CULTURE OF AMERICAN GINSENG. 437 



CULTURE OF AMERICAN GINSENG. 



The subject of growing ginseng has recently received so 

 much attention from the agricultural press of the country and from 

 circulars and pamphlets sent broadcast throughout the country by 

 dealers, that hundreds of people are being induced to try its culture. 



Many of the articles are written by people who have no personal 

 knowledge of the best way to grow it or of the profits to be derived 

 thereby. Others are written by dealers who have seeds and plants to 

 sell, and in both instances as a rule the information is second hand 

 and unreliable. The most extravagant figures are given showing 

 enormous yields produced on a given acreage and Monte Cristo for- 

 tunes to be made out of a paltry investment while one loafs in the 

 back yard watching the gold dollars sprouting. 



Certain dealers have sent out figures informing the public that 

 $5 invested in their seeds and plants will show a value of $44,340.00 

 the fifteenth year. 



A million dollar bed in twelve years from a $1,000 investment 

 is advertised on another page. A value zvhich cannot he obtained 

 except perhaps in small quantities is placed on the seeds and young 

 plants, and the ratio of increase and loss is given very accurately and 

 more extravagantly on paper. Can any of these versatile writers 

 please inform us how many turnips can be grown on a $5 investment 

 in twelve years, the price the roots and seeds will bring each year 

 and how rich a man will be at the end of that period ? Certainly not, 

 and information pretending to figure it out would be absolute non- 

 sense. 



An article on ginseng appeared in a western paper a short time 

 ago and was extensively copied. Among other wild statements the 

 writer said that seeds bring five cents each (another writer says 

 there is unlimited demand at twenty-five cents each) and yearling 

 roots twenty cents each ; that the eighth year an acre should produce 

 3,120,000 seeds which sell at five cents each giving an annual income 

 to the fortunate grower of $100,000.00 from the seeds alone. He 

 further states : "Say that a full crop of seed from one acre is avail- 

 able for planting. That will be 3,120,000 seed. Allow for the loss 

 and failure to generate or 1,120,000 seed. This will leave 2,000,000 

 seed that are practically sure to generate and create 2,000,000 roots. 

 In eighteen months these roots will be ready for the market and can 

 be sold direct to consumers, the present price being 20 cents each 

 or a total of $400,000,000 from the ginseng crop in eighteen months. 

 This crop of 2,000,000 roots would require a space of approximately 

 forty acres. One acre should produce 52,000 roots, which at the 



