96 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



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 seeds bring 

 five cents each (another writer says there 

 is unlimited demand at twenty-five cents 

 each) and yearling roots 20 cents each; 

 that the eighth year an acre should pro- 

 duce 3,120,00o seeds which sell at five 

 cents each, giving an annual income to 

 the fortunate grower of 1100,000.00 from 

 the seeds alone. 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 loss and failure 

 to generate or 120,000 seeds. 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 market, and can be sold 

 direct to consumers, the present price be- 

 ing 20 cents each or a total of $400,000 

 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 market price of 20 cents each, should, 

 after eighteen months bring a return of 

 $10,400." 



Could anything be more baldly ridicu- 

 lous. Let us suppose that only 1000 gar- 

 deners had the above success as to yield. 

 This would mean over three billion seeds 

 put on the market each year, which at five 

 cents each would require $150,000,000 an- 

 nually to pay for them, not to mention 

 the value of the roots. 



Suppose further that the ratio of in- 

 crease both in yield of crops and number 

 of growers continued the same for twenty- 

 five years there would not be money enough 

 in the world to buy a single year's crop. 

 China, the source of demand for Ginseng, 

 would have used all their wealth in its 

 purchase long before the twenty-five years 

 had elapsed: notwithstanding these air 

 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 intelligent 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 produced at reasonable cost of 

 labor and material. They may be stated 

 in a few words: A rich, deep, well-drained, 

 and moist soil, containing abundant de- 

 cayed vegetable matter and not too heavy 

 or clayey. Humus or vegetable mold, ob- 

 tained by using decayed forest leaves is 

 extremely beneficial, as is also thoroughly 

 rotted compost. Shade sufficient to keep 

 off the direct rays of the sun is almost 

 necessasy, particularly in sections where 

 the heat is exccessive. Add to this care- 

 ful cultivation and you have the secret, if 

 there really be any, of growing 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 pre- 

 pared for market, and the extra care taken 

 to produce a fine article, clean, well graded 

 and perfeccly dry is more than repaid by 

 the much higher price such roots will 

 bring. 



The writer who has had many years of 

 experience 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 ag&inst the wildly 

 extravagant articles that appear from time 

 so time and which will damage rather than 

 help an industry that really does promise 

 most unusual returns for the labor and ex- 

 pense necessary to cultivate it success- 

 fully. 



HARLAN P. KELSEY. 



