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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Ginseng may have some medicinal 

 value, and it is a good condiment for 

 those who like it, as do the Chinese. 

 But it appears that the Chinese value 

 the plant chiefly on the doctrine of 



following in the advertising pages in 

 the early part of 1910: 



Mr. J. K. Bramer, of Onondaga Co., N. Y., 

 sold $4,937.52 worth of dry Ginseng. This 

 was grown on one-eighth of an acre, and had 



MR. H. R. SMITH OF STAMFORD. CONNECTICUT, IN HIS LITTLE PLOT OF GINSENG. 



likeness — an optical version of similia, 

 similibus curantur. It is stated that 

 they grade the root in proportion to its 

 likeness to the nude human being. 

 Some of the roots in outline resemble 

 the human figure, but many do not. It 

 is, therefore evident that the Chinese 

 do not depend wholly upon this resem- 

 blance, although it is said that eighteen 

 dollars per pound are given for those 

 which closely resemble the human 

 body. 



In our advertising pages some re- 

 markable statements have been made 

 which, while true, undoubtedly refer to 

 exceptional cases. As, for example, the 



been from four to eight years under cultiva- 

 tion. The beds that were dug, as Mr. Bra- 

 mer expressed it, "were not doing as well 

 as they might" and were not the best beds 

 in his garden, and were not dug for the 

 purpose of making a record. The small 

 roots and sets which he cut from the tops 

 of the roots were worth, at the same price 

 per pound a little over $1,000.00. These 

 were set back in the beds which he dug. This 

 makes the total value from one-eighth acre 

 $6,000.00 in round numbers, or $48,000.00 

 from one acre for the dry root. 



This statement has been severely 

 criticised by some of our correspon- 

 dents who do not claim that it is un- 

 true, but that it was an exceptional 

 case. We cannot blame an advertiser 



