The American Ginseng Manual Page 2

DISEASES OF GINSENG

Generally speaking, from the results of investigation, the diseases of ginseng develop from a number of causes. Namely, crowding the plants, insufficient ventilation, improper drainage, being the chief complaints. Because the plants as they grow wild are thinly scattered in the forests, under advantageous circumstances, with favorable respect to soil drainage and ventilation is points, in our estimation, why the plants there are healthy. In the cultivated state we find the plants more or less crowded, which tends to produce abnormal conditions, which often results in material affliction and injury. Fertilization and improper treatment of the soil also are frequently apt to invite disease.
Alternaria Blight. Affecting both the roots and the leaves of the ginseng plant, alternaria blight is perhaps one of, if not the most, wide-spread diseases the gardener has to contend with. He has to continually guard against its appearance and with his full strength combat it, to fight it off.
In early spring the stems of the diseased plant usually show dark brown cankers, just above the ground. These enlarge in the course of time and become covered with a coating of velvety brown. In mid-summer you will note the development of large spots on the leaves, watersoaked, which finally get dry and papery. The seedheads are affected and the berries are apt to shell. If the root becomes attacked they slowly rot away.
It so happens that the fungus causing the blight does not become extinct over the winter, so the tops should be destroyed, if the roots have not been attacked. In the Government bulletin number 1184 the means of fighting this disease is to wait until the top's die down, disinfect by soaking with a solution of 1 pound of copper sulfate to 7 gallons of water. Soak the beds down to a one inch depth. This insures death to the fungi.
The plants may be sprayed during the growing season with a 3-3-50 Bordeaux mixture to which has been added 2 pounds of calcium arsenate.
Spray just as soon as the plants begin to appear in the spring time. When the leaves have fully opened spray again. A third spraying should be done just previous to blossom time and a fourth and last spraying should be done after the seeds appear. This does a good job of checking the disease.
For the small garden ginseng grower it is convenient to purchase the Bordeaux mixture already mixed. The large area gardener will save money and have the mixture 'more effective from freshly prepared powders or solution. The Government bulletin gives directions for mixing. It advises: dissolve 3 pounds of copper sulfate in hot water, using a wooden or earthenware Vessel, and dilute to 25 gallons with water. Slake 3 pounds of stone lime (or 5 pounds of hydrated lime) in a small amount of water and dilute to 25 gallons. Pour the two solutions together while stirring and then add 2 pounds of calcium arsenate. When only small quantities are needed you may prepare 3 ounces of copper sulfate and 3 ounces of stone lime (or 5 ounces of hydrated lime) to total of 3 gallons of water and add 2 ounces of calcium arsenate.
Very destructive is soft rot and the mildew, phytophthora. A fungus disease that affects the stems', roots, and the leaves of ginseng. Much similar to the attack by alternaria blight, the stems become hollow and the tops droop, the leaf blades show spots resembling the blight in the earlier stages of the disease. The roots that become infected develop rot and fungi at-tacks 'and causes the plant to emit a disagreeable odor. Like for the "blight" you can spray with the mixture of Bordeaux. The quickest altering of the diseases cause will most rapidly manifest effective blotting out. It is highly advisable to remove all wilting or drooping tops by cutting off at the crown. This slackens the progress of the fungus down into the roots. Remove and destroy the affected roots with a solution of 1 pound of copper sulfate in 7 gallons of water. Beds should be changed to other spots to eliminate the possibility of spreading contagion. If this is not done, each successive crop annually will suffer the disease. The beds should be left unused for several years.
It is a known fact that infected beds may be sterilized with steam, as beds of tobacco plants are handled in the tobacco growing regions of the U. S. or with a solution of 1 part formaldehyde to' 50 gallons of water. Before using this to sterilize the ground, spade the area thoroughly after removing all the roots. Now the solution may be applied at the volume of 1/2 to 1 gallon of solution to the square foot. The quantity must be such that the soil is thoroughly saturated. When possible, the soil should then be spaded so the ground will; be loosened again and the formaldehyde can evaporate.
Never plant back before allowing plenty of time, about 14 days, for the solution, that is used to sterilize the ground, has all gone. During this interval the ground should be stirred, the soil loosened, so the formaldehyde fumes, which are injurious to plant growth, can depart before the arrival of time for planting.
The acrostalagmus wilt attacks the older plants, rarely causing much damage, but is not a disease to welcome into the beds. Any disease that impairs the growth, slowing the constant growing of the roots, is apt to be harmful. The fungus penetrates the water conducting vessels of the root and causes a gradual wilting of the top. Externally, the diseased root seems healthy. However, when cut across it shows a low zone in the conducting tissue. The roots when they become diseased should be dug and dried to remove the infection source. Beds where the disease has occur-red may best be disinfected with the formaldehyde solution or the application of steam.
Rust, or rarnularia root rot, is strictly due to fungus attacking all aged plants. The disease is most common to the seedlings. On old plants the rusty brown spots do not very often penetrate deeply but remains very shallow The hair-like root lets of the young seedlings are badly damaged and the tap-root becomes knobby and short. An alkaline soil is favorable, as a resistor, against this disease. Avoid adding wood ashes or lime to the loam in which plants are grown as this assists root rot. The fungus is not deterred in its work.
Rots. 'There are two diseases that attacks ginseng. One, sclerotinia rots and although appearing in most sections where ginseng is grown, the damage is rarely widespread. The stem' and root are both affected. The top is not spotted, nor is it hurt any other 'way. The tissues of infected roots become soft and brittle and they rot rapidly. Black hard bodies form on the stem and root. These are often as large as a quarter inch long. This is the body of the fungus that stays alive over' winter. Cup-like bodies containing innumerable spores are produced in the spring, which are sources of the communication of the disease from the sick to the healthy plants: It appears too little attention to proper drainage and aeration of the soil promotes, if not the direct causes, of this infection.
Obviously, the proper means of combating this disease is to remove and burn all plants showing the contamination, and disinfect the soil from which they came, with a solution of copper sulfate as described for phytophthora mildew.
Other diseases which sometimes occur on wild ginseng and false Solomon's seal is called sclerotiniia black rot. It is possible that this disease may be introduced through use of woodland loam used in building up the garden beds. Progress is slow during the growing season. It attacks only the roots. Often when plants fail to appear in the spring time you may find black rot has' developed and only a black, soot-like root can be located. all diseased areas should be treated as mentioned' for the other type of disease, rot, burning any existing evidences that may be left, so as to thoroughly eliminate any possible trace for conveying it further.
Damping-off. When the garden is attacked by this disease, appearing in the seed beds, you will note the decay of the stem at the top of the ground. The plants will fall over and the infected plants will die. The fungi which causes this disease seems to be present in the soil, to be accelerated into action by dampness (poor drainage) and too little air about the roots. To raise seedlings it is positively necessary the bed' be well drained. After rains the ground may well be loosened and the seed' should be planted' in rows to allow this. If sown' broadcast, it is difficult stirring the ground of the seed bed without disturbing the germinated seeds. When possible to sterilize the beds before sowing with the formaldehyde solution, ginseng seedling losses will be greatly reduced.
CHAPTER 9
DIGGING AND DRYING THE ROOTS

The pleasures to be gleaned from hunting the wild plants should not be overlooked. The wild root digger starts his hunt early in the morning and walks slowly through the woods, digging plants here and there as he finds them, sits at noon by water where he can quench his thirst while eating the lunch he carries, then on into the late afternoon, when he will arrive home, tired and near exhaustion, but often well pleased with his finds. As he passes the last gurgling brook or pond, he will stoop to dump the fresh roots onto the ground. Now the washing process commences. Care is taken because his market presents best prices for unbroken roots. The excess dirt is removed. The dirt clinging in the wrinkles is left., as it is not advisable to scrub and remove this. The root is best when only rinsed off.
Always use care when washing, not to leave ginseng roots in water overnight. This is detrimental to the inside coloring and likewise harmful to the roots marketing value. The roots will not command as high price per pound. When the washing is done after you arrive home from the trip, merely place the roots in a container, a wash basin or a tub, with enough water to cover them. Revolve ~d stir the roots, then lift them out to drain. The roots are not harmed if left over night before washing. However, it is probably just as well that they be washed soon as brought in from the hunt.
When the roots have drained off excess water, place in the spot you intend drying them. We prefer a warm, 'airy, dry room. Up near the roof of a house, is a good place. Also the attic. If only a few are to be dried, almost any location will suffice. If larger amounts are to be handled, then special accommodation must be improvised for their care. Spread just a few, thinly on paper. Be sure the air reaches all sides and circulates around them. Turn them over every day or so.
Avoid tying roots together on a string, or running a threaded needle through them, to hang them up with. Also do not dry too close to the kitchen stove. Around the stove is apt to collect dust, soot, etc., which is not adding quality to them.
Ginseng dried too fast will form a brittle shell outside. Slow drying with plenty of fresh, circulating air is conducive to fine quality dried roots.
Cultivated roots are cleaned much the same as wild roots. On small quantities a soft tooth brush is excellent to get around between twists and turns of the roots. The cultivated root being somewhat larger, due to more favorable conditions of growth and help in resisting enemies, requires a bit longer for drying out. It is highly advisable that too many roots not be placed in the tub for washing 'at once. Ginseng roots are not improved by soaking, neither are they made better by breakage of the rootlets. Small quantities washed at a time, will result in better quality roots. You can work fast and carefully, then remove after washing to drain.
When you have quite a quantity of roots to sell, after they are dry, separate the roots into two sizes. Place all small roots together, and all those from average size up, in another pile. The ginseng hunter who is on to his business will not dig the small plants, no matter how many he finds, but will wait and come back to them later. In a few years they will be worth real money and he can carry a notebook along on his trips, in which locations can be jotted down, maps drawn in unfamiliar territory, where small rooted plants are found plentiful enough to warrant another visit years later. The approximate age of the plants, or the general age of most of them, would be another valuable notation. This way, the required number of years later you could return and gather in a harvest of roots having reached maturity.
Of course there are ginseng hunters active at all times through the summer, though the root should not be dug until fall. After the seeds have ripened and are a beautiful scarlet, is the time to begin the search for ginseng. The roots are now matured and ready.
The wild ginseng hunter should always be ready to lend aid to the plant in rendering a better chance for it to propagate as this is necessary if he is to find it still growing in the woods in years to come. All wild root hunters should be conservative minded and strive to care for the young that may be near the old plant when dug. Give them a chance. They'll grow up, too, in a few years and bumper future crops will be the result.
All diggers of wild roots now scorn upon those who do not use care to see that young plants come. Trans-plant the seedlings in better places, thin them where growing too close, sow the ripened seeds. When ready to harvest the plants of the root garden, proper care is essential. Careful excavation will prevent many damaged or broken roots. As a rule, all the garden is dug, when time has come they have matured. Some growers keep out the large roots for marketing and transplant the smaller roots. However, it is debatable if this procedure is profitable. If the roots given the same chance as the others fails to reach a fair size in 5 to 7 years, it is to be doubted if they should be allowed longer growth, at least sufficient to pay the gardener.
Dig the roots from the garden in autumn. If blight or some other disease has set in, this case is not so. In this event, you are forced to dig them at the time the contagion is noticed. This is necessary to keep the malady under control.
After washing, dry them on a soft cloth or allow them to drain. Remove to the drying racks, or place selected for this purpose. The elimination of breakage is to be practiced. Never split the roots nor handle roughly. Ginseng should always be dried whole and though it dries quicker if split or sliced, this should be avoided. Hot air in special dryers are used in drying to some extent by the growers that have enough roots to present a problem. In drying without heat, see that the room is warm and airy. Never dry roots over a cooking stove.
You will be able to determine after some little practice if the roots are dry enough to market. If the roots come in contact with dampness, they might mold and be less valuable. The roots should always be thoroughly dry before packing to send to the dealer Leave the tiny rootlets on the main roots. While some gardeners remove them, it is best if that is left up to the dealer. If the dealer wants them off, let him do the job. The age when cultivated roots may be dug for market is from 5 years up. If the ginseng plants are healthy they should reach marketable age in 5 years.
The selection of a good attic floor for drying the roots will make you money. Leave places to walk between the drying roots, so they can be turned every day or two, and the air will reach all parts and' perfect drying will be the result. If the air becomes damp, as it's likely to do in low situations, close windows and a small fire will aid in the drying. If the location where the roots are being dried is out of the valleys, above damp sections such as creeks, marshes, etc., the roots will cure much better.
If not wishing to ship soon as the roots are dry, store them so dust will not accumulate on them. As dust settles like sediment does in water, from above, protect the top side. It is not advisable to dry roots in the sun.
The man with a large garden of roots to dig and dry must make different arrangements than he who has only a small garden spot or two. After he will be compelled to build an artificial drier that will efficiently do the job. If the ginseng garden is an acre or more, it may be best to build a house to be used for this end of the business alone. To grow the plants until the roots have become large enough to be marketed and then ruin the crop by failure to properly dry them would be terrible. There are plans which can be secured from the Government that show how to build sheds that will cure up the roots. Write requesting same. They are furnished without obligation.
Artificial heat, combined with good ventilation, is without doubt the best. The temperature may be between 60 and 80 F. and after a few days should be increased to 90.F The roots can be spread thinly on latticed trays, that fit into a chest-like affair, to suit the requirements; large size for large gardens, likewise small size for small gardens.
Use care around the garden to prevent dogs and cats, or other domestic animals, also men, children, and women from walking on the plants. Ginseng, being costly in outlay to prepare the beds, and of a valuable nature itself, requires special care in guarding against theft. Use mole traps to stop their tunneling. To keep out the mice, set wire into the ground a foot deep, of a mesh through which they cannot go. Metal would work the same way.
Under favorable circumstances, it is estimated that one man can care for a garden acreage of two acres. This is because it needs no "cultivation" in the true sense of the word, but must only be kept free of weeds and grasses, which are pulled by hand.
In boxing up roots for shipment, use special care in packing. The container should be packed so the roots cannot move around while being shipped, to prevent breakage or damage, which may materially lower the value, of the roots. The type container the roots are shipped in will depend on the amount to be shipped. If small quantities, it may be best to use cardboard boxes, strongly built, and insulate well with plenty of paper. The large garden will turn off roots by the barrel. This size shipment will need special care and insulation. Ship small boxes or quantities by parcel post; larger shipments by express. Old newspapers on the bottom of the shipping container makes first-class insulation. Add the roots slowly, shaking gently to settle them much as you can. When full or you have run out of roots, fill the remainder of the way with crumpled newspapers. It should be remembered to have paper around the sides, too, as a protection. Place the top on securely after having your name and address, plainly written, on the inside which, in case of loss of the outside tag, tearing into the package, the dealer can find who it belongs to. Tie the box with strong cord and label the outside plainly. It is best to insure all shipments of ginseng roots, as they are quite valuable.
CHAPTER 10
GINSENG QUALITY

The Chinese who offer us a market out-let for our ginseng do not want roots that deviate from the wild flavor. Ginseng gardeners who have rushed the growth of their crops by maturing, and other artificial means of furnishing plant food to the soil, have found the market slow to accept their products. Besides the dangers of having your plants attacked by diseases, from such methods, the taste has been somewhat changed, the quality has been interfered with and found defective.
This proves that ginseng not only cannot be tamed-it must not! If we would be interested in supplying a product most wanted by the buyer, we must strive to create roots that in quality are equal to the wild. Our raising ginseng to please the buyers means more liberal prices per pound and larger quantities accepted, which is exactly what we should strive for, to make ginseng cultivation more lucrative, a business with less chance and more sure profits.
Here we are again forced to remember the Chinese formerly accepted the wild root without disparaging comment. Our beds should produce ginseng as near like forest ginseng in flavor as possible.
Forcing manures only cause quick growth, which the Chinese do not at present like. Manures, besides the cause of a situation favorable for the breeding of disease, by the quick growth and large size, simply lay the pathway open for lower prices. While in time of high prices for the slow grown ginseng, the quick grown may command a fair price, but the average is not worth the effort. Why not simulate the wild and receive the best prices? With manure, the roots were made larger, in a minimum space of years, but as the quality was impaired, the demand has subsided considerably.
Potential gardeners should use their heads, in preventing the same mistakes that were formerly made, in the experimentation years of growing ginseng. The only fertilizer really needed for the growth of ginseng is that found naturally in the forest; namely, woods loam, decayed tree dust, rotted saw-dust, leaf mold. Artificial fertilizers, such as horse manure, while of a forcing nature; can only bring the gardener trouble, sooner or later.
Gardens whose soil always comes from forest locations and has no fertilizers applied will grow plants the roots of which will not be scant on quality. The taste will more closely resemble that of the wild root. This should be remembered.
The full growth to maturity will also aid in the production of first class roots. The root will become firm, when the top stops growing. It will weigh out heavier than when dug earlier. Late fall is the right time to begin digging the cultivated or wild plants. The best month is October, just previous to the freezing of the ground.
CHAPTER 11
THE VALUE OF THE GINSENG CROP

The yield of cultivated ginseng varies very much and largely depends upon the' adapted conditions under which the crop has been grown, also due to the skill and experience of the gardener.
Some gardens, due to richer loam, may yield large roots, a similar sized area may not be so rich, therefore, the roots grown would not be so large. This can make a considerable difference.
An area of only 4 by 30 feet of mature roots, about 5 to 7 years old, should yield 20 pounds of dry roots. A ton of dry roots to the acre of well managed garden is a reasonable average. Some gardeners report higher yields;
Ginseng has not been credited as being of a curative value by many people but the Chinese. Exportations from the United States to China has been carried on for quite a number of years. Since the 'year 1886 the cultivation of this plant has been experimented with. Around the turn of the century less than 20 acres were under cultivation in our United States. Very few cultivated roots were around that time put on the market.
At the initial appearance of cultivated ginseng from this country, the Chinese paid higher prices for it than for the wild root. However, the price soon declined to below that paid for the wild root. This was possibly due to "forcing" root growth by manuring and fertilizers, to speed big, profitable yields.
THE VALUE OF SEEDS

Properly cared for gardens will yield nice quantity, as well as quality, of roots annually. Prices advancing or decreasing would materially interfere with the amount obtained from any specified area, with profits in accordance, but over a period of years, ginseng has been known to yield along with other crops favorably. Other farm crops do not always demand nice returns for time, labor, and money investment. It is a matter of chance. With the right facilities ginseng roots could be stored over several years. The gardener might then hold back his production of roots when the prices are too low to make profits until better prices were offered. This might mean the difference between splendid wages and complete loss.
Beds kept for the production of seeds, would be cared for a bit different than those which were for the growth of roots alone.
The seed-heads are clipped to make larger root growth. When seed heads are wanted, they are left alone. A well handled bed has been known to yield 25 or more pounds of seed from a 40x50 foot plot for one season.
The possibilities are easily seen for a garden of an acre or more. Of course your outlet for seeds would be to other gardeners and the demand might be somewhat limited. Some gardeners clip the seed-heads before forming. It is the growers own pleasure to decide what methods he will use. The root may gain extra size, by clipping the heads so the strength stays in the root, but the question seems to remain, after much threshing, "which is the most profitable?" Would the increased root growth be sufficiently profitable - to out-weigh profits from the sale of seeds to other gardeners? The fact is, up to a certain point, the grower would be most profitably rewarded by allowing as many plants to seed as he would have need of (as this would only slacken the growth of the root and not destroy it) and clip the remainder.
From observation the fact remains the production of seeds from a nice size garden spot would be considerable. A general average would be 8,000 seeds to the pound. Seeds of ginseng from the more northern states being somewhat larger than those coming from southern states, there would be some variation. Southern seeds may number 10,000 or in extreme cases, as many as 11,000 to the pound. In the cultivated patch, seed heads that produce as much as 200 seeds are not rare.
However, in boiling down our information, the many who intend taking up the gardening of ginseng should not be ruled by figures of high returns from successful growers, but by common sense. Lest this fact be misinterpreted, allow me to hasten and say, by looking at the result we often overlook the effort and pains required to GAIN THAT RESULT. That is why we caution any investing man to go easy-- "be sure, then go ahead," is a rule that should be followed, lest a man's savings be lost.
When handled right, the grower may expect to earn fair returns for his investment of both time and labor, but instant success must not be 'expected by the inexperienced, due to the fact it requires several years before any returns at all can be seen, from the venture. Prices may be high this year and low next, or the nice prices may stay up for several years. Your guess would be as good as the next fellows; though a study of figures of the past 50 years would show what years the "slump and the rises" were, how long, and other interesting factors that might enhance or work against your entering the ginseng gardening field of endeavor. Years are required to gain knowledge by study as to know the nature of the ginseng plant, which is the reason why outdoors men who spend their time in the natural home of the plant, will make better growers than those who never saw the plant. It is not impossible for any type men though, to learn the game, or business. The learning of any enterprise is weighed only by the amount of time and study you are willing to spend at it. The natural habits, which will enable you to conform your gardening activities to its natural requisites, is the important thing.
Judicious ginseng cultivation is a worthwhile enterprise. The person who has a love of the outdoors, a real love, a liking to work among plants, and patience, will find a good profit over a period of years. He should have "grit enough in his craw" not to easily quit and throw up his hands because of low prices or back-sets, but have a sincere conviction that low prices cannot always endure, that better money per pound will be paid tomorrow, next year, or the next; that the only thing to do is hold on and work harder.
It is the writer's opinion that ginseng will prove a profitable plant to grow even with the price per pound as low as three dollars. However, any below this, it would require that the gardener be very careful on his expenses, to pan out as a venture where a loss of money would not be felt. Any above three dollars a pound would, certainly, be to the good. As spoken elsewhere in this manual, with a place to store ginseng roots, it would be an easy matter to hold them over a few years until better prices were being offered, before letting them go at low prices.
Patient gardeners who realize the limitations of growth and the natural, slow development will find attractive possibilities. But the business is not one for the inexperienced, looking for a get-rich-quick return, from his small outlay of cash. It can not be done, for obvious reasons. Plunging into ginseng growing may prove disastrous. It is best to begin inexpensively and experiment as you go along, gaining an insight into the business, as you feel your way.
It would probably be a waste of time to attempt raising the plants in the southwest or the far south, where it is not a native, growing naturally wild. However, it has been grown in Oregon and similar areas.

CHAPTER 12
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
The gardener should be careful where and how he gathers the mulch for covering the garden. It is possible to gather a bunch of bad weed seed and he be forced to "pull 'em out" the following spring. This could force a lot of unnecessary work on the man when careful selection would prevent it.
It is well for the gardener gathering leaves for mulch to beware of leaf mold found in forests below cultivated land, where there is the possibility of the seeds of weeds having washed or otherwise been carried over the leaves.
Strive in raising ginseng to grow it a direct imitation of the wild plant. You can't make a wrong move by doing this. The largest prices paid on the market is for the wild. You'll be "hitting" in the right direction.
With the proper shade and soil, ginseng can be grown in almost any section of the country.
Study the nature of ginseng. The hours spent thus will not only repay you in ginseng lore but in health, which is a valuable asset. Short of being able to study the plant in its natural habitat, you should procure all the Government bulletins, which may be obtained by writing to the U. S. Department o~ Agriculture, Washington, D. C. on the subject. They will be sent free. Also all the books you can lay your hands on will help pave the way to greater success with less failure.
Fallacious advertising in the past suggesting fabulous sums to be gained were a disadvantage to the industry. The inexperienced immediately entertained the supposition they could grow ginseng. Without study of the natural, requirements, their efforts were a failure. Many were thus led into ginseng culture who were not suited to it.
The monetary return can only be found after the work of sowing, trans-planting, growing, caring for the plants, harvesting and drying properly, which requires a certain number of years. The inexperienced who feels he can "dash in" and grab a hip pocket full of the long green cash profits, has another think coming. It cannot be done.
The man who is not familiar with this plant in the wild, should investigate its possibilities with thoroughness, to ascertain its advantages, as well as its disadvantages. The man who is not familiar with ginseng in its natural environment, is unfitted to its growing, until he has learned the habits of the plant.
It would be an enormous undertaking to estimate the pounds of roots amateur growers have ruined in the growing process, through disease brought on by a misunderstanding of the plant's requirements, or when drying by allowing the roots to scorch or sour. And all this on account of the fact so many have failed to stop and think before acting. Learn the facts! That's how to succeed.
It is not our plan to turn you against the business. A ginseng enterprise can be a means of gleaning some nice profits. Many growers are reaping monetary benefits. Some of them have been at it for a score or more years. Why do they still grow the plants? You can bet they are not doing it for the fun alone. They are making money! It is a worthwhile undertaking. But only after you have investigated the plant's nature. When you know how it is done, go ahead.
The amateur is by no means barred from ginseng culture. A man is an amateur be he 7 or 70 if he is inexperienced. Experience is what takes you out of the amateur class and pushes you up the ladder toward the top rung, which is called "skill." By study you can quit being inexperienced. By doing in a small way, you can gain in knowledge. If you are interested in growing ginseng, by all means invest a part of your money and find by first-hand experience what to do.
Delve into the culture of the plant in a small way. Start a plot or two. As you gain experience and interest, so you can, branch out and enlarge your gardens. If you like the project, you can more easily expand from the actual knowledge you have gained and the start you will have made. The seeds' you collect from your miniature garden' will arouse you to the fact your future plantings will be easier from sowing and growing your own beds, transplanting the two-year olds, than you would from buying two-year old plants to start with. It will be cheaper after you have started. Of course when you begin the ginseng garden, you can buy some plants. They are usually sold by the hundred, while seeds are sold by the thousand. The reason we urge you to buy some two-year old plants to get out in your garden in the fall is because it takes seeds 18 months to germinate. Ginseng will start producing seeds the third year. A vigorous plant when two years old may have a few seeds on its head.
A fine shade for ginseng would be three-fourths shade and one-fourth sun. A shade of two-thirds and a sun of one-third, would make a good substitute, for woods shade.
Ginseng seed are very delicate. One way to keep them until ready to sow, is to mix with fine sand. Sift sand and use three pints of sand to two pints of berries. If only a few seeds are to be packed away in this sand, slightly dampen the sand. One-half inch of sand should be spread out in the bottom of the jar or other container. Now place in a layer of berries (seeds), then another of sand. Repeat this process as often as necessary. When through, or the box or jar is full, always spread the sand on last, to protect the seeds. Over the sand a wet rag should be placed to preserve the moisture and on top of this the cover. The container holding the sand and the seeds should now be placed in a basement or cellar.
When packing seeds (berries containing seeds) the container, box or jar, should not be air-tight. Holes may be bored in the sides or top, thin cloth may be tied over the top, to prevent the seeds from sifting out. The pulp will be gone from the seeds in about 10 or 12 weeks. The seeds you may now gather by sifting through a strainer that will permit the sand passing through and retaining the seeds.
Now for what is called the "water test," sink the seeds below the surface of some water. All that float are no good, so skim them off and throw away. The seeds now may be packed away between layers of sand that is just damp; if the sand is too dry the germ in the seed may die, if too wet you may find the seeds have rotted. Try to keep the sand about as moist as you would naturally find the soil, if you should intend planting. in your vegetable garden, or like it would be beneath the leaf mold and mulch in the forest, where it would lay to germinate.
Planting ginseng seeds in the fall is conceded the best. If kept till spring and then sown, many will be lost. If you will make sure the seeds are only germinated (or cracked) seeds, chances of success will be greater, because this will show they are alive.
If sowing seeds in permanent beds you must place seeds at least 8 inches apart.
If sowing in a seed bed, where later you will remove for trans-planting, sow from 1 to 2 inches apart in the row, the rows 6 to 8 inches apart.
To trans-plant the 2 year old plants, set 8 inches apart in rows 8 inches apart.
Seeds sown in the bed for later transplanting should be covered with an inch of rotted down basswood, hickory, or similar soil. Rich woods loam is good. Never use pine nor oak wood for covering (it's saw dust) because it is not the best.
When trans-planting the young plants, place the bud at least two or more inches beIow the surface of the ground. This insures perfect insulation from the heat and cold.
Seed production is restricted simply by snipping off the flower heads. By doing this the roots will gain in weight and size more rapidly.
The center of the ginseng bed should be like a highway-it should be elevated so as to run the water off. This affords proper drainage. If the soil is gluey with an underlying hard-pan, then a drain tile in the center of the bed, every so far apart, may be necessary. The distance apart will depend on the soil. Heavy soil will require closer tile placing than lighter soil. By cultivating the soil deeper before the plants are set out, the soil that is heavy will afford a much better drainage.
As ginseng must have a free circulation of sir, the use of burlap for shading is inadvisable. This restricts the proper ventilation, as moving current of air cannot find freedom, and proves this shading is not conducive to the health of the plants.
Any method that provides excellent shade, where air is still allowed freedom is all right. The plan some growers follow, is to erect a frame for a lath covering. This is suitable due to the fact air can circulate freely beneath its shade.
For artificial shade where laths are used, set posts into the ground 8 feet apart each way and about the same above the ground. Scantlings of two by .four material are nailed on top of these posts so they run the long ways with the shed. Make panels or sections four by eight feet which is to be covered with the laths. Nail the laths from a quarter to a half an inch apart, narrower in the south where the sun will be shining hottest, while in the north where the rays will not affect the beds so badly, you may have the laths nailed a bit wider. The intensity of the sun will affect the width the laths are placed. The frames are so constructed as to enable the caretaker of the garden to remove them from the shed in the fall, when they will not be needed, and store away to prevent undue decay. They are then returned to their places on the frame-work when spring approaches again. This doubles the life of the frames and laths.
The laths should be placed on the top so they point north and south. This way, the sun moves the shade and shadow beneath from west to east as it travels from the raising in the morning until it sets that evening. The slats, (laths), are placed on their ends along the sides. It will take two four foot laths end to end, to reach the top. Keep in mind the value of plenty of air space when construction is being done. This is a necessity and should not
be overlooked.
The shade in some gardens are constructed so it swings on an axle. This way, the top, constructed of laths on frame-work, can be tilted up to allow the rainfall. to fall full on the plants, or raised to permit the sun to dry off the plants.
The "roof" of the shed ought not be made level. It should be so slanted that the water running down the laths will drip into the paths instead of onto the beds, which might during a hard or long period of wet weather, cause ditches to be cut out or soil to wash away.
Ginseng culture is profitable if you make a study of the plants nature then apply this knowledge to your gardening. It is not a difficult crop to cultivate providing you have the fundamental knowledge, the principles that form the basic foundation. Without a foundation a house cannot be built, neither any other venture be established.
As a general rule, from 5 to 7 years are required to grow marketable roots. It has been reported that well managed gardens, by expert ginsengers, have produced as much as two tons of roots to the acre. however, is above the average.
If it is decided to plant the seeds in the fall, which is the best time, you may begin in September and continue until the ground freezes or it gets too late. Germinated seeds are those that have been stratified through one season, as it takes 18 months for the seeds to come up. By planting these seeds, which may be obtained from reliable growers, such as Oscar Austin's Seng-Fur Farm, Canton, Minn., you will be able to get plants up the spring that follows the planting. This saves much time, in fact, a full year. So when you buy seeds, request stratified seed. Fall is the best time to trans-plant seedlings, too.
A black but light humus soil, virgin and of a clay nature, made up of wood that has rotted down to soil, or of rotted leaves, is probably the best soil. For high grade roots, clay is especially good. A sandy loam is all right. A small plot of rich forest loam well managed will produce better than larger plots not cared for as well. This should always be remembered. Being a crop that requires only a small area to produce large profits, when handled right, special care is essential. Study the plant in the wild. It is not possible for it to survive without shade.
The plants are washed after being dug and thoroughly dried before being shipped to market.
As to the best months for digging, September and October.
How much cultivation is required? The preparation of the soil for sowing the seeds and trans-planting the young plants, pulling the weeds that grow up among the plants during the growing season. That is all. Easy, simple labor.
The ginseng, being a perennial dies down in the fall but comes up from the same root the following spring.
The one contemplating entering the culture of ginseng should proceed with caution and common sense, to avoid unnecessary errors, besides loss of money.
Many potential growers wonder, trying to count the dollars ahead of time, how many roots does it take to make a pound. We might ask you "how many peanuts does it take?" or "how many potatoes?" as the answer depends much on the size of peanuts, potatoes, or ginseng roots.
Roughly, on an acre of garden, where all plants are healthy, there will be 100,000 plants. This figures the beds with the rows set 8 inches apart and the same distance between the plants in the row. That is quite a number of plants.
The ginseng beds should be anywhere from four to six feet wide, with an 18 inch path between the beds, in which you can sit or squat while pulling weeds out. This can best be arranged by the individual party, as the personal ideas of one grower would conflict with that of another. The width would depend much on the arrangement of the shade. It is best to have the beds wider if the ground drains well, but if of clay mixture, where water may be slow to drain right, the narrower the beds should be. Round the beds up so they are higher in the middle than at the edges. Boards or stone set 'on edge around the beds keeps them nice and in place. The, paths will be lower than, the beds, and the water will likely run down them, and afford better drainage.
Ginseng seeds ripen in late August. The clump of berries turns crimson when ripe. Seeds resemble tomato seed, only they are larger.
Wild ginseng has been dug very close for quite a few years. It is not found as plentifully as formerly. Some sections it is "dug out" where it would not pay a man to spend the day digging, except for the pleasure and fun to be had out in the golden hills. In many sections of the ginseng belt where it grows native to the territory, ginsengers will be digging most of the summer. As a rule, however, you will not find such selfish ginseng diggers as you once did. Men who hunted years ago dug all the plant found, whether small or large, with no thought as to replenishing the supply by sowing the seeds. More ginseng diggers now-a-days plant the seeds carefully before leaving the spot while using ex treme care to see that the young plants are not harmed in any way. When two small, ones grow close together, the conservative ginsenger will remove one a foot away, so' both will have a better chance to reach a mature size. The average ginseng digger knows small roots are not wanted except at very low prices, which do not pay to dig, and they had 'rather their competitor dig them a few years later than dig them while small. When they reach marketable size he knows he can return and be apt to find them unmolested. The old time 'senger made good wages, even at the low prices. Some men do, scarce as the plant is today, though most must take their returns from hunting the plant out in their love for the open spaces.
If you buy seeds or young plants to be-gin a garden, get them as near home as is' possible, or as near in your latitude as you can. Seeds and seedlings become adapted much quicker and begin to grow better. if you take this advice.
Plants that are brought from a region farther south than where you expect to begin your garden will require at least a little time to become acclimated to your' weather. Stock purchased farther north will be somewhat better. However, this ought, not stop you from beginning the culture of ginseng if you feel you can make it an enterprise. If the closest place you know of is a thousand miles away, go ahead and buy what is needed. Though they will be slow getting used to that section, by careful attendance you will lose very few.

CHAPTER 13
OUR FUTURE MARKET
There lurks a thought among a host of individuals that some day the Chinese people may cease to use ginseng and leave the budding industry in a predicament out of which it could not climb as the market would be gone.
The thriving millions who live in China must struggle for bread. The Chinese are said to be superstitious. There is room for doubt. The exports to that land of the Chinese during the World's War number two was cut off. With no market existing, any buyers of ginseng could only hold it on speculation. If the Japanese people had taken China, it is doubtful if the speculators would have come out on their purchases, though the prices paid were rather low. With no ginseng leaving this country, it Is easy to see why not a large price per pound could be paid. Following the World's War number 1 ginseng went to as high as $24 per pound. Since World War two came to an end, the price per pound has been steadily increasing.
The author is in a position where steady reports reach him every week or so, as to the rise or fall of this highly prized root of the Chinese. No doubt there are millions in China that were deprived of ginseng root, during the hectic war struggles. They will be eager now to get American ginseng, and the price will, naturally, rise. those who kept their gardens in shape through the war will receive benefits exceeding a lot of their expectations. The quicker a man studies the plant and begins it's raising, that much quicker, in the author's opinion, he will be in position to reap a harvest of good wages. Ginseng bought during the war could only be stored away and held till' higher prices. At the end of he war, ginseng was only bringing from 30c to 35c per ounce. It has been ascending in value to the present, with all chances of rising higher even yet. By the time this book comes out, we are afraid to estimate what it will be bringing. No doubt, it might have settled down to a steady price.
As the war came to a close, there may have been Chinese dealers dickering with 'he American ginseng buyers for the shipment of larger quantities of the root. At this writing, the price paid for wild roots has gone over the dollar an ounce mark. This is what we predicted it would do once he war came to an end, so we may be writing along the right line. This is a note of encouragement to all gardeners, and the diggers will again comb their old haunts, where once they used to "find diggings" and slowly the price will be apt to decrease. In the writers own opinion, I feel the big War wages has made a lot of people shy away from the labor type of work. In this case, the price for ginseng may stay high for a half dozen years, until thousands upon thousands thrown out of work will seek employment in the woods and hills, and the roots dug will satisfy the demands of the Chinese and prices will settle back down to normal.
The Chinese are no more apt to abandon the use and purchase of ginseng, American wild and cultivated if care is used in its cultivation, though they may kick against poorly grown, poorly dried, soured, rotted roots than the American people are apt to quit the use of coffee, tea, pepper, etc., which is bought from other countries and shipped here. Not any quicker will the Chinese cease to buy than the Americans will eliminate spices from their foods, and the tobacco habit. So why worry about its possibility? The Chinese have used ginseng for hundreds of years before the plant was discovered in the U.S. Properly grown ginseng will always be in demand. The price paid may rise or may fall, but the teeming millions of China will still need, and be willing to pay, for American ginseng. It happened that a missionary among the American Indians noted the ginseng plant, that it resembled what the Chinese used. A few plants were sent across and the word came back verifying his supposition. The news was received that the Chinese would buy the roots of American ginseng.
Ginseng is grown in China. The Korean beds produce very valuable plants of high quality and price, prized very much by those who are wealthy enough to afford them. Ginseng that comes from the United States, being lower in price, enables the lower class of Chinese people to purchase sufficient for their needs. There are Chinese dealers in the United States who handle ginseng directly with China, importing both cultivated roots and wild roots to advantage
As mentioned before, study the nature of the wild plant with particular attention to its environment. When a man has made a definite study and feels he can duplicate the wild product, coming close to it with his garden, he can make the cultivated plants "wild" by providing the same conditions as he found them in the forest.
Men and women who have spent their lives outdoors are naturally better equipped to begin a successful venture in the culture of ginseng than any other class of people. this is because they, from special contact with the plant, know its requirements.
Small area land owners, engaged at such enterprises as raising poultry, fruits, vegetables and similar, who are interested, may add a small garden for raising ginseng and find' it profitable. To them it would prove a lucrative side-line that would be mighty interesting. Along with the know-edge gained, the garden size could be enlarged.
The man who has favorable forest land should derive a nice income by having his 'garden in the woods. Trouble will probably develop from thieves, but care could be .exercised and stealing prevented. With one to five acres surrounded with thiefproof fence or by similar protection, the natural requirements are there for a very successful ginseng garden. The shade is natural, the mulching, too, is as it should be. All that would be necessary is see to he drainage, arranging of beds, paths to 'walk between beds, and to remove all excessive undergrowth which would hinder the work, trim the low limbs from the trees to allow free ventilation and room walk and work beneath. Make the beds rid clear out unnecessary trees and roots y grubbing up the ground. All the elements are here to produce roots of a wild quality, as the method of growing would be so similar to those growing in the wild state. This is the type wanted by the Chinese, and they are willing to pay high prices for. This is the natural way of rowing ginseng and if located and handled right, it is to be debated if it could be improved upon.
All diggers when after the wild plant, could avoid unearthing the young plants. after they dry, there is hardly anything left. And the lowest possible price is always paid for them.
The possibility of so many entering the game of growing ginseng that such quantities will be raised that the surplus will glut the market and cause prices to decline to $1.00 or less per pound is unlikely. The fact that so many enter the enterprise of ginseng raising is no indication that so many succeed. Most go into it blindly, without study, without knowing its requirements. And they fail. It is no wonder. If ginseng could be raised as you would raise potatoes, then the Chinese market would easily be flooded. However, that is not the case. Ginseng will forever be a plant some will not understand. Because it requires an intensive insight into its basic essentials of growth, there will not be many take time to learn.
So many who attempt to raise ginseng, will go right at it, without knowledge,. without study, without knowing what to do, and they wont' succeed. To go slow and build their business from knowledge gained from actual contact with the plant never occurs to them. Failure can only be their reward. There is considerable money in the cultivation of ginseng, but not for this type people.
Growers in the industry have tried and succeeded. They have profited from their mistakes. There is no trick nor secret to growing ginseng. The requirement is study of the plant's nature. When that is known, you have the key.
When selection of a plot in the woods has been made, be sure the plants are never set too close, as this may cause disease and its rapid spread, from too much dampness. Eight inches each way is about right.
The reason outdoor men, naturalists, hunters, trappers, fishermen, and even farmers, succeed at ginseng growing is because they are used to the open spaces, they know the plant, where it grows, what it needs to make it grow, the conditions under which it best thrives, and this type people take readily to its cultivation.
Southern ginseng planted in the north will doubtless experience trouble in ripening so late as to be killed by the early frosts. Likewise, the same trouble develops when you plant northern ginseng in the southern states. It often comes up so early that the spring frosts may kill the plant. However, a few hundred miles north or south does not seem to materially interfere with its growth and getting adapted to the region.
When you pack the seeds away for the winter, you should be careful that they are kept in a cellar or basement where they will not freeze. You should be watchful that the sand or woods loam you have packed them in does not dry out, neither become wet. Either condition may cause a loss of the seeds. The right condition is have it moist, in order to keep the seeds in the best condition. You may empty, sift out the seeds, once a month and note the state of the seed. Also it is helpful to the seeds, this airing them out, then repacking them in layers and returning to the cellar for keeping. When the seeds commence to crack open, they are ready for planting. Seed gathered this fall will not come up next spring, but must be stored away and kept until the following spring. Sowing them the fall following the fall they ripen will have them ready for coming up in the spring. When ordering seeds from growers, get seeds that have germinated, so they will come up quicker.
While a bed of well rotted manure will bring up the seedlings looking robust and strong, it often happens when left the second year that the plants rust and, if this procedure is followed, trans-plant the young plants the first year to avoid it. If left till the second year it may be transferred to the permanent beds.
When the tops have died down, the roots have reached their greatest growth possible that year. They are ready to be dug.
If in doubt whether your soil is acid or alkaline, where you intend growing ginseng, send a sample to your druggist or a laboratory for testing.
It is a good idea when disease has hit your beds, sterilize the soil before attempting to raise the plant any further. The formaldehyde treatment is suggested elsewhere in this manual, and is to be recommended.

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