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THE GINSENG INDUSTRY OF ONONDAGA CO., N. Y. 
Miss Louise W. Roserts. 
DECEMBER 20, IgO1. 
One member of the araliaceae family, Panax quinque foli- 
um, now rarely greets us from its shady nook in the ravine and 
forest but more often from its artificially shaded and highly cul- 
tured fields. 
The history of ginseng is unique, and its fabulous cost is sur- 
prising when we remember that only one nation makes use of it 
to any extent. 
For hundreds of years the roots have been cherished by the 
Chinese as a panacea for all their ills, and a prized article for 
presents. The roots are often forked or branched and grow in 
imagination, to resemble the human form, hence its name, gin- 
seng, signifying man. ‘They imagine the parts representing the 
arms will cure the diseases of the arms and so on. ‘The more 
nearly the root resembles the human form the more expensive it 
is. The highest grade is raised in Manchuria in the royal gar- 
dens and hunting grounds, and carefully watched. Death is the 
penalty paid for dealing in it without a government license. The 
price of the Manchurian roots ranges from $40 to $200 a pound. 
The next in value is the Rorean species which our Panax quin- 
que folium so closely resembles. The roots of the Kurean plants 
range from $15 to $35 a pound. 
When the Europeans learned of these fabulous prices they 
began searching for it in North America where the French, 
through the description given them by Father Jartoux, who for 
a long time was a Jesuit missionary among the Chinese, discoy- 
ered a plant in Canada which answered the description. It was 
our Panax quingue folium. ‘This plant was discovered in the year 
1710. 
The Iroquois soon found great quantities in their lands. 
They called it ga-ren-to-quen, signifying legs, thighs. 
So the French ,aided by the Indians, collected and exported 
great quantities. The demand increased, and for some time it 
