50 AMERICAN ROOT DRUGS. 



prospective ginseng grower must not fail to bear in mind, Iiowever, tliat flnun 

 cial returns are by no means immediate. Special conditions and unusual care 

 are required in ginseng cultivation, diseases must be contended with, and a 

 long period of waiting is in store for him before he can realize on his cTop. 



Either roots or seeds may be planted, and the best success with ginseng is 

 obtained by following as closely as possible the conditions of its native habitat. 

 Ghiseng needs a deep, rich soil, and, being a plant accustomed to the shade of 

 forest trees, will require shade, which can be supplied by the erection of lath 

 sheds over the beds. A heavy mulch of leaves or similar well-rotted vegetable 

 material should be applied to the beds in autumn. , 



If roots are planted, they are set in rows about 8 inches apart and S inches 

 apart in the row. In this way a marketable product will be obtained sooner 

 than if grown from seed. The seed is sown in spring or autumn in drills (J 

 inches apart and about 2 inches apart in the row. The plants remain in the 

 seed bed for two years and are then transplanted, being set about 8 by 8 

 inches apart. It requires from five to seven years to obtain a marketable crop 

 from the seed. Seed intended for sowing should not be allowed to dry out, 

 as this is supposed to destroy its vitality. 



Price. — The price of wild ginseng roots ranges from .$.5 a pound upward. The 

 cultivated root generally brings a lower price than the wild root, and southern 

 ginseng roots are worth less than those from northern localities. 



Exports. — The exports of ginseng for the year ended June 30, 1906, amounted 

 to 160,949 pounds, valued at $1,175,844. 



WATER-ERYNGO. 

 Erynglum yiiccifiAhi m Michx. 



>i)l/iiviii/in. — Eryiiijlum aquaticum L. 



Other common names. — Eryngium, eryngo, button-snakeroot. mrn-snakeroot, 

 rattlesnake-master, rattlesnake-weed, rattlesnake-flag. 



Habitat and range. — Although sometimes occurring on dry land, water-eryngo 

 usually inhabits swamps and low, wet ground, from the pine barrens of New 

 Jersey westward to -Minnesota and south to Texas and Florida. 



Description of plant. — The leaves of this plant are grasslike in form, rigid, 

 1 to 2 feet long, and about one-half inch or a trifle more in width ; they are 

 linear, with parallel veins, pointed, generally clasping at the base, and the 

 margins bristly with soft, slender spines. The stout, furrowed stem i-eaches a 

 height of from 2 to 6 feet, and is generally mibranched except near the top. 

 The insignificant whitish flowers are borne in dense, ovate-globular, stout- 

 stemmed heads, appearing from June to September, and the seed heads that . 

 follow are ovate and scaly. (PI. V, fig. 4.) Water-eryngo belongs to the 

 j)arsley family (Apiacese) and is native in this country. 



Description of rootstock. — The stout rootstock is very knotty, with numerous 

 short branches, and produces many thick, rather straight roots (Vl. V, fig. 4), 

 both rootstock and roots of a dark-brown color, the latter wrinkled lengthwise. 

 The inside of the rootstock is yellowish white. Water-eryngo has a somewhat 

 peculiar, slightly aromatic odor, and a sweetish, nuicilaginous taste at first, 

 followed by some bitterness and pungency. 



Collection, prices, and uses. — The root of this plant is collected in autumn and 

 In-ings from 5 to 10 cents a pound. 



Water-eryngo is an old remedy, and one of its early uses, as the several 

 common names indicate, was for the treatment of snake bites. It was oflicial in 

 the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1860, and is employed now as a 



