Market Value, with a Short Account of Its History and Botany By M. G. KAINS sT NEW EDITION Revised, Enlarged and Brought Down to Date EIUuBtrat^!» New York ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 1903 SJ3 Copyright 1899 BY ORANGE JUDD COMPANY Copyright 1902 BY ORANGE JUDD COMPANY Gr5 |<(3 \'\o:lcl In compliance with current copyright law, LBS Archival Products produced this replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z39.48-1984 to replace the irreparably deteriorated original. 1990 -_ TM (oB) PREFACE. During recent years, the news has heen spread far and wide by the press that the consumption of ginseng in China is enormous ; tiiat our native forest suppiy is rapidly decreasing ; that the price paid by our dealers is steadily advancing; that the plant can be cultivated, and that there is a considerable margin of profit in grow- ing it. As a result, the agricultural papers, the Exper- iment Stations and the Department of Agriculture have been besieged with qiiestions bearing upon all phases of ginseng cultivation, and many useful articles in addition to three bulletins have been prepared upon the subject. But, since the former, in addition to being too brief to be more than outlines or introductions, are unavailable to the majority of would-be cultivators, and since the latter contain much that does not interest the noviccj the writer has prepared the following pages to be used as a practical working manual in the growing of this crop. In its preparation, use has been made of some of the articles contained in agricultural journals, the United States Consular Reports, the bulletins published by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Exper- iment Station of Kentucky. But the author has relied mainly upon his report to the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture, which was prepared for the Divi- sion of Botany in the summer of 1897 and published as the revised edition of Bulletin No. 16 of that division, the original issue and its reprints having been exhausted. iii iV TUE GINSENG INDUS TEY. In that pamphlet was contained all that was then known to be of A'alue in the cultivation of ginseng, and it was favorably received by cultivators of this root throughout the land. In the present treatise, the experience gained by many growers during two more seasons of experiment and observation has been added and the book thus brought up to date. The information here presented has, therefore, been gathered from many reliable sources and is tlins really the work of several authors, for whom the writer has acted m tlie capacity of secretary. Among many to whom thanks fi)r valuable assistance are due — a list too long to give each separate mention — special notice must be given to the Division of Botany, Ur.itcd States Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Agriculture, and the Experiment Station of Kentucky for the use of several illustrations throughout the book, and to Messrs. Samuel Wells and Co., Cincin- nati, Ohio, for helpful letters concerning markets. M. G. KATNS. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. Since the appearance of the first edition of this book, which is now designated Part One, ginseng growing has made such rapid strides and the demand for information has increased so greatly that a second and extended edition has become necessary. The information contained in the present volume, which is nearly three times as large as the first, has been culled from a large mass of material and is deemed to be the best that has appeared since ginseng culture first attracted attention in America. As in the first edition, the author, who wishes to be considered merely a compiler, has endeavored to present the ideas and experience of others without forcing his own views upon the reader. It will be noticed, however, that he has stated his opinions upon certain points and has striven to make clear others that seemed to need explanation. He wishes hereby to thank all who have given him help, especially those whose names appear in the text. He also wishes to apologize to nearly a thousand readers who have been compelled to wait for the appearance of this book. The particular attention of the would-be investor in ginseng culture is called to the section in Part Two on "Profits." A decline in price and a more healthy market seem to be assured, a consummation that will result in the abandonment of speculation and the establishment of ginseng growing in America upon a VI PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. firm commercial instead of the present uncertain nur- sery basis. Accompanying and fostering this develop- ment, however, must be a rational application of energy to the industry, especially to the improvement of the root, which under present methods would be doomed to deterioration because the forced seed production, now occupying general attention, is at the expense of root development. Finally, ginseng culture will grow in proportion to the application of intelligence to it. The grower should always strive to be bigger than his business, a fact which, simply because he is in it, seems to be evident. That is, the reason he is in it seems to prove him to be progressive and to keep himself abreast of the times. He should endeavor to maintain this state by reading and discussing all matters pertaining to farm life, because much that may appear to bear no apparent direct connection with ginseng, for instance, improved marketing methods in general, will be found helpful in dealing with problems that arise in the business of growing and selling this root. M. G. Kains. New York City, November, 1902. CONTENTS. • History i . Botany of the Plant S, 55 • Natural Home of the Plant 14 How to Begin 14, 58 Starting with Wild Roots 14 Starting with Seed 16 • Climate and Location 18 ■ Soil 19, 59 Preparation of the Beds 21 Preparation of Permanent Beds 25, 62 Planting the Seed 26 Treatment of Seedlings .... . 28, 62 Treatment of Permanent Beds 30 Artificial Propagation 30, 65 Protection of Beds 31 Manuring 32, 65 Shades and Shading 33 Enemies 36, 66 Selection for Improvement 37. 69 Cultivated Versus Wild Root ... . 40, 72 Preparation for Market . . „ . . . 41 Profits 46, 77 Clarification 75 Adulteration and Fraud 88 The Asiatic Ginseng Industry and Market ... 94 Letters from Growers 106 Medicinal Properties 130 Protection by Law 136 vn LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Shed Rg. 1. Human Form of Root 2. American Ginseng Plant 3. Yearling Plant and Two-Year-Old Root 4. Stems, Leaves and Flower Cluster . 5. Fruit Cluster on Plant 6. Three and Four-Year-Old Rsot 7. Divisible Root 8. Stanton's Forest Seed Bed 9. Garden Plantation with Lattice 10. Weeding Horse ... 11. Handy Marker 12. Lath Screen for Shade 13. Irregular Roots 14. Dried Root 15. Map Showing Natural Range 16. Kelsey's Lath Shade . 17. Kelsey's Planting Board . 18. Korean Ginseng . 19. Parent's Ginseng Garden 20. Nusbaum's Ginseng Garden 21. Bates' Ginseng Garden (exterior) 22. Bates' Ginseng Garden (interior) 23. Kelsey's Ginseng Garden 24. Hart's Ginseng Garden Page 2 4 6 7 II II 12 22 24 26 27 35 38 45 56 63 64 108 112 114 119 122 124 137 IX PART ONE. THE GINSENG INDUSTRY. THE GINSENG INDUSTRY. HISTORY. In discussing the cultiyation of a well-known crop, such as the apple, or the onion, an author need mention nothing as to its history. The great majority of readers are not interested in such matters, and will skip over to the more practical parts which deal with cultural direc- tions, yield and profits. But in writing of a new crop, especially one that can never become a staple, it is nec- essary that the reader should know something of its development, in order to judge of its advancement and the probable limits of the market. He will then be in a good position to judge whether or not to start for him- self. The following brief introductory paragraphs, therefore, are inserted to show the development of trade in American ginseng from its earliest stage to its present position of commercial importance. Chinese ginseng, to which American ginseng is closely related, has been to the Chinese of vastly more importance than quinine has been to the nations of more progressive ideas. Unlike quinine, however, which is prescribed for a limited number of ailments, ginseng is considered a sovereign remedy for almost every malady that human flesh is heir to, from indigestion to con- sumption, and is believed to insure immunity from all kinds of disease. There is still a more remarkable belief in the properties of this plant. It is thought that certain specimens, like the one represented in Fig. 1, which bear a somewhat close resemblance to the human 3 THE GINSENG INDUSTKT. form, are specially useful in certain ailments. For instance, the leg-like parts are particularly valuable for leg troubles ; the arm-like portions for affections of the arm, and so on. Whole roots of this form are believed to be capable of prolonging life itself, and are conse- quently very highly valued ; in fact, cannot be pur- ychased for less than their weight in gold. Truly, the plant is well named panax — a panacea. It is, however, not dependent wholly upon superstition for its power, but is possessed of medicinal qualities, more highly prized in it by the Chinese than by us, since we have a nnmber of drugs that we use in prefer- ence. By us ginseng is rec- ognized as possessing slightly stimulating and mildly aro- matic quiilities, as well as de- mulcent, alterative, carmina- tive and tonic properties. It is probable that these were discovered by the Chinese be- fore the qualities of more val- uable drugs of the same class were discovered, and that the riG.i. HUMAN FORM OF i.oor.inai'i ^e^sons for its present popularity in China are the conservative ideas of the Chinese and their belief in supernatural affairs, which, coupled together, exalt the merits of the plant unduly. In America, the root is seldom used except as a demulcent, and even for this purpose we have other drugs that are more popular. The reverence in which the plant is held, and the high price that it commands in the open markets of China, of course led to untiring search for a substitute, not only in adjoining countries, but in remote parts of the world. Eoots were, and still are, found in Japan HISTOEY. 3 and Korea that so closely resemble ginseng in appear- ance that even experts find difficulty in detecting them when mixed with the true root. These roots, however, have no value, and are appreciated only by the unprin- cipled men who use them as adulterants of true ginseng, or as substitutes therefor. Search in America, however, resulted more favor- ably. A plant {Panax quinquefoliurri) , Fig. 2, was found that not only resembles the Chinese root (P. ginseng) in appearance, but possesses its medicinal > qualities. In 1 714 Father Jartoux, a missionary among the Chinese, published "A Description of a Tartarian Plant called Gin-seng" in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, a copy of which shortly afterward came under the eye of Father Lafitau, a mis- sionary among the Iroquois Indians in Quebec. Believ- ing that there might be such a plant growing in the Canadian forests, Lafitau made diligent inquiry and untiring search for it, and after about two years his efforts were successful. In 1716 the plant now known . as American ginseng was found near Montreal. Roots were gathered and di-ied by the Indians and sent to China, where they were so well received that a considerable trade in ginseng sprang up. The roots were purchased from the collectors at about thirty-five cents a pound, and were often sold in China for ten or twelve times that amount. At that time all the trading in this root was done by the officers and crew of a French trading organization, the "Company of the Indies." When, however, the directors of the company discovered that there was a wide margin of profit to be made upon this root, they assumed control of the industry and pro- hibited the private ventures of their employes. Tliis move had a marked effect upon the price, which quickly rose to more than five dollars a pound. Good prices such as these might possibly have been maintained had THE aiNSENG INDUBTET. FIG. 2. AMERICAN OINSBNG. HISTOET. 5 it not been for an excessive demand made in 1752, as a result of which an immense quantity of root was dug out of season and im2iroper]y dried in orens. Upon its arrival in China it was found to be so inferior that the dealers refused to accept it. In a single year the trade dropped from about $100,000 to $6,500, and in a few years more ceased entirely. The Chinese faith in the Canadian article was so severely shaken that the stand- ing of the American root also suffered, an effect that it has taken more than a century to overcome. During these years, and particularly those following the event just recorded, the New England states, and later the sister states as far west as the borders of tlie Mississippi, profiting from the ill-luck of their northern neighbor, increased their trade until, in 1858, more than 350,000 pounds were exported, but at the low aver- age figure of 62 cents a pound. Since that year the quantity of root exported has decreased, but the price has improved. In 1897 the price per pound reached its highest average, $4.71, slightly more than nine times the price in 1858. This steady increase is a hopeful sign that confidence is being restored, and forms one of the strongest arguments in favor of the cultivation of the root in this country. Further data upon this topic may be found under the heading, "Profits." BOTANY OF THE PLANT. American ginseng {Panax quinquefoKum, L.) is a' member of the natural order AraliacecB, which is allied to the Parsley family. The plant, when old enough to bear seed, is easily recognized, and, especially when in fruit, is somewhat conspicuous; but during the first two or three years it is not particularly prominent. The seedlings appear, in New York state, about the first of May, sometimes a week or so earlier. They at first look something like newly sprouted beans, in having two THE GIJS'SENG INDCSIEY, 0, Yearling ginseng plant in July: h, yearling root In October; e, two-year-old root, BOTAIfT OP THE PLANT. seed leaves (cotyledons), between which is a little stem and one, two or three tiny leaves. These are the only leaves borne by the plant the first year, and they seldom rise more than a couple of inches above the ground. pro. 4. STEM, LEAVES AND FLOWER CLUSTER. They are usually fully developed in four or five weeks from the first appearance of the plant above ground, and this is true of older plants as well. Fig. 3, a, represents a « THE GINSENG INDUSTRY. yearling plant when full grown as it is seen in July, and b, a root as it appears in October. The whole work of the plant the first two, three, or even more, seasons, is to develop the solitary bud that is to produce the leaves and stem of the following year. This bud is borne at the crown of the root, and is called by the Chinese the '"head." When growth ceases, the stem breaks off beside the bud, leaving a scar that is always retained. Fig. 3, c, shows the bud and the scar on a two-year-old root as it appears in October. During the second year tlie plant may produce from one to three branch-like stems with from three to eight leaflets, and may reach a hight of five inches. In the third year from eight to fifteen leaflets may be produced, and the plant may grow eight inches tall. In after years there may be as many as four leafstalks, each bearing usually five leaflets — sometimes three or seven — arranged, as in the horse-chestnut leaf, like the fingers of the hand, as seen in Fig. 4. The two smallest leaflets are an inch or two long, the others three or four. In outline they are egg-shaped, with a saw-toothed margin and an abrupt point. The large end is away from the stem. In cultivated beds specimens with five leafstalks and twenty-five or thirty leaves may be found, and they may reach a hight of thirty inches, though twenty is as tall as they usually get in the woods. The stems of mature plants are gen- erally about the thickness of a lead pencil. The flower stalk, which is usually from two to eight inches long, according to the strength of the plant, is borne erect at the point where the leafstalks branch out (Fig. 4), and bears in late June or m early July a cluster of inconspicuous, odorless yellowish -green flowers arranged in an umbel somewhat like the flowers of pars- ley or carrots. The fruit ij soon formed, and develops from green in August to a handsome scarlet in the mid- BOTANY OF THE PLAKT. 9 die of September, when it readies full maturity. The ( berries, which are edible, have the taste of the root, and /I , are about the size of small wax beans (Fig. 6). They/' contain from one to three seeds, usually two. Seeds are';, produced by plants three years old and upward, though' I MG. 6. FBUIT CLUSTER OJf PLANT, u, Berry ; 6, seed, natural size. occasionally an unusually strong plant may produce seed the second year. In the cultivated plots the pro- duction of seed is generally much greater than in the forest, from forty to sixty being commonly found, 10 THE GINSENO INDUSTRY. thougli one hundred or more may often be borne upon a single head. Plants with several stems may have a cluster of fruit upon each stem, though these will usu- ally be smaller than upon plants of the same age where only one stem appears. In the woods the plants seldom bear more than fifty seeds, and usually not more than half that many. The root, which is the part of commercial impor- tance, is composed of two parts — the rootstock and the root proper. The former, rarely more than one-third of an inch iu diameter, shows the scars, already mentioned, each one of which indicates a year's growth. Specimens have occasionally been collected that were over fifty years old, and one has been found that has reached the age of sixty-five. Size and value do not, however, increase, but diminish with age after a certain stage in the development of the plant has been reached. The power of producing seed is also lost to a greater or less extent. The old specimen referred to was very much shriveled, weighed less than half an ounce, and was scarcely more than one-third of an inch thick. As a general thing, when the roots have attained a certain age they gradually decrease in size and weight year by year, and at the same time lose their medicinal qualities. They continue to shrink until they become mere bundles of woody fibers, shadows of their for- mer . selves. They may, however, take new courage and send oiit new roots near the crowns, which, as the original roots become more and more feeble, gradually take their places and do their work. When this is accomplished the old roots die and slough off. This is not a form of reproduction, but of the continuation of the life of a single plant. Young roots may often reach a weight of two or three ounces after drying, and a diameter of one and a half inches. Some specimens have been gathered that weighed half a pound, but these BOTANY OF THE PLANT. 11 are now rare, i!io constant search for the plants tending to prevent their full development. Such sizes and weights are, however, possible in cultivated beds. FIG. 6. THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLD ROOTS, u, Biid ; b, scar. When young, the root is shaped and colored like a little parsnip, but usually becomes more or less forked and darker in color as it grows older. Its size is largely govei-ned by the supply of food, exposure and other con- 12 THE GIKSENG INDrSTET. ditions influencing its growth. When one year old it is usually about an eighth of un inch in diameter, and about an inch when five or six ;• and after the first year or so, it is plainly marked with wrinkles running part, or even all, the way round it. Boots of three and four years of age are represented in Fig. 6. Ginseng reproduces itself naturally by seed only. |When cultivated, and occasionally even in the forest, i via. 7. DIVISIBLE ROOT. plants may be found that bear from two to four stem roots, like the one shown in Fig. 7, which spring from near the base of the rootstock at the crown. These, if carefully removed, may be made to produce as good roots as if grown direct from seed. In this particular case three plants could be obtained from this one root. An advantage that they possess is that they will attain a marketable size and produce seed sooner than seed- BOTANY OF THE PLANT. 13 lings. Ifc seems possible, too, tliat the rootstocks might be made to produce roots in the same manner as ordi- nary cuttings. This, so far as can be learned, has not yet been done. From what has been said, it is clear that ginseng must not be dug in tlie summer, because if the roots be harvested before the seed is ripe the latter will be lost. In the forest this is actually taking place, and is the principal reason why the price of ginseng is rising year by year; the pasturing of stock in the woods and the destruction of the forests by widening agriculture or by fire being the only other important influences toward its extermination. The dealers claim that they are still able to obtain the root in nearly the same quantity as formerly, but they say that it is coming from places more remote each year. The latter statement is certainly true, but a glance at the export figures, given under the heading, "Profits," will siiow that the former is probably over- estimated, because the quantity sent abroad is decreasing year by year. Tiie principal agents in the extermination of the native supply are the ginseng hunters, " sang-diggers " they are called. They exercise no judgment whatever in collecting. They take even the tiniest roots when- ever they see them, whether in April, June or Novem-] ber, and ti)e plants are thus given no chance to reproduce themselves. It is of little consequence to these shiftless people to be arrested and jailed according to the laws of the two Virginias and of Ontario. Tliey take the matter coolly and live at the expense of the state until the end of their sentence, and go back to dig as before. When the plant is cultivated it will be to the grower's interest to dig at the proper season, and to prevent, as much as possible, the digging of the wild root in his locality dur- ing the spring and summer. 14 XHE GINSENG INDUSTRi. There is, liowever, a more important reason for dig- ging the root after the ripening of tlie seed. During the summer the jdunt is expending its energies in growth and the perfection of its seed. As a consequence^ the root is in poor condition, and is thus unfit for the uses to which it is put. But in the fall, when the seed has been matured and the plant has stored food with which to commence the following year, the root is in its best condition, being not only firmer and heavier from the stored nutriment, and thus liable to less shrinkage in drying, but it is more valuable as a drug. A given weight of green roots will realize more when dug in season and properly dried than when gathered in the summer. NATURAL HOME OF THE PLANT. Ginseng may be found growing wild as far west as the first tier of states west of the Mississippi, and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. In the warm south, it confines itself to the mountains and other high ground where the temperature is relatively low ; in the north, it descends to the low lands. It delights in the rich, moist, but well drained soil from which our oak, maple, . beech and basswood forests spring, but not in the wet and muddy soils that support the tamarack and the cedar. Forest soils in which there is a wealth of leaf mold, and that are fairly light in texture, are most favor- able to the growth of this plant. It is almost never found in open ground and soon perishes in clearings, but thrives in the half shade afEci'ded by hardwood forests ^here the undergrowth is scant. HOW TO BEGIN — STARTING WITH WILD BOOTS. The easiest way to commence ginseng cultivation is to collect plants in the neighborhood and to transplant them. Dig them either early in the spring just as the new growth begins to appear, or in the autumn, when HOW TO BEGIN-. 15 the tops are dying or have died down. It is hard to col- lect the plants in the spring, because they look so much like otlier plants as they are coming through the ground that it is hard to distinguish them, and it is difficult to remove them at this season without injury to the small rootlets that have been produced before the leaves appear. It is better to transplant wild plants in the fall, when the roots are ready for a rest and are not nearly so likely to be injured, besides being much more easily found. It is better to transplant autumn-gathered plants at once than to keep them until spring, although this may be done without trouble or fear of greater loss than when set in the fall. In storing, plunge tlie roots in damp, not moist or wet, earth in a cool place where they cannot dry out. An easy way to get a large number of roots in a small space, and without danger of injuring them, is to stand an open box, — a soap box is. a handy size, — upon end and tilt it slightly back by putting a brick under the front. Put in a layer of fine earth an incli or so deep at the end, and lay a row of roots upon it so that they do not touch each other. Cover these with earth and put in the next layer of roots ; so on until the box is full. Always take care to prevent the roots from touching one another, as contact will hasten the spread- ing from plant to plant of any decay that may commence. When full, set the box upon its bottom, aud fill in any looseness in the packing by .adding more soil. When finished, the roots will be in their natural position. Store in a root cellar, separate from the dwelling, if pos- sible, although a house cellar will do if it is not too warm. If the roots become dry they will not grow. If stored in a cool, moist i)lace, such as a root cellar or pit, do not water them, as this might induce rot. Do not let them freeze, for though they will stand a low tem- perature whea properly protected in the forest, they are 16 THE OIXSENG INDUSTRY. more tender when under unnatural conditions such as would prevail in the box. If collected in the spring, set the plants in the bed at once ; or if they must be kept ont of the ground for a few hours, keep them carefully covered with damp soil, to prevent any possible injury to the tender rootlets. The easiest way to dig the plants, when growing in the woods, is to use a small spade, thrusting it straight down at a distance of four or five inches from the plant and to the full depth of the blade. If closer or shallower than this there is danger of breaking the roots, and thus ruining them. A trowel, though useful for transplant- ing the more evenly developed cultivated roots, is not a good tool to use in the woods, because of the possible presence of other roots, stones and pieces of wood that might interfere with the removal of the root. In the cultivated beds, however, these objections are overcome, and the trowel may be used to advantage in transplanting the seedlings. Always take the greatest care to preserve the bud at the crown of the root. If destroyed, there will be more or less loss of time, if not of the plants themselves. STAETING WITH SEED. When collecting roots, be sure to also collect all seed. Either sow it at once in a previously prepared bed, or store it. Each method has advantages and dis- advantages. The only advantage in planting at once is that the seed is permanently disposed of. The disad- vantages are that since eighteen months must elapse before the seed can be made to sprout, there is much risk that the seed bed may become dry, and the seed thus be rendered worthless ; the seed bed must also be attended to, mulched, shaded, weeded, and protected from chickens, mice and other nuisances. Then there is much more anxiety when the seed is thus handled STAKTIKG WITH SEED. 17 than when it is stored. If, however, it be stored, the danger of drying can be reduced to a minimum, and the trouble in connection with the bed be all avoided. If possible, gather the seed while the jjulp is still soft, after it is fully ripe and before it becomes dry. Do not, however, throw away any that has become dry in this way, as it may still be of use. Do not remove the pulp, but store it with the seeds intact. The best way to store the seed is to stratify it. Make a mixture of leaf mold, sand and loam aud pass it through a fine sieve, finer than the size of the seed with the pulp oil.' If not sifted, great difficulty will be expe- rienced in removing the seeds from the mixture when the time comes for planting. A mixture made in this way and sifted will be slower to dry out than most unmixed soils, and will therefore be better as a storage material. Put a layer half an inch deep smoothly upon the bottom of a box and scatter the berries thickly but only one deep upon it. Put in another half inch of earth, then a second layer of berries, and so continue until the box is full. A deep cigar box will hold several ounces of seed and is a handy size to use, although a stronger box will generally be better, particularly where it is to be much exposed to the weather. When packed, either store the box in a cellar, as described for ginseng roots, or bury it in some place that will not become wet but will always be moist enough to prevent the possibility of drying out in the summer. Since frost does not injure the seeds, but rather improves their germinating qualities, it will be better to put the box out of doors than in the cellar. During the summer it will always be best to bnry the seed, to escape the molds that are commonly present in cellars. Care must also be taken to prevent the attacks of mice upon the seeds. A covering of perforated tin or of wire netting will effect this and will not hinder 2 18 THE GINSENG INDUSTBY. the entrance of rain or other water. The soil and the seeds must not be allowed to become too wet, since the latter may rot. When the seeds have been stored a year, sift them out, as described below. As some few of the smaller o'^es may pass through the sieve, the earth in which they have been stored should be scattered over the seed bed in order that they may not be wasted. An important tiling, in the cultivation of this plant, is the annual setting of a seed bed. This must be done regularly, as the plantation grows in extent and age, since neglect to plant only one seed bed will mean the loss of one, perhaps two, or even three crops, because many roots require one or two years longer to attain a marketable size. It will be economy in the end to pur- chase seed in any one year that fnrnisiies only a small supply or none at all. Under ordinary circumstances, however, this necessity should not occur more than once or twice, and then only in the first few years while the industry is getting upon its feet and before the beds commence to bear seed in any quantity. CLIMATE AND LOCATION. From what has been said of the natural home of the plant it may be seen that ginseng will succeed over a wide range of territory. It must not, however, be inferred from this that it can be grown anywhere in this territory. Efforts to grow it in the low lands of the southern states are almost sure to meet with failure, or when failure be prevented it will be at the cost of so much effort that there will be no profit or pleasure in it. The plant demands a cool climate, such ns is found in the northern states and in the high lands of both the north and t!ie soutii. In such places it will grow as easily in cultivated areas as in the forest, provided the proper conditions be furnished. i CLIMATE, LOCATION AND SOIL. 10 In choosing locations for beds, particularly in the more southerly states, be sure to give the northern exposure the preference, because the pliints -will do bet- ter where the direct rays of the sun are more or less overcome by the sloping of the land to the north. In such exposures, too, the land is less robbed of moisture. But if the soil and other conditions are unfavorable, or where such an aspect cannot be secured, do not hesitate because an eastern, a western, or even a southern aspect must be utilized. Ginseng will prove profitable, as it has in former cases, provided the necessary care be taken to secure plenty of shade and moisture. Other condi- tions being equal, however, the northern slope is best and the southern poorest. SOIL. Having chosen the location for the bed, the next question, or rather the one that must be considered at the same time as the location question, is the choice of soil. Choose almost any quality or texture, with the exceptions of clay, heavy clay loam, light sand and muck. These are not adapted to the requirements of the plant and its best development. The best soil is ajf- good, friable loam, light rather than heavy, and well supplied with decaying vegetable mattei'. It must be clear of stones, clods, chunks of wood, tree roots and other obstructions, so that the ginseng roots may have ' free range to develop and not be robbed of food or be ■ distorted. If the soil be filled with obstructions the I roots will often be greatly branched, but if free they will tend to be of more regular shape, and can thus be much more easily dug when the time comes. The dif- ference in shape, in size, and in earliness of maturity between roots grown upon a deep, mellow loam, and those grown upon a heavy soil, is so remarkable tliat an inexperienced person might easily doubt that each lot / sprang from the same seed. / 20 THE GINSEKO INDUSTBT. The deeper the soil, the better. It should also be underlaid with some porous subsoil to insure natural drainage, which for this crop, particularly when grown in the woods, is much more desirable than drainage by artificial means. Moreover, artificial drainage of forest beds would often be attended with much inconvenience and expense, owing to the liability of tile or other arti- ficial channels to be clogged by tree roots, especially where elm, willow and such water-loving trees grow not far off. If the beds be upon the level, as all garden and orchard beds should be, the subsoil should never be clay, hard pan or rock, because, owing to their shallowness,, such formations are sure to be too wet in the spring, autumn and winter, and too dry in summer. In the forest these adverse conditions are more or less overcome., by the natural mulches of leaves, but even in the woods such situations should be avoided, if possible. In win- ter, unless the beds be very carefully mulched, the plants will be very liable to be heaved out and destroyed by frost. If, however, the hard subsoil or rock be some inches below the frost line there should be little danger of injury from frost or from drying out in summer, pro- vided the soil be good, and well mulched. If the loca- tion of the bed be upon a slope, particularly if it be situated near the top, the presence of an impenetrable subsoil, especially in summer, is of small consequence, since the excess water will be almost sure to drain away naturally before damage could occur. But while it is important to carry off the excess water, do not suppose that the beds should be dry. Ginseng will not thrive in such soil, while freshly gath- ered seed planted in it, as already described, and thus exposed during the hot months of summer, will be sure to perish. The most important point to consider, in choosing the soil — even more impoitant than depth. PEEPAEATIOK OF THE KEDS. 21 quality and position — is its natural power of holding moisture. Do not understand, by this, that a wet soil is meant; ginseng does not grow natnially in such ground, and will die when stuck in a bog. To sum up : Choose a moist, mellow, deep loam, rich in decaying vegetable matter, free from obstruc- tions, naturally well drained and preferably facing the north. Such a soil, in such a situatiojs, will be almost sure to be capable of retaining moisture and of giving good return at digging time. PKEPAEATIOX OF THE BEDS- We are now ready to prepare our plantation. We may dispense with all beds, and trust to nature to do the work. All that is necessary, in this case, is to roughly clear the ground of brush arad leaves, scatter and lightly cover the seed, and trust to time. This is the lazy man's method, and is liable to great losses from the drying out of the seed and from the browsing and tiampling of animals. It is slow in. the extreme. It is therefore condemned, and the following one recommended. We will need one bed in which to raase seedlings, and another in which to transplant our growing roots. Let us look at the nursery, or seed bed, fest. Spare no pains to make it perfect. The best place for it, as in fact for all ginseng beds, is in the forest, where the trees are tall, and where there is no undergrowth to interfere. Fig. 8 presents a photograph of Mr. Gcfflrge Stanton's nursery plantation, where young ginseng plants are raised by the tens of thousands. As will be seen, it is admirably adapted for the purpose to which it is put, the trees being tall, the undergrowth scaait, and the shade not too dense. Fork the ground over thoroughly to the depth of a foot or more, and take out all tree roots and! stones that 23 THE GINSENG INDUSIBT. ^^'S;'".: ■•r-il^-',. -''-h mAmM Mm ,#iii'^?*a-^^~*^"^""^ iSa^SS w$m''^m PEEPAEATIOK OF THE BEDS. 23 might interfere with the young ginseng plants. It may often occur that the soil, thongh rich in vegetable mat- ter at the surface, may have practically none lower down than four or five inches. In sucii cases, give a heavy application of leaf mold and work it in well. Remember that labor thus expended will be well rewarded. Sliould there be danger of flooding, raise the beds two or three inches, and protect them by boards at tlie sides and ends. These need be only six inches wide, as a rule, and may be held in place by stakes. The size of the nursery bed will, of course, be gov- erned by the quantity of seed at hand. Do not make the width more than .four feet, because in wide beds the centers are harder to reach than in narrow ones and the difficulty of properly attending to them is thus greater. A bed three or four feet wide will be found best, a? every part can be reached with but little exertion. Since the nursery bed is usually small and demands more fre- quent attention than permanent beds, it will be better to have it narrow than to use the method described later on for attending to the permanent beds. The best situ- ation for a nursery bed in a garden plantation is upon the extreme north of the plot. It will be least exposed to the sun, even when shade is provided. To calculate the amount of space necessary for a given amount of seed, allow from nine to twelve square feet for each ounce of seed to be sown. The distance between the rows, and the seeds in the rows, mentioned under Planting, will account for the difference in the amount of space required. In both nursery and permanent beds situated in the forest and in beds set out in orchards or near trees, it will be necessary to cut around the beds each year at least once, to kill any tree roots that may find their way into the ground prepared for ginseng. If neglected only one year, the amount of work to be done the following year 24 THE GINSENG INDUSTBY. PREPAEATION OF THE BEDS. 25 will be more than double, on account of the larger num- ber, greater strength and size of the roots that will have developed. If attended to'regularly each .'year, tlie work will be slight and the benefit to the beds much greater. In locating a bed in an orchard, it is best to avoid proximity to cherry trees, as the plants, for some unex- plained reason, do not thrive under this fruit tree. They do well, however, under apple trees. When set under these, it is better to put the bed under late falJ or winter apples, because these do not drop to the ground so much during the growing season of ginseng as early apples. Much breakage and consequent injury to the plants may thus be avoided. PREPARATIOK OF PERMAlfENT BEDS. There need be little difference between the prepara- tion of a permanent bed and that of a nursery bed. The principal differences are in the width of the beds and the texture of the soil. The width of the perma- nent beds may be as much as six or seven feet, the for- mer width preferred if the beds are situated in the forest, where space is unlimited. But in the garden or in the orchard, where artificial shade must be provided, and where, as a consequence, space must be economized, make thorn seven or eight feet wide, and the paths between them as narrow as possible. Eighteen inches should be the widest limit. A garden plantation is shown at Fig. 9, to which reference will be made later. If a wheelbarrow is to be taken into the plantation and the path is not wide enough, the barrow may be run over the beds if the ground be frozen hard enough to bear it up; There will be no necessity to take a wheelbarrow into the plantation at any time during the growing season, because if properly managed there should be no weeds to cart away and no manure to apply. The manuring may all be done in the late fall. 26 THE GINSENG INDUSTRY. To make weeding in the centers of wide beas easy, place strong boards twelve inches wide on each side of the bed, and wlien cultivating lay a stout board upon them, to be used as a seat while weeding. Another plan is to use a horse like the one illustrated in Fig. 10, instead of the boards. This should be made high enough to clear the plants. With regard to the texture of the soil, it has been found that although the seedlings do well in the soil mixture recommended for them, the older plants do not succeed so well when grown continuously in it. The soil for the permanent be-ou would not find possibly more than from five to fifty pounds, and at some of them you would not find the five." These statements are also upheld by the following export figures for the four years that have passed since the appearance of Part I of this book. These figures toim a continuation of the table given on Page 47, and are derived from the same source ; viz, the Bureau of Statistics of the United States Treasury Depart- ment. The great increase in the average price per pound cannot fail to strike even the casual reader. Year Pounds Valued at Ayerage per pound 1899 1900 1901 1902 196,196 160,901 149,069 154,063 $782,645 833,710 801,672 856,515 $4.00 S.18 5.31 5.55 The author is indebted to the several firms whose names appear below for prices paid by them to collec- tors and growers. Messrs. Samuel Wells & Co., Cin- cinnati, Ohio, whose list of prices for the years 1889- 1898 is given on Page 47, quote the following for the last three vears : Year Fair Choice 1S90 1!KX) 1901 S2..50-4.90 3..'i0-4.75 3.76-5.25 $3..'i0-7.25 4.00-«.10 4.50-7.25 In November, 1901, the same firm addressed the following communication to Orange Judd Company: "We have paid for the best qualities of cultivated root in 1899 somewhat over $8, 1900 — $7, and this year on an average of about the same price as last. We consider cultivated ginseng worth about twenty per cent more than the wild ; however, this is a very 80 PRESENT STATUS OP THE INDUSTRY. difficult matter to determine exactly, as the value of each lot of cultivated root depends entirely upon the grower. Some men with greater intelligence than others produce much more satisfactory results." Messrs. J. L. Prouty, of New York city, under date of December 6, 1901, wrote to Orange Judd Com- pany as follows: "Northern ginseng root this season has sold from $6 to $7 per pound as to size, etc. Southern root from $4.50 to $5.50 per pound, clean and off strings. These prices have been fully seventy-five cents to $1 per pound higher than season of 1900. As to the culti- vated ginseng root no quantities this year have been put upon the market to establish separate prices, still we have sold a few small lots of the cultivated at $7.50 and $8 per pound, grown in New York State. The cultivated root has a different taste and a certain character which we can distinguish from the wild, crude root and should some of the growers clarify this root 'twould sell for at least $10 per pound." Mr. T. A. Bronson in November, 1901, quotes the following : Ginseng, fair to choice, wild dug, 1899 ;?5.oo to S6.50 1900 ^5.00 to S6.50 1901 ;SS5.7s to $7.00 Ginseng, cultivated, choice sold this year, iS9, ordinary $7.50 to $8 Specially good lots wild dug may have commanded ^7.50, but this was exceptional. Dealers in the South were unknown to the author when the first edition was prepared, but two have been found who have furnished their prices. Messrs. Wal- lace Bros., Statesville, N. C, wrote as follows on July 25, 1902 : "From September to January, 1900, we paid for ginseng root, wild, $4 per pound, for cultivated, $4.50. And during the season of 1900 we paid $4.50 and $5 respectively. A number of parties are cul- PROFITS. 81 tivating ginseng in this section, but supplies to date have not been large." Messrs. Speyer & Son, Lexington, Ky., had this to say on July 22, 1902 : "We are now paying from $3.25 to $3.50 per pound for Kentucky ginseng; cul- tivated root will bring from $4.25 to $4.50. The culti- vation of ginseng is becoming more common each year, and of course the more it is cultivated the cheaper it will be. The market to-day is extremely dull, with a lower tendency." Messrs. Eisenhauer & Co., under date of July 23, 1902, wrote as follows : "Our prices for fall dug gin- seng last season in average lots, ranged from about $4 for small fibery roots from Kentucky and Ten- nessee to about $7 for 'seng from the best sections — this, when our market was at its strongest. The quan- tity of ginseng cultivated and marketed, thus far, is quite insignificant, although considering the number of persons now interested in its culture, there ought to be a material improvement in this respect during the next year or two. The fact that shipments of cultivated root consist chiefly of large selected pieces (the smaller specimens being put back into the ground) means of course that it has been bringing higher prices than average lots of wild roots. Otherwise it is of no greater value, and we have been informed by con- sumers that it lacks somewhat the peculiar flavor possessed by the wild growing 'seng, which will hurt its value should it ever be exported in noteworthy quantities. "The outlook this season is not at all satisfactory. The unusually low value of silver, together with a light demand in Hong Kong, has caused losses to the ex- porters on a large proportion of their purchases, and in some cases these losses were quite severe. If you will consider the extraordinary advance in ginseng during the past few years — ^to a large extent forced 82 PBESISNT STATUS OF THE INDUSTBY. and unnatural — and the continued depression in silver during the same period, you will realize somewhat the steep advance in price the Chinese consumers had to submit to. A reaction is bound to occur, and it looks as though it has already set in. At any rate, if export- ers are to make any profit on their purchases this season, they will have to be far more conservative than during the past two or three years. Many publications are going the rounds in which the idea is conveyed that there is no limit to the price which the Chinese will pay for ginseng, but this is all nonsense, and only deceives the farmer into buying a lot of seeds, etc., for the doubtful cultivating venture." A similar set of ideas is held by Messrs. Wells & Co., who on July 17, 1902, had the following to say: "Of recent y^rs the prices of ginseng have been advanced by gamblers and speculators through the country very materially, at the same time the crop has been practically the same annually and the consump- tion diminishing owing to the advancing prices and the growing troubles in the consuming market in China. This has culminated in the conditions existing to-day : viz., at the beginning of this season, practically one-half of last season's crop was still unsold in the hands of exporters and some large dealers who have a speculative trend; heavy losses that have been sus- tained on all goods sold; a very much reduced con- suming market, because of the poverty of the consumer and inability to pay the high prices demanded ; serious military and mercantile disturbances in China, which have resulted in almost a total closing of the market; and the complete disregard of the financial side of the business; viz., the couise of bullion silver by all large dealers this season. In the face of all this, handlers through the country are paying and demanding approximately last season's prices ; this will result in loss to someone. PEOFITS. 83 "Cultivated ginseng, because of the very small quantity harvested and the superior quality of the root, is influenced less by the depressing conditions probably than the wild article, although it feels to a large extent the depression. It is to be hoped that the price of gin- seng can be kept down lower than the prices of last year, as unless this be done the article will still be beyond the reach of the masses and we will be bothered by an overstocked market continually. "Some years ago some brokers in this country imported considerable Japanese ginseng, which in appearance is very similar to the American article, and before the trade in this country knew it, had disposed of fifteen-cent root for mixing with American ginseng, which was then worth from $2.50 to $4.50, according to its quality. When discovered by the Chinese in Hong Kong it nearly ruined the business of every exporter in whose shipments this Japanese ginseng was found, and the innocent exporter in this country suffered severely, while for some years the American ginseng business was considerably affected. Of late, either under misrepresentation or through unscrupu- lousness, some American dealers in settings for gar- dens have been advertising and pushing Japanese seed, claiming in their advertisements that it is almost as good as the American article and will be highly profi- table to the cultivator. Commercially Japanese gin- seng is practically worthless, and will kill the cultivat- ing of American ginseng in this country if permitted to get a foothold in our gardens. The danger of handling Japanese ginseng cannot be too forcibly impressed upon the trade and the grower, and we can only say for ourselves that, knowing a man to be rais- ing Japanese root, we will do everything in our power to injure his business, as it would be a protection not only to ourselves but to the entire trade to have the Japanese article stamped out completely." 84 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. On July 21, 1902, the same firm wrote Mr. Sears as follows : "You have asked us in the past in regard to overstocking the market with cultivated ginseng. We do not think it is possible to overstock the market, for many reasons : "First. The article is of such a slow growth that it will take many years before the American gardens can produce a sufficient quantity to supply the normal demand. "Second. As the crop increases in volume, it nat- urally should decrease somewhat in price, and this will restrain many from going into the business. "Third. As the price declines, inaking it possible, to sell at a lower figure in China, the consuming market in China will increase, making a consumption of a greater quantity of root possible. "For several years past the production of Ameri- can wild ginseng has been about stationary, at from about 125,000 to 130,000 pounds per annum. In this same period prices have advanced fully one hundred per cent, with the result that the price has gone out of reach of the vast majority of Chinamen who formerly used ginseng, and it is now used only by the select few. Consequently when the season opened this year, ex- porters carried over from last season's goods more than one-half the crop, or based upon the sales made in China last year, more than a year's supply. All this could be sold in a hurry if prices were sufficiently low. However, there is always a demand for ginseng, although if a sufficient volume of cultivated root were offered the price on the wild would be very low, prob- ably one-half of that for cultivated root. We do not know what this price for cultivated root should be, as no two gardens develop exactly the same quality of ginseng, and as no two cultivators pay the same atten- tion to their plants. There eventually will be a stand- ard by which all gardens will work, but until that is I'EOFITS. 85 reached there will be no uniform price that will be of advantage for anyone to know. We have paid as high as $io per pound for cultivated ginseng in the past, but under the conditions existing to-day, would not pay that. However, we cannot positively state now what similar root to this would be worth, but it will be worth considerably more than the wild at any time." The statements made in the last three letters may, at first sight, appear to be not very encouraging to the would-be, or to the actual ginseng grower. The author hereby admits that he was surprised at the state of affairs, but after considering the matter in a calm, unbiased way, which, being neither a grower of nor dealer in ginseng, he believes himself able to do, he ventures to express the opinion that altogether the signs are hopeful. Let him obtrude his reasons. First. Ginseng is not a staple crop, like wheat, rice, potatoes or apples, which mankind would find inconvenience in doing without. It is at "best a condi- ment used to give "meat a flavor the Chinese people like." In no household, therefore, can it compare in the expense account with even the least frequently used food. And in consequence its consumption must decline as the income of the family decreases, or, what amounts to the same thing, as its price increases. In short, as soon as the family can no longer afford gin- seng it will cease to be purchased. Its greatest con- sumption, however, is not as a luxury but as a drug, and as such, no matter how important it may be or may become, it can never rise to the dignity of a staple. The food products, products used to clothe and to shelter the body — in a word — necessities must always outclass it. Second. Its rank, present and prospective, having been proved, its standing in the market must be inves- tigated. Legitimately, the price of any article is based upon the law of supply and demand. The price may 86 PRESENT STATUS OP THE INDUSTRY. rise because the demand exceeds the supply; this is determined by the market. It may rise also, because, for reasons beyond the control of the market, the cost of production is increased. It may fall because the consumption declines and the marketman, who in order to save himself from loss of interest, or of prin- cipal, or of both, is willing to make a slight sacrifice, lowers the price so as to reach a class of customers less able to pay the customary price than his regular patrons. It may also fall because the producer has cheapened his processes, or has a large quantity upon which he is willing to make only a small profit. Every item of evidence points to the fact that the supply of American ginseng is decreasing; therefore, the diffi- culty and consequently the expense of obtaining the root are growing greater each year. Under such con- ditions an increased price must result, and has resulted. On the other hand, the demand for ginseng is decreas- ing because, being a luxury and a drug, people of small means find they cannot afford to purchase it. Third. The case thus far detailed is fair and should cause no complaint on the part of either seller or buyer, but, regardless of the reduced demand and the legitimately high price caused by lessened supply, the price is forced higher still, and the market, already threatened, shows signs of paralysis, which when it occurs will be followed by a considerable reduction in prices and a consequent sale, "in a hurry," of the supply of ginseng on hand. Fourth. A period of readjustment must follow and the industry must assume a more healthy form. With the crash, and with the decline in price, the hunters of the wild root, who already find difficulty in obtaining a supply, will become discouraged and very many of them will stop collecting the root. This will, of course, reduce the quantity of wild root exported, and the demand, which w;ill have been stimulated by PKoriTS. ST the increased consumption of cheapened root now, or soon to be upon the market, will increase and will war- rant an advance in price. At this juncture, the grower who has been quietly extending his beds will have a chance. Finally. At the risk of inviting severe censure from growers who sell seeds and roots for planting, the author feels called upon to state his belief that the establishment of the ginseng industry in America will be hastened if every grower and dealer will exert his utmost influence to prevent the recurrence of such exorbitant prices as have been recorded in the last few years. Further, he believes that the grower who will put in practice the methods suggested for the origination of improved ginseng varieties ; who will cultivate his plants for their roots and not for the sake of the money their seed will bring ; who will give ade- quate attention to the needs of his plants from sowing to digging ; and who will place upon the market dried roots that he can take honest pride in because of their prime quality — such a grower should have no reason to complain of his income, even though the price he re- ceive be lower than the lowest annual export average price per pound during the last ten years. These assertions as to the advisability of a reduc- tion of price and to the profit to be derived at such price, are bold and broad ; but while the author wishes to call attention to the fact that no estimates of what .may be made in ginseng culture properly so called, i. e., for the dried root, in a given space of time have been quoted or inserted in his book, yet he feels sure that, properly managed, and even at the low figure referred to, the growing of ginseng should yield a profit that should compare favorably with the profit made upon any of our farm, garden or orchard crops. Before concluding this section special attention must be called to what has been said about Japanese' 88 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. ginseng, concerning which the reader should turn up the references given in the index. Every item possible has been collected concerning this root; not a single one is in favor of it. If a warning be worth anything to the individual grower, the author feels it his duty to say very clearly and emphatically: leave Japanese ginseng alone; and to the dealer: do all in your power to check the growing of this root. The individual will be injured by it, but more important, the ginseng industry in America will be put in jeopardy. ADULTERATION AND FRAUD The following quotation from the Somerset (Ky.). Journal of October 19, 1900, and a similar thought in Mr. Stanton's letters, meet the view of all prominent growers of ginseng: "In our investigations of the business of 'sang' culture, one thing especially im- presses the writer, and that is that while the opportu- nities for fraud and fake are golden, there is not the slightest reason why a cultivator of the plant or a seller of his product should ever resort to any sort of mis- representation or fraud to profit in the business, as it is amply remunerative without the aid of trickery of any kind." But trickery is resorted to, and also statements of a too lurid character. Concerning the adulteration of the dried root the following extract from Bulletin 16 is given : "In the sale of ginseng in China various frauds are perpetrated, consisting of the mixture of lower grades with the higher and the substitution of other kinds of roots. The Korean root, which ranks after the Man- churian, constitutes the only available supply of native root in the hands of traders. This root is frequently sophisticated; Japanese ginseng, which is itself often adulterated with the roots of Campanula glauca, being often found mixed with it. Other species of Campa- ADULTERATION AND FRAUD. 89 nulaceae belonging to the genera Adenophora and Platycodon are frequently used to adulterate and re- place the genuine root, and it has even been stated that Japanese ginger has been found in some samples. "It has been claimed by Messrs. Hirsch & Lowen- stein, of New York, that Japanese ginseng has been imported into the United States, shipped to the interior of the ginseng country, sold to country' merchants in small quantities, and resold by them to the wholesalers, who export it as American ginseng. Upon learning of this alleged fraud, authentic specimens of American and Japanese root, the latter imported by the Depart- ment of Agriculture from Japan, were examined by Mr. A. J. Pieters of the Division of Botany. He found upon careful microscopical study of cross and longitu- dinal sections that no characters can be found in the Japanese roots which are not also observed in the American. It is stated by one ginseng dealer that when the Japanese root is broken in two the surfaces of the fracture differ from similar surfaces in broken Amer- ican root in much the same way that the fractured surfaces of the hard wheats differ from similar sur- faces in the soft wheats. It has been noticed, however, that some specimens of American root have the same kind of fracture as the Japanese, and the difference may be merely an incidental variation due to different methods in drying; roots dried in mild heat exposing a different fracture from roots dried more quickly in a more intense heat. This test is, however, not sufifi- ciently constant to be of general application. "Unless Japanese ginseng could be laid down in New York in wholesale quantities by sailing vessels it would cost too much to distribute the root in small lots to the country dealers for mixing and reshipment. If it were imported in any considerable quantity, it seems more likely that the adulteration would be practiced in the New York market by the wholesalers themselves. 90 PliESENT STATUS OF THE IXDUSTET. It is believed, however, that no adulteration with the Japanese article worthy of extended notice is practiced, since the imports of Japanese ginseng into the United States for the years 1895 and 1896 were $846.60 and $358.19 respectively. Even if the whole of this im- ported ginseng were used for sophistication of Amer- ican roots, it would form but a very small percentage of the actual output, which amounted in 1896 to $770,673 ; but it is believed that this Japanese root found its way to the States upon the Pacific Coast, there to be used not to adulterate the American article, but to supply the demand of the resident Chinese and Japanese. "Apart from adulteration there is little fraud prac- ticed, except by a few collectors, who load the root with nails, screws, lead, and other heavy substances to make the sample 'weigh up well.' These foreign sub- stances may be inserted while the root is soft with comparative ease. Upon drying, the shrinking of the root generally exposes the metal. Little loss is sus- tained, however, through this fraud, since the whole- saler refuses such roots as have been plugged, and the country merchant is supposed to shift his prices when bartering groceries and dry goods for ginseng roots." Perhaps, however, more disappointment is caused by misrepresentation of the possibilities of ginseng culture in a short time upon any kind of soil from muck to brick clay, than by any other kind of fraud. Exaggerated statements based upon estimates are com- mon in the daily papers, and it is believed that many would-be ginseng growers are duped annually in con- sequence. As a matter of fact careful authorities are of opinion that the present area devoted to ginseng that will be ready for market within the next two years is probably less than ten acres. And this is largely in plats of only a few square rods at most, and the largest part of which, so far as the grower of it is concerned. ADULTEBATION AND FRAUD. 91 will be the first crop dug. In general, therefore, the statements as to amounts that can be obtained from acres are misleading. There are very few men who have sold dried root from more than a square rod at a time, and who can give an accurate account of the cost of production from even that small area. These estimates recall the statement made by a certain prominent man as to the rate potatoes could be dug with a power potato digger. The author can vouch for the facts in the case, which were as follows : In a level field where the soil was free from obstruc- tions, a pair of horses, better and stronger than most farm horses, was made to haul the digger as quickly as possible once across the field, a distance of about one hundred yards, account being taken of the time. From this the time necessary to dig an acre was calculated, no account being taken of the time necessary to turn the team to start back on the next row. The rate was announced as a possible one. In practice, it is doubtful if any team could have worked day in day out and made half the speed even upon most favorable land. The statement was not fair to the machine, to the horses, nor to the man who made it. The paragraph quoted below from Special Crops shows the way in which similar estimates are made in ginseng culture. This, it will be noticed, is for the seed, but numerous similar estimates are published concerning the root. "We know that there are extrav- agant claims made about the profits to be reaped in the cultivation of ginseng. Facts are facts — and when we see right before our eyes what is being accomplished, we feel like saying to certain editors of agricultural papers that they should go a little slow about charging falsehood and misrepresentation upon ginseng grow- ers. Our best plant last year gave us one hundred and seventeen seeds. That plant was in a bed, where plants were set six inches apart each way. These seeds were 92 PKESENT STATUS OF TUK INDUSTRY. sold for a penny apiece, which, by the way, is less than market price to-day. We do not know of any dealer who is offering seeds at a penny apiece. If you will take the trouble to figure this up, you will find that, if a bed could be grown to average one hundred seeds to each plant, the seed crop would be worth $1089 to the square rod, or $174,240 per acre. "On the other hand — on a different soil — the writer had a bed of five hundred plants in which, owing to the wet weather in the early part of the season, every one of the plants died down during the month of June. We expect a few of them will come up this season. There is no question but that the ginseng business offers a big chance for making money — and also a big chance for losing money, if not well handled." It is probable that at this time, if not before, the would-be grower will ask if the prices demanded for plants and seeds are reasonable, and if the possible profits to be derived in the business warrant the outlay of his money. Since the author believes that there is now no one sending turnip and similar seed, nor wild sarsaparilla plants, instead of ginseng seed and plants, he will confine his remarks to ginseng prices and leave this type of fraud without further comment. It is his candid opinion that the prices some men demand are far too high, and the exactions that others impose as to the number of plants or seeds they will sell to one per- son are ridiculous. With respect to other dealers, the whole matter rests upon the law of supply and demand. Ginseng growing is on the boom and investors must expect to pay high prices. Knowing that first-class fruit trees can be pur- chased for twenty cents, and acknowledging a weak- ness for fruit, the author would hesitate to pay the sum mentioned for a little plant smaller than an undersized, unmarketable radish that he can't eat, and five cents for a single seed, knowing also that if he should sue- ADULTERATION AND FRAUD. 93 ceed in making the things grow, be must wait four or five years before he can sell the root. No, he has not forgotten that the plant will produce seed (it simply can't help doing that!) and that this seed will be worth so much at present prices, nor that it may be planted, and that, and that, and that! He has not forgotten this, but he knows that it is mostly on paper. What if the plant should die? It possibly will if the grower has had no experience. What if the price should fall ? No. While the author has no fault to find with the man who asks high prices, he nevertheless thinks that after the boom, sellers of ginseng nursery stock will be glad to get $5 a hundred for one-year-old roots, and $i an ounce for seed of even named varieties, and that at these prices they should make money. Until that time arrive, however, the man who wants to grow gin- seng must expect to pay for his fun. If he could only put himself in the seller's place how quickly prices would fall! But, joking aside, the only conclusion to be drawn from the conditions presented in the preceding and the present sections, are that prices of both roots and seeds must decline, that the prices of dried root must also fall, that fraud will be exposed and that the industry, now afflicted with the rickets and only commencing to toddle, will outgrow its weakness and finally stand firmly. These conclusions are also in harmony with what the consuls in China and Korea have to say of the ginseng industry in general. A careful perusal of the letters that follow should give the would-be grower hope that even should he pay exorbitant prices for stock he can look forward to profitable returns. No further comment need be made than to say that these quotations are either entire letters or the important parts of such as have appeared since the first edition of this book was published. They are arranged, as will &4 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. be seen, according to the dates upon which they were written. THE ASIATIC GINSENG INDUSTRY AND MARKET Consul-General Rounsevelle Wildman, writing from Hong Kong, January 7, 1898, says in United States Ccmsular Reports, Vol. 56 (1898) : "The price of ginseng, Hke the price of deerhorn, is governed more by sentiment than by the law of supply and demand. It depends upon the color, the form and size, and its fancied resemblance to the human body. Two pieces of ginseng, both weighing the same and both of the same color and taken from the ground at the same time, might vary one hundred per cent in price; and yet there is no real reason, to occidental eyes, for the distinction. The preferred variety is thin, and has two lateral arms projecting from the stem. "Of course no such price as $100 an ounce is ever under any circumstances paid for the American growth, although I have seen mandarin ginseng that' was worth one hundred and thirty-five times its own weight in silver. As a general statement, American ginseng will sell here for $3 to $3.50 (gold) per pound. It would not sell for less, and might, if properly ex- ploited, bring ten times that much. I mean, if it were exhibited in such a way that the Chinese could buy it, piece by piece, as fish or chickens are bought, in the public market, instead of by the quantity. "All the leading Chinese merchants come to this consulate weekly, and samples of American ginseng could be sent in care of the consulate, spread on a table, and the Chinese merchants could send orders to Amer- ica with the samples. The market for a good article is practically unlimited. There are 400,000,000 Chinese, and all to some extent use ginseng. If they can once become satisfied with the results obtained from the tea made of the American ginseng, the yearly demand will ASIATIC GINSENG IXDUSTET AND MAEKET. 95 run up into the millions of dollars' worth. The man- darin or imperial ginseng ($50 to $200 an ounce) is beyond the reach of the majority, and the Korean gin- seng is used more as a tonic than as a panacea. Hong Kong is a free port, so the only expense of sending ginseng would be freight across the continent and across the Pacific to Hong Kong. "As to packing, that is a question to be decided on the quality and condition of the article. Of course, the crude root would come in tight boxes or barrels, but the clarified would demand more care. If the exporter wished to test the market in competition with the A^an- churian ginseng, I would advise him to pack in cotton, so there could be no possible breakage, or even rubbing of one root against another. In any case, the clarified root — rendered translucent by steaming, skimming, and drying — should be packed carefully, so as not to break. "The little part or nub, where the arms join the stem, is considered of far greater value than the lower section, while the part above ground is not eaten at all ; it is supposed to be injurious. Consequently, if the nub is broken off, two-thirds of the value of the root would be gone. It must be attached to the body. Good ginseng breaks easily." Only a few days later (January 24, 1898) Minister Horace N. Allen wrote from Seoul, Korea, as follows : "Korea is noted for the superior excellence of its ginseng, which brings a higher price in China than that imported from other countries. Although the Koreans, the Chinese, and, to a certain extent, the Japanese, are greatly addicted to the use of this drug, the Chinese, by virtue of their vast numbers, are the chief purchasers of the root. The import of American ginseng into China for the year 1896, according to Chinese customs returns, was 264,860 catties, valued at 96 PEESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. 1.033,882 taels (equal to 353,147 pounds, valued at $656,515 gold), or about $1.86 gold per pound. "Korean ginseng declared at the same ports for the year 1896 amounted to 11,240 catties, valued at 389,192 taels (14,987 pounds, valued at $247,137 gold), or about $16.50 per pound. It may be seen that by customs valuations alone, the Korean ginseng is appraised at nearly nine times the value of that from America. "The above declared amount of ginseng imported into China from Korea is supposed to represent not more than half of the actual importation, as the smug- gling of this article is made the business of almost every Chinaman returning home from Korea. There is also a considerable import of Korean ginseng into Hong Kong, which being a British port, is not included in the reports of the Chinese customs. "The Korean ginseng crop for 1896, marketed early in 1897 and declared at the customs, amounted in round numbers to 31,000 catties (41,300 pounds); valued in Korea at 600,000 yen ($300,000 gold), on which an export duty of 300,000 yen ($150,000 gold) was collected. The value of this crop in China is con- siderably more than double its valuation in Korea, the best Korean ginseng often bringing 50 taels ($31.75 gold per pound) in China. "Numerous requests are received at this office from time to time for ginseng seeds. It will be seen from reading this report that it is useless to send the seeds to America, as they will dry out on the way and fail to germinate when planted." "American Ginseng in China" is the title of an article in Consular Reports prepared by Consul-Gen- eral Rounsevelle Wildman on January 7, 1900, which is quoted entire as follows : "The demand for a market for American ginseng in China continues. I am in receipt by every mail of ASIATIC GINSENG INIXJSTEY AND MARKET. 97 letters from all parts of the United States asking for market quotations of ginseng and for the names of buyers here. In my previous report on ginseng, dated January 7, 1898, I said in brief that it would be absolutely necessary for buyers here to see the stufif before purchasing, as the purchaser will not take the word of another as to quality or condition ; that Chinese buy their ginseng . after carefully sorting it themselves, and would no more think of purchasing at a distance than we would buy a horse with our eyes blindfolded. I further suggested that if American exporters cared to send a shipment of ginseng to my care, I would personally see that it was submitted to the Chinese buyers, and obtain an opinion from them as to the possibility of finding a profitable market on this coast. One American dealer in ginseng (a resident of Pennsylvania) alone took advantage of my offer. On July 8, 1899, he shipped to my care a box of American ginseng containing eighteen and one-half pounds, of which he says : " 'I saved some of my last year's crop especially to send you. I am sending three grades. The market in New York last year went ninety cents higher than ever before, and has opened this year $1.75 higher than ever before. I think that the price will reach $7 per pound. . . . The question comes up many times in this country as to what use is made of our ginseng in China, and I should like very much to be informed.' "The last question was answered in my previous report. "The sample box of ginseng arrived, and it was found that no care had been taken in the packing, and no attention was paid to the directions clearly laid down in my previous report. The three grades were more or less mixed and broken, and, worse still, were somewhat damp. All this could have been easily guarded against by careful packing. As the sender 98 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. was in no hurry for its sale, I concluded to hold it, to note the eifect of the dry season upon it, and also to give different Chinese buyers a chance to look it over thoroughly. The lot proved far too small in bulk and too mixed in grades to dispose of as a whole or to thoroughly test the fluctuating market. The box con- tained a few excellent pieces, some medium, much small, some strings, and a fair proportion of broken pieces known as dust. The lot therefore required picking over and sorting into grades before the Chi- nese would bid for it. Even the largest shipments of ginseng are sold only after thorough inspection and sorting. This is one of the rules of the trade, to which there seems to be no exception. This practice, I may add, has become general, in consequence, the Chinese say, of the failure of American and Japanese exporters to maintain the standard of their shipments. They declare that their second and subsequent ship- ments are never equal to their first ; so that any ginseng that might be shipped would have to be sorted. There is a very large business done here in ginseng, all of which is in the hands of the Chinese. This being a free port and without a custom house, no reliable record is obtainable of the quantity imported, and the Chinese never keep statistics. There is an endless variety of ginseng used, but for convenience it may be broadly classified as follows : "Yung Sum — First quality from or near Pekin. "Korea Yung Sum — Second quality from Korea. "Far Kee Yung Sum-. — Third quality from America. "It is estimated that last year about 3000 piculs (400,000 pounds) of the first quality was imported, about 500 to 600 piculs (66,666 to 80,000 pounds) of the second, and some 3000 piculs of the third. The Pekin ginseng is pinkish in appearance, very hard and smooth, and is free from roots and small pieces. The ASIATIC GINSENG INUUSTKY AND MAllKKT. 99 second is rather opaque and otherwise resembles the first. "My correspondent's lot embraces values all the way from $12 to $40 Mexican per catty (one catty equals one and one-third pounds), while the dust will not bring over $2 Mexican a pound. These prices are quite satisfactory, considering his statement regarding New York quotations. There is no reason why there should not be a large and growing market for Amer- ican ginseng, and I would like to see it thoroughly exploited. This can be done only by sending a trial shipment of, say, two thousand pounds of selected pieces, the large pieces, of course, being the best. "Instead of shipping to this consulate in the future, I would recommend that all merchants correspond direct with Mr. A. O'D. Gourdin, of Hong Kong, who is personally known to me and who would give the matter his careful attention. There are no Chinese firms here with whom it would be possible for the American exporter to deal direct. The American ginseng that comes to this market is for the most part purchased by Chinese firms located in New York and shipped hither at a great profit to themselves, so that it would be very much to the advantage of the Amer- ican exporter to deal direct with a responsible agent here. I trust that this report will be read in connection with my previous one, for I believe that if the exporter will follow out the directions contained in both, there will be little difficulty in disposing on this coast of all the ginseng that is grown in America." On January 28, 1902, Consul-General W. A. Rublee writes an article with the same title in United States Consular Reports, Vol. 69, which article is also quoted in full : "The sale of ginseng root grown in America, about which there have been several inquiries at this consulate by interested parties in the United States, is loo PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTKT. very considerable in Hong Kong, and the demand is so great that much more could be disposed of advantage- ously. The ginseng root is as indispensable to the well-to-do Chinese as is their rice. They attribute all sorts of medicinal virtues to the root, especially using it as a stimulant. The growth of the ginseng trade has been marked in recent years, and higher prices are now paid by dealers than ever before, especially during the last three years. American growers of ginseng may confidently expect a steadily increasing market in Hong Kong, although it is largely only a distributing center. The root is prepared in this city. The skin is cleaned and smoothed by a special process, sorted out in equal sizes, put up in neat boxes of various capacities, according to quality, and re-exported to all the consuming districts in China. The bulk of the shipments goes to the northern ports, such as Shanghai, Hankan, Tientsin, and Chefoo, although a fair pro- portion finds its way to Canton and the coast ports — Amoy, Swatow, and Fuchau; also to Formosa, and other markets where there are Chinese. "The average value of American ginseng annually received at Hong Kong is from $1,700,000 to $1,800,- 000 Mexican ($763,300 to $808,200 gold). On Jan- uary I, 1902, the Mexican dollar was valued by the United States Mint at forty-four and nine-tenths cents. "The value of the Chinese ginseng annually imported is estimated at about $100,000 Mexican ($44,900). The quantity is small, but its value is computed at twenty to forty times its weight in silver, according to quality. The importation of Korean ginseng root is valued at about $800,000 ($359,200) a year. "The prices of ginseng vary according to quality. The wild, dried American root, as imported at Hong Kong, may be classified into three grades, generally known to the trade as 'fair,' 'good,' and 'extra' or ASIATIC GINSENG INDUSTRY AND MARKET. 101 'selected.' The values per picul (one hundred thirty- three and one-third pounds) of these grades, as based on sales made during the last three years, were : Gkade Value Mexican Gold Fair Good Selected $1420 loco 1930 $637.58 700.34 800.57 "The present values of these grades bring the price in American currency, respectively, per pound, to $4.05, $5.25, and $6.18, after deducting charges, trade discount, selling and guarantee commissions. This latter estimate is furnished by an experienced and reliable local dealer. "In addition to the grades mentioned above, others are imported, and among the best is some picked root worth $4460 to $4500 Mexican ($2002.54 to $2020.50) per picul (one hundred thirty-three and one-third pounds). Split root (cut lengthwise in two pieces) may be quoted at $1500 Mexican ($673.50) per picul. Siftings (chips and dust) are also salable at $120 to $130 Mexican ($53.88 to $58.37) per picul. Very little cultivated American root has so far been imported into Hong Kong. The value of a few small shipments averaged $3200 Mexican ($1426.80) per picul. The cultivated root was much liked by the native buyers, and its cultivation ought to be encouraged in the United States. "The Korean ginseng root brings higher prices than that from the United States. Korean root in the Hong Kong market is quoted as follows, per picul (one hundred thirty-three and one-third pounds) : 102 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTKY. Description Value Mexican Gold 20 roots to the poun(l| ;^) roots to the pound 4U roots to the pound tGSOO 6000 4sao $2918.n0 2409.00 2020.G0 "American ginseng growers sliould be careful to conform to the requirements of the Chinese markets. The principal points are cleanliness, good color (bright yellow), and freedom from dust and chips. It is desirable that the root be sorted before it is shipped, so that the better qualities may be sold separately. How- ever, even unassorted ginseng root of any quality is salable according to its merit. Ginseng may be shipped in any quantity, and should be packed in strong wooden casks or cases of a capacity of from one hundred to two hundred pounds. Old whiskey casks might be used, but they should be quite dry before the root is packed. If the root is packed in a wet condition, it becomes moldy and deteriorates. The clarified root is liked by purchasers here, and its value is, as a rule, higher than that of the crude root. There is no partic- ular process of clarification in Hong Kong, but the Korean root is clarified with honey. ■'American ginseng exporters desirous of making shipments to Hong Kong will find it to their advantage to communicate with F. J. V. Jorge, 24 Bank Build- ings, Hong Kong. Mr. Jorge has handled American ginseng for over twenty years and is perhaps the most experienced Hong Kong merchant in this line. He has recently established an independent commission business, and is in a position to act as agent for Amer- ican firms. I mention his name in order that those interested in the ginseng trade may, if they so desire, enter into business relations with someone in Hong Kong. Mr. Jorge can doubtless furnish satisfactory ASIATIC GIXSENG INDTJSTET ANB MARKET. 103 references through the banks, and his familiarity with the ginseng trade recommends him to American exporters of this article." Mr. S. lida writes of the condition of "Ginseng in Korea" as follows in 'American Gardening, March I, 1902: "There seems to be a renewal of the once perennial trouble about ginseng in Korea. This valuable root is grown in considerable quantities in the peninsula, especially in the neighborhood of Kaisong, in Kyong- ki-do, which is near Seoul. The cultivators have never been allowed to dispose of the root on their own account. The business has always been a government monopoly. In old times, when Korea sent annual tribute to China, her envoys used to carry with them the year's exportable supply of ginseng, which they sold as best they could to Chinese merchants. But when Korea acquired her independence, under Japan's auspices, in 1896, it became necessary for the Seoul authorities to provide some other means of disposing of the root. They therefore established agencies at suitable places in China. "Meanwhile, Japanese adventurers, taking advan- tage of the discontent caused among the cultivators by the extremely low prices at which they were compelled to part with their produce to the government, repaired to Kaisong, and succeeded in obtaining large quanti- ties of the root. Things went merrily enough until this illegal trading began to bear its inevitable fruit. Some of the Japanese, secure against open complaint on the part of the Korean cultivators, obtained supplies of ginseng on the credit of promissory notes which they never redeemed. "Finally these irregularities became so flagrant that, after much consultation, it was decided to entrust to a Japanese firm the whole business of selling the ginseng. The Mitsui Bussan Kaisha were selected, 104 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. and since last year they have been carrying on the work, paying cash to the government immediately on receipt of the root and then exporting and disposing of it at the firm's risk. It is a big business, involving a floating capital of over a* million yen annually, and whether the results have thus far been favorable to the Japanese firm we do not know, but rumor says that they do not succeed in collecting their money from the Chinese consumers as promptly as they themselves pay over the purchase price to the Korean authorities. The point is, however, that a new invasion of adventurers has taken place at Kaisong, this being the time for harvesting the crop, and that some seventy persons, Japanese and Koreans in collusion, are resorting to all sorts of devices to evade the official monopoly. Appli- cation has been made by the Korean government to Mr. Hayashi, and it is said that the matter is causing some trouble." Minister H. N. Allen, of Seoul, under date of May 28, 1902, sends a report on the Korean ginseng crop for 1901, as follows : "The crop of Korean ginseng for 1901 has been sold to a Japanese firm for 1,255,500 yen ($625,239). It amounted, with beard, to 52,000 catties (68,120 pounds). After purchasing this ginseng, the pur- chasers deliberately burned 10,000 catties (13,100 pounds), as the supply was in excess of the demand. It is said that a considerable portion of last year's supply still remains unsold in China, and that this year's crop in Korea was enough for nearly three years' consumption. The market is limited, as the Chinese are about the only consumers. Although ginseng is regularly raised in various parts of Korea, only that raised upon the imperial farms at Songdo is said to have the real virtues claimed for the root as a medicine. These Songdo plantations are the only ones that are guarded with care. The soil is a disintegrated ASIATIC GINSENG INDUSTKY AND MARKET. 105 granite. For the past few years the annual crop has been growing larger; 15,000 catties (19,650 pounds) has been regarded as the normal quantity, but by gathering it at five years instead of seven, and by increasing the number of beds, the supply has finally exceeded the demand. This must be of interest to the number of Americans who have of late gone into ginseng culture." In reply to inquiries by a New York correspond- ent. Consul James W. Ragsdale, of Tientsin, under date of June 26, 1902, writes in Consular Reports : "There are four principal kinds of ginseng known to the trade — the native, which comes from Kirin and its neighborhood; the Korean, the American, and the Japanese. Miraculous healing properties are ascribed to the Kirin ginseng, and it commands a very high price, the best specimens being sold at two hundred to six hundred times their weight in silver. Only the wealthy, of course, can indulge in this costly drug, but. such is the faith of all classes of China in the life- giving virtues of the plant that even the poorer classes make tremendous sacrifices to obtain it, in cases of emergency. Owing to the immense demand and the limited supply in the wild state, the farmers near Kirin are doing a thriving business in cultivating ginseng, although it commands only a fraction of the price that is paid for it in a wild condition. "Korean ginseng is next in cost, the prices ranging from $5 to $75 ($2.07 to $31.12) per catty (one and one-third pounds), according to size and quality, one Mexican dollar equaling forty-one and one-half cents. The consumption of Korean ginseng must be enor- mous, but no statistics are available, as most of it is smuggled over the border from Korea to China. "American ginseng is becoming more widely known and more popular every year, especially in the southern provinces. In the last few years, the prices 106 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDtJSTRT. paid for it have more than doubled. In the province of Chinkiang, American ginseng is in special demand. Almost everybody takes it in the spring as a tonic. The retail prices prevailing at present are: PnicE Mexican United States Best, per ounce Good to fair, do Fair to common, do $2.50 1.00 $0.50 to 1.00 $1.04 .415 $0,207 to .415 "The cheapest ginseng comes from Japan; it is used principally by those who cannot afford the other kinds. "There can be no doubt that a profitable business can be done in this article, if the trade is properly pushed by Chinese agents of good social standing. Wild ginseng [Manchurian] commands a much higher price in China than the cultivated article." LETTERS FROM GROWERS An attempt was made to get letters of experiences from many growers throughout the land for the pur- pose of including them in this book. It is to be regretted, however, that so few men were willing to write at all and that the majority of those who did send letters, wrote so little that might be of interest to the general reader. Since the author wishes to keep in close touch with ginseng culture as it gradually but surely rises to the dignity of an industry, he will keep a register of growers and dealers. He, therefore, requests all such to send him their addresses on a postal card, with the words ginseng grower, or ginseng dealer, etc. Mr. George C. Foulk describes in Foreign Rela- tions of the United States, 1885, the ginseng gardens of Korea and the methods of growing the crop there as follows: lETTEES FROM GEOWEKS. 107 "Each farm is a rectangular compound, one part containing the buildings inclosed by walls, the rest by hedges. The buildings, though built as usual of mud, stones, earthenware, and untrimmed timbers, and thatched, are strikingly superior to the other houses of the Korean people. They are built in right lines, interiors neatly arranged, and walks and hedges in good order. In each compound are one or more tall little watch towers, in which a regular lookout is held over the farm to prevent raids of thieves, who might make off with paying amounts in handfuls of ginseng. "Beyond the buildings, occupying the remaining space in the compound, are parallel rows of low, dark mat sheds, with roofs sloping downward toward the south or southwest. These rows are from seventy-five to two hundred feet long and four feet apart, and the mat sheds about four feet high at their front (north) sides, which are closed by mats which swing from the top, thus giving access to the farmer in his care of the plants. Within the sheds are beds about eight inches high for the growing ginseng plants, which are in rows extending across the beds, about two feet long. "The row (or shed) nearest the houses is the seed bed for all the plants grown on the farm. ... In the Korean ninth month (September-October) the seeds are stuck quite thickly in the seed bed to a depth of three inches in little watering trenches about three inches apart. Once in each three days' interval during its whole life the plant is watered, and the bed carefully inspected to prevent crowding, decay, and the ravages of worms and insects. The mat shed is kept closely shut, for ginseng will only grow in the dark or a very weak light. "The mats of the sheds are made of round, brown reeds and vines closely stitched together, admitting only the faintest light. "In the second month of the second vear after 108 PRESENT STATUS OF THE IXDUSTEY. planting ( February j the root is regarded as formed FIG l8. KOREAN GINSENG and the general shape of the plant above ground LETTERS FROM GROWERS. 109 attained. [A typical Korean ginseng root, engraved from a photograph, furnished by Mr. H. P. Kelsey, is shown in Fig. i8.] The shape is nearly that of the matured plant. ... In the following February (of the third year) the seed plants are transplanted to the adjoining beds, five or six to each cross row, the watering trenches being here between the plant rows. In this second bed the plants remain one year, and are then transplanted to the third bed, and planted still farther apart in their respective rows. A year later they are again transplanted, this time to their final beds, where they remain two and a half or three years. Generally speaking, seven years are required from the time of planting until the plant is matured. After its life in the seed bed, exacting care in keeping out the light is not so necessary, and I noticed the swinging mat was removed entirely from the fronts of sheds of plants in the final beds." Mr. Nicholas Pike, formerly United States Consul at Port Louis, Mauritius, writes of the Chinese methods thus : "Two methods of cultivating ginseng are followed by the Chinese, viz., growing from seed, and trans- planting young plants found in the wild state. A spot is selected in the dark, damp woods, generally where the soil is rich and loamy. The seeds are gathered when they drop from the plant to the ground. After the soil is dug over, these seeds are sown broadcast, and covered with dead leaves partially decomposed. This plantation they call their nursery. In from fifteen to eighteen months the young shoots appear above the ground, and as soon as they are two or three inches high they are removed to the permanent plantation, and in three years more the roots are ready for the market. Whenever a root is taken from the ground a young plant is set in its place, so that a plantation once formed is producing all the time." no PRESENT STATUS OF THE IXDUSTRY. Messrs. E. D. and M. S. Crosley, Tula, N. Y.: "As to the expense of seed and plants, we paid during the years 1897, 1899 and 1900, $44.50. The plants that we bought were wild roots purchased at from eighty cents to $1 a pound. We have set only thrifty plants and have dried and sold enough to pay more than the whole cost. We dug what we could ourselves. So our only expense for enough to set one-half acre at Tula and 28,000 in Truxton was $44.50. "By carefully studying the analyses of the root, and by experimenting to find the best way to apply fer- tilizers from the start, we have found that it is possible to produce eight-ounce roots in four years from small wild roots. Cultivated roots grow more evenly and produce a greater average of seed." Mr. B. L. Hart, Rose Hill, N. Y. : "We dug a small portion of one of our beds of four-year-old roots in October to note the weights of the roots, and the largest of them weighed five ounces, green, while the smallest weighed three ounces, making an average of about four ounces to the root, green. Three pounds of the cultivated roots, green, will make one pound of the dry. "We raised in the neighborhood of 300,000 seed- lings the past season and judged that ninety per cent of the seeds we sowed in the fall of 1900 germinated and produced plants. In this section the seed crop was rather light, on account of so much unfavorable wet weather, but our three-year-old plants made a yield of about sixty seeds to the plant. "It is very true that there has been but a limited amount of figures given of the yield and profits in cultivating ginseng from actual shipments, and from what we can see at present, it will be several years before the enterprise will develop to this extent. Our present gardens cover an area of one and one-quarter acres, which is stocked with in the neighborhood of LETTERS FEOM GEOWEKS. Ill 250,000 and 300,000 plants of different ages. The oldest will be five in the spring and we have also planted a large amount of seeds of the 1900 crop that will produce plants this spring." Mr. Charles B. Parent, Birchton, N. Y. : "In the fall of 1896 I began the cultivation of ginseng by planting about a thousand roots; the next fall two hundred more roots and two ounces of seed; in 1898, two hundred roots and five ounces of seed; in 1899, three hundred roots and twelve ounces of seed. In 1900 I transplanted from my nursery bed three hundred and fifty roots and sowed about one pound of seed. Previous to 1900 I bought my increase of roots. In 1 90 1 I transplanted about twenty-nine hundred roots and planted about a pound of seeds. "In the fall, 1901, I dug from my oldest bed of roots to the amount of eight and one-half pounds, dried. Seven and one-half pounds sold for $7.50 per pound — the product of about fifteen square feet of ground. Previous to this digging I had taken out three pounds nine ounces, dried. These were removed for the purpose of thinning out, the plants being somewhat crowded. I have now an area of one hundred feet by forty-eight stocked with roots and seeds, the roots from one to six years old and seed that will come up next spring, 1902. The dried roots sold yielded $198.74. Since beginning I value the seeds at $500 — not a high valuation. [A partial view of Mr. Parent's ginseng garden at Ballston Spa, N. Y., is seen in Fig. 19.] "Anyone thinking of growing this root for market should take into consideration the time required to place the business on a paying basis. If good two- year-old rcJbts be planted they should become market- able in four years — six years from the seed. This is not an estimate of what should be, but what can be done if proper care be given the plant during this whole time of growth. Some will grow a good article 112 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. of a certain vegetable or fruit while another will not ; attention to details is essential in this line as in other works. The statement has been made that ginseng g en < < a Id "is easy to raise." I have found it required something besides ease to grow a good article. I have carried this work along in connection with other farm work." LETTERS FROM GROWERS. 113 Mr. C. D. Nusbaum, Jonesboro, III: "In May, 1900, I selected a number of roots from a lot that had been washed clean and brought to market, and set them under the lattice in my nursery ; they are now growing nicely. Transplanting in the spring, how- ever, after the leaf stock has appeared will retard the growth for that season, consequently it is best to do transplanting either early in the spring, say during March and April, before the tops appear, or in the fall after the plant has attained its growth for the season. In this locality (southern Illinois) planting may be begun August 1st and continue till the ground freezes. "The two principal requirements in ginseng cul- ture are rich soil and shade. The kind of soil does not matter so much just so it is rich in humus or decayed vegetable matter. My nursery is situated on ordinary clay soil that is well-drained upland and was fertilized with well-rotted horse manure and woods soil. The location of a ginseng garden should always be on land that is well drained and level or sloping toward the north or east. A lattice shade should be erected on posts high enough to allow one to walk erect under it. The lattice may be made of ordinary plastering lath nailed on one-half inch apart. In the North where the snowfall is heavy the lattice should be made in sections eight feet, long so that it can be removed in winter. [The arrangement of these lattice frames, together with some eight to ten-year-old wild plants transplanted from the forest in the fall of 1900, are shown in Fig. 20.] "Under this lattice the beds should be made, leav- ing an eighteen-inch walk between each pair of beds; four feet is a convenient width for the beds and they should be framed with eight-inch boards held in place by stakes. It is necessary to have the walks between the beds so that the beds can be attended to without step- 114 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTllY. ping on the soil. If one is starting in a small way and does not care to incur the expense of erecting the lattice on posts the beds may be framed twelve to fifteen inches high, making them four feet wide and jimr mm.mii.\' \ r (I 'V !il,,'ll| '1,1 1^1', ■' ..llhl ■^^'■^t =:^"=^,:-. ..v!^ -^^^'1^-- -<^r"^t^ fig 20. view of a corner in one of c. d. nusbaum's ginseng gardens any length convenient. Then the lattice may be made in sections four feet square and placed on the frames ; they may be removed when the beds need attention. "To prepare the beds spread on a good dressing of horse manure and work deeply, making the soil loose and porous by mixing the manure well with it. Give the beds a dressing of rich humus three or four inches deep and mix this well with the soil. This will put old LETTERS FROM GKOWEKS. IJO and poor ground in good condition for ginseng. If the ground be rich garden soil so much the better, but treat it. in the same way. If humus or rich woods soil cannot be obtained work in plenty of manure and unleached wood ashes. After mixing well and pul- verizing, level off the beds smoothly and they will be ready to plant. "The roots should be set six or seven inches apart each way, which will give them ample room to grow to a marketable size. A good device for setting roots is a planting board. Take two boards six or seven inches wide and long enough to fit down easily cross- wise in the beds and hail light strips across at the ends and center to hold them together to keep them from warping. Cut notches seven inches apart on one edge and place this edge of the board where you want to begin planting. Now with a spade open a trench deep enough to accommodate the longest roots, place the roots at the notches, being careful to plant them deep enough so that the bud at the top of the roots will be one and one-half to two inches under the soil when covered, and draw the soil to them, pressing it firmly around the roots, then level off. Now place the board seven inches further on for the next row and so continue. Do not step on the beds where roots have been planted but stand on the planting board while at work. When done planting give the beds a light dressing of manure or humus and cover with a mulch of dry leaves three or four inches deep and lay on some brush to keep the leaves from blowing off. Be sure to remove the brush in the spring but let the leaf mulch remain. "No stirring of the ground or cultivation will be necessary except to keep the beds free from grass and weeds ; this should be done with the hand, as the roots might be injured by using a hoe or other tool. Each fall after the tops have died down, give the beds a 116 PRESENT STATUS OP THE INDUSTRY. light dressing of humus, pulverized well-rotted manure or unleached wood ashes, and a mulching of leaves for protection during the winter and to conserve moisture during the hot months of summer. Some wood ashes sprinkled on the beds while the plants are growing makes a good fertilizer ; just apply the ashes without removing the mulch. "The seeds begin to ripen early in August and should be gathered as they ripen, and as it takes them eighteen months as a rule to germinate they should be stratified in sifted soil in a strong box, which may be kept in a cellar and kept moist by watering occasion- ally, as the seed should not be allowed to dry out thoroughly. [Don't keep too wet, because the seeds may rot.] The box may be buried outside, letting it in the ground till the top is three or four inches below the surface. The seed should be kept in this manner for twelve months, or until the following fall, and then planted. "After the roots have reached a good marketable size, which, if two-year-old roots have been planted will be in from three to four years, they should be dug carefully, so as not to cut or bruise them, and washed clean. They may then be dried in the sun or in a moderate artificial heat, care being taken to prevent burning or scorching them. They will then be ready to pack in clean boxes for market." Mr. John Eraser, Salem, N. Y. : "Select any good corn land ; better take that which is free of stone, or remove all stone to the depth of one foot. If the ground be in sod, manure it well and crop the first year with corn, cabbage, or some other farm crop. In selecting a location better keep away from shade trees and all woodland. All experienced growers agree that the best results are obtained by garden or field culture, under shade. "Having the ground free of stone and other obstructions, use well-rotted manure at the rate of one LETTERS FEOM GROWERS. 117 farm load to two square rods of ground. See that the manure is well rotted, fine and well broken up. Ginseng is not a foliage plant but a root plant ; there- fore avoid all fresh manure. Mix the manure with the soil as evenly as possible and divide the ground into beds about five feet wide. The beds should be made by driving stakes in the ground, nailing five- inch boards to the stakes, and leaving a walk sixteen inches wide between the beds. "For sowing seed, sift fine manure through a three-fourths inch mesh sieve and cover the bed one inch deep. Then mix this manure with the surface soil of the bed. I prefer to do it with the sieve. Now, level the bed smoothly and mark with a four-inch marker; in these marks press a clapboard, beveled to an edge, one inch deep. Sow in these cracks either seed or berries about one inch apart and after sowing go over each row with the sharp edge of the board and gently press each seed or berry to the bottom of the crack. Cover the seed by drawing the board angling across the rows; then cover the beds with leaves three or four inches deep. Some lay brush on to keep the leaves in place, but I have never been bothered by the wind. "When the plantlets are coming up remove the leaves and sow on the bed hardwood ashes at the rate of one peck per square rod ; and again in two or three weeks when all plants have appeared repeat the applica- tion. The potash destroys and drives away numerous insects that feed on the young plants and prevents slumping ofif. Do not use any nitrate of soda or other fertilizers rich in nitrogen; such are injurious to the plants. "For setting roots we mark the beds both ways with a six-inch marker, using a dibber to make the hole in each square and inserting the root with the crown two inches below the surface. With the fore- 118 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. finger hold the root in place, again insert the dibber an inch from the hole, pressing the earth firmly against the root, especially at the lower end, and smooth off with the hand. For setting southern roots use a dibber three inches wide to make room for the num- erous fibers or rootlets. Northern roots are straight like a young parsnip with very few rootlets. A dibber that will answer very well may be made by cutting about fourteen inches from the top of a fork handle and sharpening to a point. "After setting cover the beds with fine rotten manure about an inch deep, and leaves or swale grass three or four inches deep, which latter must be removed in the spring. We prepare our beds in the fall for setting roots in the spring — we dig and set all our cultivated roots in April. Then we need no leaf mulching and we find that roots set in the spring will not miss one in a hundred. They will come up better and bear more seed than those set in the fall, but people who buy roots or who dig wild roots cannot set in the spring, as the time for spring setting is limited on account of the quickness of the plant developing its bud. "Several years ago my son and I thought we would try growing ginseng. We had no experience but had read up everything we could find that had been printed on the subject. To make a careful start we bought in the fall three hundred two-year-old roots and three ounces of stratified seed that would come up the next May. We selected three kinds of soil — clay loam, sandy loam, and slate loam in three different fields on the farm — made a seed bed in each field, three and a half feet wide by twelve feet long, by standing boards four inches wide on their edges around each bed. We sowed one ounce of seed and set one hundred roots in each bed, covered with leaves for the winter, fenced in each bed with a board fence, and in the spring shaded LETTERS FROM GEOWEES. 119 the beds with lath and brush. The bed that had the O z Id brush was just as good as the lath covered bed but not 120 PKESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTEY. SO tidy or convenient. About every root grew and about eighty-five seeds out of a hundred came up and did well all summer. We were so favorably impressed with the way all three pieces prospered that we bought several thousand roots and four pounds of seed the next fall and enlarged our grounds so that to-day we can say we are in the swim. The three hundred two- year-old roots weighed at the time of planting four and one-half pounds. At the end of the third season, when five years old, we dug forty-five pounds of green roots. Besides, we had three years' seed, and the last year's seed crop was worth twice as much as the cost of the roots and expenses of the three years' cul- tivation. "Some say : 'I would like to grow ginseng but it takes too long; I cannot wait six or eight years for returns.' We are glad that Nature has so fixed it that man cannot shorten the time, for there is where the great money profit comes in. Some advertise not over twenty-five roots at thirty cents per root and not over one hundred seeds at two cents each to one person ; another advertises to have ginseng growing in the far South, or on the mountain tops. We think it best to fling a little shy of these gentlemen, because our best growers, who never advertise, and yet have more than they can do to take care of the present demand for the roots, make no such statements. "We have seen a number start to grow ginseng by getting a few roots and seeds and planting them in fence corners partly protected by some sticks and boards. Soon after, these patches fail because some domestic animal destroys the whole thing. Our advice to those who wish to try ginseng culture is to read the matter up. Within the last three years there have been some good methods of its culture printed.' Then go to some responsible grower and if he cannot supply roots and seeds at the market price he will in LETTERS FROM GROTVEES. 121 all probability know of someone who can. Put only a little money in at first. Try a bed four feet wide, ten feet long, with a good fence around it, and proper shade. Stock it with seed and roots. With proper care its increase in a few years will be surprising." Mr. W. A. Bates, Cuba, N. Y., has over an acre of ginseng under cultivation, scenes of which are pre- sented herewith. Fig. 21 shows the process of setting the plants, and Fig. 22 presents a partial view of a shaded plantation. Mr. Bernad A. Payson, Fingal, Ont., Canada : "The following is my experience in the ginseng business: About three years ago, I sent to Orange Judd Company and procured the book written by M. G. Kains on Ginseng Culture which I saw advertised in Farm and Home. I then started out to try and find if ginseng grew in our locality. The first afternoon, I found the plant thinly scattered through the woods on soil that did not dry out in summer nor become flooded in the wet season. I generally found the plant on a heavy sand or a black loam. The next three autumns I gathered wild roots in the woods during my spare time, and as is mentioned in the book, I cut off the roots which were attached to the necks of the plants and set them in the ground to grow buds, which some of them did. But I found that quite a lot of them would not produce buds although I left them in the ground for two years, so I have discontinued the prac- tice. Another reason for stopping is that I think that a plant will produce more seed if the roots be not cut up but planted just as they are found. "I have also found that wild roots dug in the woods and carefully planted in the clearing under cover, will start and grow very fast, in fact, I believe they will grow as much in one year in the garden as they would in three years in the woods. Wild plants, as a general rule, do not produce as much seed in the woods on 122 PKESEKT STATUS OP THE INDUSTET. >< ii < s a n u H H 8- LETTERS FROM GROWERS. 123 account of too much shade. A plant that will produce from five to twenty seeds in the woods will, I believe, produce from twenty-five to one hundred and fifty in the clearing. "In the stratifying of seeds, I have found that two- thirds leaf mold and one-third sand or loam, is a good mixture. I have had success with my seed put away in that preparation. I think that it is a good idea to have the seed box set out of doors under a lattice roof in the ginseng bed the following spring after the seed is gathered. It should be kept watered. Some of the seed will grow that spring and probably, by selection, a variety may be obtained, the seed of which will sprout the spring after it is gathered. I am working along this line. Since some seeds will start to grow while still stratified it is best to have depth enough at the bottom of the box below the seed for the roots to grow straight down, and not too much on the top, or it will be too deep for the young plants to get through. "I have found that wild Canadian root, cultivated in the garden, will come up earlier in the spring, and ripen its seeds and its roots about three weeks earlier than the New York cultivated ginseng, thus giving the grower a better chance to dig and dry his crop of roots before the cold damp weather sets in, especially if it is to be dried in the heat of the sun. "In regard to the distance between plants, I think that six inches each way is too close, especially for large plants. They will grow more seed, I believe, if not planted too closely. As to the proper time to plant seed, I think it does not make any very great difference as long as planting is done in the fall. I have planted seed when I had to shovel the snow off the ground, and at night had to cover the beds with boards to keep them from freezing. In regard to covering, I have found that brush has to be put on very 124 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTBT. thickly to take the place of lath, and I think that during a heavy fall of snow the roof might be crushed in. "Concerning the preparation of the soil, too much work cannot be put on it in the way of enriching it [look out for too much nitrogen] and adding such things as will tend to keep the soil loose and of the same texture as the top soil is in the woods. I have found that the ginseng develops its fibrous roots in the direction in which the most nutriment lies; the main roots will do the same. It is advisable to have the soil richer at the bottom than at the top so as to produce |:^0_.:;,,.^ . ''- - ----- —;::-=/■■ ^-PT^ -T-™Tr^ *^w./:....ort'.T-?af!''-<.i-:-vr»".- ,.'s if$Mm&'^*^^:^^ ^J'^y!:-'; -: 11^-^^^^^,^^^^ mti^a^ ^^^4: FIG 23. CORNER IN HARLAN P. KELSEY S GINSENG NURSERY a good, straight tap root and less side roots. I have found that the plants will send their fibrous roots straight up if the soil be very rich and moist on the surface. "It is a good idea to watch the beds to see that mice do not work underneath the covering in the seed beds Letters fsom groWees. 125 during the winter. I think it might be a good idea to put woven wire around the seed beds to protect them from mice." [To show the extensive range of ginseng cultiva- tion in America we present in Fig. 23 a corner in the ginseng gardens of Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, N. C] Mr. George Stanton, Apulia, N. Y. : "The Chi- nese ginseng farm at Apulia Station, N. Y., has now about fifty square rods of ground stocked with roots and seed sown. The seed crop of the past season was fifty pounds, which can be sold for $5 to $6 an ounce or $70 to $80 a pound, and was the product of less than a quarter of an acre of seed-bearing plants. Ginseng culture is having a great boom. Demand for stock much greater than supply. We closed the season this year with orders for more than six thou- sand roots which we could not supply. We had shipped more than 17,300 roots and nearly forty pounds seed during the season. "We are learning the importance of thorough drainage for ginseng culture. Our experience with clay hard-pan subsoil and imperfect drainage has been very unsatisfactory, resulting in loss of roots from rot: Such soil should be tile drained. But, if possi- ble, deep loamy soil should always be used ; if slightly sandy all the better. "We are also forcibly impressed with the impor- tance of humus in the soil. This leads us to the natural conclusion that it is not safe to put ginseng into ground from which a crop of matured roots has been taken for market. Practical experience has confirmed this con- clusion. Ginseng does not supply humus to the soil, and the four or six years required to produce a crop will entirely exhaust the humus. This is a lesson we did not like to learn. After putting up framework 126 PKESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. for shading and constructing beds we had hoped to replace the crop indefinitely. But nature has certain requirements that man must recognize or meet with disappointment. , "Another forcible argument against succession of crops is that disease and insect pests are likely to get into the soil, and though perhaps the smallest, nema- todes are by no means of the least importance. While we do not know much about these minute creatures, their work is plainly visible in the form of nodules from the size of a turnip seed to that of a marble on the fibrous rootlets. Enlargements are often formed on the body of the root and around the neck also. I have seen them as large as a hen's t^'g on the neck of a root. When opened they show a large number of minute red cells in which the nematodes breed, though the outer surface is smooth and white. The tendency is to impair the vitality and lessen the seed production of the plant. In time softening and degen- eration of the affected parts takes place, and ultimately more or less decay of the root. We think they also work in what seems like red rust on the bodies of roots, where they form slight depressions ; and in the fibrous rootlets of old roots, destroying the entire system of feeders, resulting in consumption of root. We are coming to the conclusion that it may not be possible to cultivate ginseng without nematodes. We find them scattered over a considerable area, and not only in garden culture, but also on wild roots and in forest nurseries. Professor Slingerland says they are found on clematis roots and that they are a great pest in the German sugar beet fields. We have seen them on sugar beets in this country. We would caution against planting infected stock. When the nodules are confined to the rootlets they may be picked off, but, with all the precautions that may be taken, very likely they will be found when roots are dug for LETTERS FROM GROWERS. 127 market. We think it will be fatal to put ginseng seed into ground known to be infected with nematodes. "It should be the aim of every grower to produce the best possible quality of root for market in order to build up and maintain a high reputation for cultivated ginseng. The demand of the Chinese market is for solid, heavy roots. A large, light root is not as desirable as a heavy, small one. To reach best results, growth should be rapid and continuous, with liberal fertilizing. Roots should be taken up when in best prime condition. To determine how long they should be left in the ground to attain best results is a problem not easy to solve. From the experience and observa- tion of ten years we have come to the conclusion that four to six years is long enough to keep transplanted roots in the ground. Much may depend upon soil, climate and other conditions, but it is safe to assume that when a bed of plants commences to go back, and the seed crop is less than the year before, the plants should be dug. It should be borne in mind that age does not indicate quality. We often find wild roots showing over sixty years' growth not nearly as large nor as heavy as some not more than fifteen or twenty years old. Like old people, after a certain age they lose their vitality and vigor. "With the intensive culture applied to this plant we are producing heavy seed crops at the expense of seed production. With high price of seed the tendency is to keep roots in the ground too long. The real value of ginseng culture is production of root for the Chinese market, which is willing to pay good prices for quality. Selling seed and roots for planting is only incidental ; the extremely high prices are likely to do the business more harm than good. To obtain best results in root production in shortest possible time, we think the seed head should be pinched off as soon as 12S PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. plants come up in the spring, thus throwing growth all into the roots. This, of course would be heroic treat- ment with seed at from $50 to. $ick) a pound, but we think it will come into general practice in the near future. It is not at all likely that the present high prices of seed will maintain many years, and it is not best that they should. Neither is it likely to go as low again as in the pioneer days of this industry. When the price gets so low that it no longer pays for its production, then take off the seed heads and develop root growth. I have often said to people visiting my grounds that the seed crop was a silver mine, while at the bottom of the plant was a gold mine. Better develop the gold mine, as that is destined to be the only true standard of value. "Here let us emphasize the value of starting with good stock. We consider northern stock much more desirable than southern; northern ginseng commands a much higher price in the market than the southern. In the South it has assumed a fixed type known as 'nubbin' and 'peanut' ginseng. Northern grown seed is much larger than southern — some southern growers claim thirteen thousand seeds to the pound, while best grade northern seed runs about eight thou- sand to the pound. It stands to reason, and our own experience and observation bear it out, that large seed will produce large, strong plants from the start, other conditions being favorable. We are not making this statement in the interest of any particular geographical or local section but in the general interest of the business. "We have observed a peculiar freak of ginseng seed which we have never observed in any other kind of seed, and that is, two separate, distinct stems from one seed and only one root. It is not the result of 'stooling out' or after development; the indication is that some of the seeds have double germs. It does LETTERS FROM GROWERS. 129 not follow that all such roots will continue to develop two stems in after years. We have found some that had a germ for only one stem the second season. It is quite common for old roots to develop two or more stems. We have known a single root to send up six perfect stems in one season. "The ginseng plant is a very interesting study and is always developing some new traits. It responds liberally to good treatment, will stand drouth as well as ordinary crops, is not seriously injured by ordinary frost, but hard freezing is likely to kill some of the plants and seriously injure the seed crop. Do not sprinkle the plants when frosted as it would likely injure the seed crop; at least, such has been our experience and observation at the Chinese ginseng farm. "Ginseng plants are liable to some kind of disease the cause and nature of which we have as yet been unable to determine. First indications are wilting and drooping of part or all of the. plant, leaves turning black and drying, stalk shrinking and withering for a few inches from the top down to, and sometimes below the surface of the ground. In this case the stalk is generally soft and degenerated, the disease extending to the root, which sooner or later is likely to decay. We have not been able to determine whether the disease first commences in the root or the plant. We know that the plants sometimes prematurely die and leaves drop off while the root seems to be sound and healthy. If on pulling up an afifected plant the stalk readily comes up with a portion of the neck showing disintegration, with strong oflFensive odor, it indicates root-rot. But if the stalk parts from the neck with a slight, sharp snap and has a white, healthy fresh appearance at the juncture of the neck, it indicates premature ripening and the root may be all right. Some growers advise spraying with Bordeaux mixture. 130 PRESENT STATUS OF THE IKDUSTKY. Our experience in this line has been too limited to be of much value, but there is no evidence that the spraying will do any harm. We would certainly recommend trial. It should be done early in the season. "We wish to reiterate and express our emphatic protest against the bombast and exaggerated state- ments scattered over the country during the past three years in regard to the wonderful profits in ginseng culture. Actual results are strong enough." MEDICINAL PROPERTIES Since many readers desire to know the standing given to ginseng by the medical profession and by the Chinese the following items will be of interest: The St. Louis Post-Despatch, of October, 1901, publishes the following information, which was furnished by Mrs. Jeu Hon Yee, the only Chinese woman in St. Louis : "Every good housewife in China keeps ginseng root in the house. It costs a great deal, but it is used in small quantities and an ounce of it lasts a long time. Ginseng tea is a common drink in China. Almost everybody drinks it. It is made by boiling fine cuttings of ginseng in water. The tea is good for all sickness, and it keeps disease away. Some of the rich people flavor their meat with ginseng. Only the rich can afiford to do this regularly. The root gives the meat a flavor the Chinese people like. Everybody in China is familiar with ginseng. It is the oldest medi- cine we have. The best ginseng grows in our own woods, and the next best comes from Korea. Amer- ican ginseng is not so good as either of the other kinds, and sells cheaper. I do not believe the Chinese in the United States use ginseng very much after they come to this country. We do not use it in our own home at all, though we were accustomed to it in China." MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. 131 The ensuing paragraphs are quoted from Bulletin No. 1 6 of the Division of Botany already referred to. "In this c ountr y frinsenfj is considere d _ of litt le medic inal value. The root_is_jni]dly_aromatic and sJighiU^^stirnulanE The Chinese and Koreans, how- ever, place a high value on it, and, indeed, regard it as a panacea. Father Jartoux, while making a map of Tartary under the orders of the Emperor of China, spent some time in Manchuria, where the most valued ginseng grows. The following is his description of the uses to which the Chinese put this root : " 'They affirm that it is a sovereign remedy for all weaknesses occasioned by excessive fatigues either of body or mind ; that it dissolves pituitous humors ; that it cures weakness of the lungs and the pleurisy; that it stops vomitings ; that it strengthens the stomach and helps the appetite ; that it disperses fumes or vapors ; that it fortifies the breast, and is a remedy for short and weak breathing; that it strengthens the vital spirits, and increases lymph in the blood ; in short, that it is good against dizziness of the head and dimness of sight, and that it prolongs life in old age.' "Dr. F. P. Smith, a medical missionary of recent times, makes the following statement, according to the Chinese materia medica: 'This drug is prepared as an extract, or a decoction, in silver vessels as a rule. Its effects are apparently those of an alterative, tonic, stimulant, carminative, and demulcent nature. It is prescribed in almost every description of disease of a severe character, with few exceptions, but with many reservations as to the stage of the disease in which it may be administered with the greatest benefit and safety. All forms of debility, spermatorrhea, the asthenic hemorrhages, the various forms of severe dyspepsia, the persistent vomiting of pregnant women, malarious affections of a chronic character, the typhoid stages of fever, especially of an epidemic character. 132 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. are occasions on which the Chinese resort to this drug. Several cases in which Hfe would seem to have been at least prolonged by the taking of doses of this drug, so as to allow of intelligent disposition of property, indicate that some positive efficacy of a sustaining character does really exist in this species of ivywort. The leaves are sold in bundles of the green, fragrant, excellently preserved foliage of the plant. They are said to be emetic and expectorant in their effects.' "In Korea the cultivated ginseng is smaller than the wild or 'san-sam — literally 'mountain' ginseng — the root of which attains a length of a foot or more and a diameter of an inch and upward. It is said that when this wild root is administered (always at a single dose), the patient loses consciousness for a greater or less time, and for about a month is tortured by boils, eruptions, sleeplessness, and other ills. Rejuvenation then begins, the skin becomes clear, the body healthy, and the person will live, such is the belief, exempt from disease for many years. They think it acts as a pre-, ventive by toning up the system. "Mr. George C. Foulk remarks in Foreign Rela- tions of the United States, 1885 : " 'The extreme rarity of san-sam augments the superstitious repute in which it is held; as an intelli- gent Korean told me, much is said that is only words ; nevertheless, he maintained that san-sam was a won- derful medicine in its strengthening effects.' "It is apparent that the Chinese faith in ginseng rests largely on fanciful grounds, since they prefer roots which, in a measure, resemble the human form. A rude likeness of this kind is frequently discernible, /which is said to be increased by manipulation. The /name itself signifies 'man plant.' An analogous case is that of the mandrake of the Mediterranean region, long esteemed potent for a similar reason. The root appears to be differently employed according to the MEDICINAL PBOPEETIES. 133 source from which it is obtained, probably somewhat on real and somewhat on fictitious grounds. 'The effects of the Manchurian and Korean ginseng- are apparently those of an alterative, tonic, stimulant, and carminative nature, while the American and Japanese ginseng are used as demulcent and refrigerant agents.' "Mr. Horace N. Allen, minister resident and consul-general at Seoul, Korea, writes in United States Consular Reports, No. 53 : " 'There is certainly a difference in the effect pro- duced by the use of these two roots [the American and Korean]. The American ginseng is considered by our medical authorities to be "inert." This cannot be said of the Korean root. I have seen the latter pro- duce suppuration in otherwise healthy wounds when surreptitiously given to hasten the slow progress of healing. When the cause was discovered and removed the wounds gradually came into proper condition again. . . . " 'Quinine has been shown to be so much more efficacious in the treatment of the frequent malarial fevers of these countries that ginseng has lost some of its popularity in these cases ; but whenever a tonic or a "heating medicine" is needed, ginseng continues to be resorted to, and, by combination with quinine, its reputation will be enhanced rather than diminished.' "The use of ginseng in different parts of the empire seems to vary considerably. The following statement is made on this point: " 'In the North it is rarely taken except in cases of actual sickness, as the soil and climate are dry and cool, and there is comparatively little malaria. A few of the wealthy people occasionally take an infusion as a precautionary measure during the winter. . . . It is said to be more extensively used by Chinese in the South, owing to the heat and moisture of their soil 134 PRESENT STATUS OP THE INDUSTRY. and climate, being infused with most of their drinks and taken even with some of their soUd food as a pre- cautionary measure against sickness.' "There are stated to be three ways of taking ginseng, viz., as pills, confection, and infusion. Its medicinal value is thought to be diminished by a steaming process to which it is frequently subjected for the improvement of its color. It appears to be given the character of a confection by steeping in honey or by the use of sugar. The wild ginseng of Manchuria is the most highly esteemed, now repre- sented, according to Dr. Smith, by that coming from Shingking. This is and has long been an imperial monopoly. "A recent consular authority, Mr. I. F. Shephard, presents a classification, the first grade in which is named and described as follows : ' "Imperial ginseng," so called because it is raised or gathered under imperial protection in the parks or hunting grounds, where it is kept free from the profanation of the vulgar herd. This variety ranges from $40 to $200 per pound, and is largely taken up by the wealthy classes in Peking and vicinity, as far as I can learn. It is fine in its appearance, quite in the desired form, and of course very scarce in trade. " 'Although only an imaginary line divides the Korean peninsula from Manchuria, the ginseng grown in the former place seems to take rank after the Man- churian article. It is said to possess about the same qualities as the Manchurian, and the supposed differ- ences are probably fanciful. Being much cheaper it is more extensively used. The price paid for it ranges from $15 to $35 a pound. " 'Cultivated ginseng in Korea is a common mar- ketable article, and is produced in large quantities. As in the case of the Manchurian article, its sale has long been a government monopoly, the funds derived from MEBICINAL PJSOPERTIES. 135 it belonging to the king. But in spite of the death penalty for its private disposal large quantities are smuggled across the Yellow Sea in junks from the western coast of the peninsula to the mainland, and also across the northwestern borders into China, where it always commands a ready market and good price.' "According to the authority last cited, 'the third grade, called native ginseng, is grown in China near the borders of Korea. This is mostly used to adulter- ate the Korean article, and is valued at from $i to $io per pound.' To this may correspond in some meas- ure a native product noted by Dr. Smith, consisting of the roots of species of Campanula and Adenophora, used as a substitute for ginseng and called by its name. "Regarding further grades, the above consular authority says : " 'American ginseng is generally regarded as next in classification, but from all I can learn of it I think it belongs rather to the third class, and the last as fourth. When crude it averages about $2 per pound ; when clarified, from $4 to $6, and when reclarified, from $6 to $8 per pound. What the clarifying may be I have no absolute information. Some maintain it is only washing and clearing the roots from earth and fibers, and some that it is a process of steeping with honey, which is only done with the best selected specimens.' "As stated by the same writer, 'The last and poorest quality is the Japanese ginseng, which, like the native product, is used for the adulteration of the Korean supply and other better grades.' Its value is correspondent to that of the native article, i. e., $1 to $10 per pound. According to Dr. Smith, the Japan- ese ginseng is often adulterated with the roots of Campanula glauca and other plants." Of special interest to American ginseng growers. 136 PRESENT STATUS OP THE INDUSTET. at this time, will be the statement that a preparation of ginseng is now being placed upon the American market, and is receiving the attention and endorse- ment of many reputable physicians who have used it with success in their practice. It appears to act purely as a se cerne nt to the secretory glands of the alimentary canal, thereby materially assisting the proper assimila- tion of food. In cases characterized by a lack of functional activity in the digestive tract, as well as in general malnutrition, its use has been highly recom- mended. PROTECTION BY LAW As mentioned on Page 13 there are laws pro- tecting ^nseng during certain seasons of the year. Since these will be of interest to the grower, especially in the States where these laws are in operation, they are quoted together with the remarks therein con- tained in Bulletin 16. The reduction of our forest areas and the pasturing of those which remain conri tribute seriously to the failure of the wild crop. The importance of ginseng is hardly sufificient to have much bearing on the forest question; but, so far as our forests shall be preserved for other reasons, there are two lines along which the law may act toward the preservation of the ginseng supply. The first of these lies in the direction of limiting the time of digging the root. The close season should extend at least from the time the plant starts in the spring until the seed is fully ripe in the fall ; for, as we have already seen, ginseng has no means of reproduction except its seed, while at the same time the root is not in good condition during the growing period. It might be wise to make the open season still shorter than this would imply, in order still further to reduce the collection. The ques- tion may be raised, also, whether the destruction of undergrown roots might not be prohibited, as in the PHOTBCXION BY LAW. 137 138 PEESENT STATUS OF THE INDtlSTET. case of small trout and lobsters in some states. If this provision were somewhat difficult to enforce, it would at least call attention to the wastefulness of killing the young plant. "" The State of Virginia already has a law limiting the time of collecting, of which the text is as follows :* AN ACT for the protection of ginseng in the counties of the State. Sec. I. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, If any person shall dig any ginseng from the 15th day of March till the 15th day of September, such person, on conviction before a justice of the peace, shall be fined not less than five nor more than ten dollars and costs for each offense. Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That on the con- viction of anyone of such offense the informant shall be entitled to one-half the fine, the remaining half going to the Commonwealth. Sec. 3. This act shall be in force from its passage. In the same line, but more stringent, is a law passed by the legislature of Ontario, Canada, in 1891 :t Sec. I. Except for the purpose of clearing or bringing land into cultivation, no person shall, between the first day of January and the first day of September in any year, cut, root up, gather, or destroy the plant known by the name of ginseng whenever such plant may be fotmd growing in a wild or uncultivated state. Sec. 2. Any person who contravenes the pro- vision of this act shall, for every such offense, upon summary conviction before any justice of the peace, be subject to a penalty of not less than five dollars or more than twenty dollars, together' with costs for •Acts and Joint Resolutions of Virginia, 1875-76, Chapter go, tStatutes of the Province of Ontario, i8gi, Chapter ji. PROTECTION BT LAW. 139 prosecution, and one-half of the penalty shall be paid to the prosecutor, unless otherwise ordered by the said justice convicting. On May 27, 1893, the following amendment to the above law was passed :* AN ACT to further provide against the extermina- tion of the plant called ginseng. Sec. I. Proof of the purchase or sale of ginseng between the first day of January and the first day of September in any year shall be prima facie evidence of a contravention of this act. Sec. 2. Any person who purchases ginseng, knowing the same to have been cut, rooted up, or gathered between the first day of January and the first day of September, shall be guilty of a contravention of this act. Sec. 3. In any prosecution under the preceding section proof that the ginseng purchased has been illegally obtained by the vendor shall be prima facie evidence of a contravention of this act by the purchaser. Sec. 4. This act shah be read as part of the act to prevent the extermination of the plant called ginseng. From the foregoing it will be seen that the season in Virginia opens half a month later than in Ontario, which is right in view of the difference of latitude. On the other hand, the open season is six months long in Virginia, while in Ontario it is but four months long, and the digging must practically cease with the fall of snow. Considering the comparative mildness of the Virginia winter, a six months' close seems rather short. A second method of securing protection consists in defending the rights of individual landowners ; that •statutes of the Province of Ontario, 1893, Chapter 43. 140 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTBT. is, by prohibiting digging on any land but one's own. The legislature of West Virginia has enacted a law of this purport. It covers the case of other medicinal roots as well as ginseng. The text is as follows :* Sec. I. It shall be unlawful for any person to dig ginseng or other medicinal roots, or prospect for the same, on the land of another, in the counties of Pocahontas, Greenbrier, and Webster, without the consent of the owner or owners thereof first had and obtained. Sec. 2. The provisions of this act shall extend to all the counties of the State: Provided, That the county court of any county may, upon the petition of one hundred voters of the county, direct to have the same enforced in their said county or any district or districts thereof. Sec. 3. Any person violating this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than fifty dollars, and be confined in the county jail not exceeding two months. Sec. 4. This act shall be in force from and after the passage thereof. While a law of this kind does not prevent a man from exterminating ginseng on his own land, it may be assumed that, where the crop is valued, every individual will be prudent enough to husband his own resources. A wanton destruction is most likely to take place on land which is practically public, where no one is sure of anything but what he seizes at once. Nevertheless, in a State having large areas of moun- tainous and thinly settled territory landowners in many cases either could not or would not care to secure the enforcement of the law ; at any rate, would do no more than secure payment for the right of digging, and some further provision would be required. A •Acts of West Virginia, nth session (1872-73) , Chapter 158. PKOTBCTION BY LAW. 141 suitable close season might be established to affect at least the lands not guarded by their owners. Ginseng under cultivation would naturally enjoy the same protection as any other planted crop. Since plantations would generally be made in woodlands, some special provision may be needed, particularly where the digging of the wild plant on the lands of others is not forbidden. The owner of the plantation might be required to post a prohibitory notice. Other States than those mentioned do not appear to have legislated in behalf of ginseng. INDEX. Page AdTancinB price 47 AdTantages of growing giDseng 50 Advice to would-be growers 50 Age and seed bearing 73 Age and size 116, 127 Age and quality 127 Age and weight 73, 110 Aged specimens 10 American ginseng, demand for 105 American ginseng discovered 3 American ginseng in Asia 96, 105 American ginseng tiade started 3 Annual development of the plant. . . .8 Annual growth of roots 12 Annual setting of seed 18 Appearance of plants 6, 7> 9 Appearance of seedlings 6 Apple trees, beds under 25 Artificial propagation 30, 65, 121 Ashes 33, 115. 116, 117 Attacks of mice 27 Autumn transplanting 15, 59 Beds, level 20 Beds, orchard 23 Beds, preparation of permanent 60, 61, 117, lis, 121 Beds, treatment of 30 Beds under apple trees 25 Beds under cherry trees 25 Beds unnecessary 21 Beginning U Berries 9 Berries fail to set 56 Berries first ripe 57 Berries, gathering 57 Best season to dig 14 Blossoms, pinching 57, 127 Blossoms, sterile 55 Bordeaux mixture 68, 69, 129 Boring beetles 45 Botany of tbe plant 5, 14 Broken roots 95 Brush covering 28, 117, 123 Bud at the root crown 16 Bumine of Korean ginseng 104 Canadian ginseng 77 Capacity of dryer 43 Carbon bisulphide 46 Cattle and sheep 31 Bellar storage and seed 17 bange of soil 61, 125 Cherry trees, beds under 25 Chickens, in beds 37 Chinese ginseng, cultivated 109 Clarification 75 Clarified root in market 102 Cleaning i2 Page Cleanliness of package of roots... .46, 74 Climate 18 Climate, change of 57 Collectors' profits decreasing 48 Consul Allen's letter 95, 101 Consul Allen quoted 133 Consul Kagsdale's letter 105 Consul Uublee's letter 99 Consul Wildman'B letter 91, 96 Covers 62 Crash of prices 86 Cricket, ginseng 67 Crosley's letter, Messrs 110 Crown roots, new >. ID Cultivated root in China 101 Cultivated root in the market 71 Cultivated vs. vrild root 70, 72, 73, 79, 85, 121 Cultivation 28 Dealers in Asia 99, 102 Dealers' prices 47 Demand 50* Demand and supply 81, 82, 84, 85 Depth of planting 117 Destroying beetles 46 Destruction of Korean ginseng 101 Development, annual 8 Dibble Oi, 117 Digger 60 Digging 41. 12 Digging wild plants 16 Discovery of American ginaenK 3 Diseases 67, 126, 129 Distance between plants... 30. 62, 115, 123 Distance to plant seed 27 Divisible root 12 Drainage 20, 61. 125 Dryer, capacity of 43 Dryer, cost of 13 Dryer, homemade 42, 43 Dryer, operating 44 Drjing 42 Drying, loss of weight in 72, 110 Drying of seed in summer 17 Duties on ginseng 95 Early maturing variety 39 Early trade mined 5 Eisenhauer's letter 81 Enemies 36, 66 Enriching the soil 65 Estimates 87. 91, 92, 93 Exaggeration 90 Export decreasing 47 Export dii ect .-.97 Export from Canada 77 Exports statistics 47, 79 Exposures 19 142 INDEX. 143 Page Flavor of cultivated root.. 73, 79, 80, 81 Flowers, pinching 57, 127 Flowers, sterile 65 Fly. white 67 Foiilk, Ueorge C, quoted 106, 132 Fraser's letter, Mr 116 Freezing , danger of 15 Freezing of seeds 17 Freezing of stoied roots ■. 15 Fruit fails to set 15 Germination first spring 59, 69, 123 Ginseng, advantages of growing 50 Ginseng, American discovered 3 Ginseng, American trade started 3 Ginseng digger 60 Ginseng in Canada 77 Ginseng, reproduction 12 Ginseng, uses of 2 Grading for market 46, 97, 98, 101, 102, 105, 106, 127, 134 Ground bone 32 Growers, organization of 71 Hardiness 129 Hard pan 125 Hart's letter. Mr 110 Hartzel & Co.'s clarifying method. ..75 History 1, 5 Horig Kong distributing center 100 Hoe for digging 60 Horse for weeding 26 Humus 61, 114, 116, 125 Humus, decay of 66 lida's letter 103 Improvement of stock 37 Industry, promising 50 Influence of "sang-diggers" 13 Injured roots 29 Inspection in market 97, 98 Insects 36 Japanese ginseng.... 83, 87, 88, 89, 106, 135 Kelsey's lath shade 62 Kelsey's planting board 63 Kirin ginseng 105 Korean crop. 1901 104 Korean cultivated ginseng 107 Korean ginseng 96, 101 Korean ginseng market 102 Korean root in Hong Kong. .101, 103. 105 Large seed, quick ge: minating 39 Leaf mulch 28 Level beds 20 Lime for slugs 66 Location 18 Male flowers 55 Manchurian gi nseng 134 Manure, avoid fresh 32 Manuring 32, 65, 113. 117 Marker for setting seed 37, 63 Market 74, 81. 97 Market, overstocked 83, 85 Market requirements 102 Maturity 111. 116 Mice 17. 36, 66, 67, 124 Misrepresentation 90 Moisture-holding power of soil 20 Moles 36, 37, 66 Muck 61 Mulch, leaf 28 Mulches 32 Mulch, muck 28 Mutilated roots 41 Natural home 14 Nematodes 66, 126 Nitrate of soda 66, 117 Nitrogenous fertilizer 65 Page Northern exposures best 19 Northern ts. southern stock 57, 58 Nub 95 Nub in ginseng 128 Nusbaum's letter, Mr 113 Open ground storage of seed 17 Orchard beds 23 Organization 71 Oven drying 42 Packing 95, 97, 102 Parent's letter, Mr HI Payson's letter, Mr 121 Peanut ginseng 128 Phosphates 32 Pikes letter, Mr 109 Pistillate flowers 55 Planting board 27, 63, 115, 117 Plants, annual development 8 Potash 32 Preparation for market 41 Preparation of beds 21, 25 Preparation of peimanent beds 25 Prices advancing 47 Prices and seed 73, 87, 92 120 Prices, fall of 86, 93 Prices for series of years. 47, 79, 80, 81, 82 Prices in Asia 94, 95 Prices of 1898 43 Prices of 1891 79, 80, 81, 82 Prices paid by leaders 47 Profits 46, 87 Propagation, artificial 30, 65, 121 Protection of beds 120, 136 Purchaser must see goods 97 Quality 127 Raised beds 23 Root decay 36 Root, divisible 12 Roots, annual growth of 12 Roots, broken 95 Roots, cleaning 42 Roots, first class 40 Roots, four years old 12 Roots, freezing of stored 15 Roots from cuttings 13 Roots, keeping dried 46 Roots, kind preferred 41 Roots, new crown 10 Roots, old 10 Roots, storing dry 45 Roots, trimming dry 44 Roots, undersized 41 Root vs. seed 127 Rotation of crops 61, 125 Rotting of seed 18 Samples 94, 97 Sample shipment 97 Seed and high prices 73 Seed, annual setting 18 Seed-bearing and age 73 Seed beds 21 Seed, danger of drying of 16 Seeding, annual 18 Seedlings, appearance of 5 Seedlings, time of appearance 5 Seed planting 25 Heed TTpens 116 Seed, storage in cellar 17 Seed stratifying 17, 59 Seed vs. roots 127 Seed, yield of 91, 110, 123, 125 Selection for improvement 69, 70 Shade and soil 61 Shnde, climbing perennial 33 Shade, forest 33 144 IXDEX. Shade, lath 31, 62, 107, 113, lis Bhade, low lath 36 Bbade, plautins annual 23 Shades 33 Shade, Btoring lath 35 Shade, vertical 36 Shipment, direct 97 Shipmenta not uniform 98 Shipping 16 Sifting seed 18 Bizo and age 116, 127 Size of nursery bed 23 Sloping beds 20 Slugs 66 Smith Quoted. Dr 131 Smuggling 96 Snails 36, 66 Boil 19, 21, 59, 60, U3, 116, 125 Soil and shade 61 Boil, avoid poor* 33 Boil, change of 25, 61 Southern plants in the North 57, 58, 123, 128 Southern exposures poorest 19 Sowing at once 16 Space needed for ounce of seed 23 Spade for digging 16 Speyer & Sons' prices 81 Spraying 68, 129 Bpring-set plants 16, 118 Sprouting first spring 59, 69, 123 Btaminate flowers 65 Stanton's letter, Mr 49, 125 Statistics of export 47 Storing 15 Storing the seed 17 Stove dr>ing 42 Stratifying seed 59, 123 Succession of crops 61, 1^ Sun drying ..42 Superstitions 42 Supply and demand 81, bZ, 81. 85 Texture of soil for older plants 26 Thieves 31, 67 Three-year-old root 11 Time not to dig 13 Time plants appear 5 Time seedlings appear 28 Time to dig 14 Time to mature 30 Time to transplant 15 Trade started in American ginseng. .3 Transplanting 63 Transplanting, time for 15 Treatment for permanent beds 30 Tree roots 23 Trimming roots 29 Trowel for digging 16 Trowel for setting 30 Undersized roots 41 Uses of ginseng 2 V ariety, new 70 Walks, vridth of 25 Wallace Bros.' prices 80 Washing 42 Water test 59 Weeding 26, 29 Weeding horse 26 Weight after drying 72, 110 Weight and age 73, 110 Wells & Go.'s letter 82 Width of beds 23 Wild root vs. cultivated.. 40, 79, 85. 121 Wild supply declining , 78 Wilting 129 Wood ashes 33 ADTEBTISEMENT8. 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