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The Culture of American (linseng. 



Some Accurate Information Rej^ardiuji; this 

 Valuable Plant. 



The subject of j^rowing Ginseng has recently re- 

 ceived s ) much attention from the agricultural press 

 of the country and from circulars and pamphlets 

 sent broadcast throughout the country by dealers, 

 thiit hundreds of people are being induced to try 

 its culture. 



Mnny 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. 

 Oihers are written by dealers who have seeds and 

 plants to sell, and in b ith instances ;is a rule the 

 info m ition is second hand and unreliable. The 

 most extravagant figures are given showing enor- 

 mou-; yields produced on a given acreage and Monte 

 Cri to fortunes tt) be made out of a paltry invest- 

 ment while one lies in the back yard w.itching the 

 gold doUiirs sprouting. 



Cerain dealers have sent out figures informing 

 th- pub.ic that $5. invested in their.seeds and plants 

 will show a value of f 44, 340.00 the fift enth year. 

 A mi lion dollar bed in twelve years from a $1000. 

 investment is advertised on another page. A value 

 '■i^.'liich camwl be obtahit'd ex', ept perhaps in sin ill 

 quunities is placed on tha seids and young plants 

 and the ratio of increase and loss is given very ac- 

 curately and more extravagantly on paper. Can 

 any of these versatile writers please inform us how 

 many turnips tan be grown on a f 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 

 prete ding to figure it out would be absolute non- 

 sense. 



An article on Ginseng entitled "Valuable Farm 

 Land " appeared in the S^ Louis Republic a short 

 time ago and was extensively copied by other 

 papers in the South and Southwest. Among other 

 wild statements the writer said that seeils bring 

 five cents each (another writer says there is unlim- 

 ited de.nand at twenty five cents each) and year- 

 ling roots 20 cents each; that the eighth year an 

 acre shotild produce 3,120,000 seeds which 5ell at 

 five cents each, giving an annual income to the 

 fortunate grow- r of $'00,000.00 from the seeds 

 ;ilone. He further states ; "Say that a full crop of 

 seed from one acre is available for planting. That 

 will be 3,120,000 seeds. Allow for the less and 

 failure to generate or 1,120.000 seeds. This will 

 leave 2,000,000 seed that are practically sure to 

 germinate and create 2,000,000 roots. In eighteen 

 months these roots will be ready for market, and 

 can be sold direct to consumers, the present price 

 20 cents each or a total of $400,000 from the Gin- 

 seng 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 market price of 20 cents each, should, 

 after eighteen months, bring a return of $10,400." 



Cnild anything be more baldly ridiculous. Let 



us sujjpose that only 1000 gardeners had the above 

 success as to yield. This would m^an over three 

 billion seeds put on the market each year, which 

 at five cents each would requiie $150,000,000 an- 

 nually to pay for them, not to mention the value of 

 the roots. 



Suppose further that the ratio of increase both 

 in yield of crops and number of growers continued 

 the same for twei:ty-five years there would not be 

 money enough in the world to buy a single years 

 crop. China, the source of demand io\ Ginseng, 

 would have used all its wealth in its purchase 

 long before the peiiod of twenty-five years had 

 elapsed. Notwithstanding these a-r castles there is 

 an enormous profit in growing the plant, but it 

 depends on the individual grower as in any other 

 crop. The right conditions for its culture must be 

 supplied, either naturally or artificially and intell- 

 igent cultivation given. There will probably 

 always be a good demand for the root at high 

 prices, and it is an article commanding cash at all 

 times. 



These conditions for growing are readily found 

 in nearly all the States of the Union or can be pro- 

 duced at reasonable cost of labor and material. 

 They may be stated in a few words ; A rich, deep, 

 well-drained, and moist so 1, containing abundant 

 decayed vegetable matter and not too heavy or 

 clayey. Humus or vegetable mold, obtained by 

 using decayed forest leaves is extremely beneficial, 

 as is also thoroughly rotted compost. Shade suffi- 

 cient to keep off the direct rays of the sun is almost 

 necessary, particularly in sections where the heat 

 is excessive. Add to this careful cultivation and 

 you have the secret, if there really be any, of grow- 

 ing Ginseng successfully. Lath covers are perhaps 

 the best artificial shade and apple trees have been 

 found good to keep the ground protected from the 

 sun. At maturity the roots must be carefully and 

 properly prepared for market, and the extra care 

 taken to produce a fine article, clean, well graded 

 and perfectly dry is more than repaid by the much 

 higher price such roots will bring. 



The writer who has had many years of exper- 

 ience growing this root will be glad to give fuller 

 information as to the best modes to be used in its 

 cultivation, but would warn the reader against the 

 wildly extravagant articles that appear from time 

 to time and which will damage rather than 

 help an industry that really does promise most un- 

 usual returns for the labor and expense nece-sary 

 to cultivate it successfully. 



Harlan P. Kelsey. 



Tremont Building, Boston. 



Walbridge. 



Sir,— The apple you sent me for identification 

 under date of Nov. 1 6th is Walbridge. This vari- 

 ety, as you probably know, originated in Illinois 

 a good many years ago. It has always been rec- 

 ommended for hardiness of trees and long-keeping 



