AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES. 



137 



hardly have found a more fitting name for the panacea of the 

 eastern monsoon-region than the word Panax,^ with which the 

 ancients probably designated certain species of Ferula in Asia 

 Minor and Pontus. He had heard of it through Kaempfer and 

 others. 



The ginseng-plant grows wild in the mountain forests of Eastern 

 Asia, from Nepal to Manchooria. But 

 in Japan it has only been found as yet 

 in cultivation. In the deep woods of 

 Chinese Manchooria, between 39° and 

 47° N. Lat., it was first observed by 

 Pater Jartoux. But the roots gathered 

 here with so much care, a prerogative 

 of the Chinese imperial household, do 

 not suffice for the large demand in that 

 country. The supply has to be made 

 up in part by a considerable cultivation 

 of the plant in Northern China, in Corea, 

 and Japan, and by a rather large import- 

 ation from Philadelphia and Baltimore. 

 These cities furnish China the roots of 

 the less valuable Panax quinqiiefolitis 

 which grows in the Alleghany Moun- 

 tains. 



In Japan, black, loamy soil, in dry 

 situations, is chosen for raising ginseng. 

 Only in such earth does its tap-root 

 grow sturdy enough, and of a white 

 colour. In ferruginous soil it takes a 

 reddish tinge, which lessens its value. 

 The field is well manured, thoroughly 

 dug up and prepared. Then it is 

 divided into beds, which are, as a rule, 

 27 Japanese feet (8*13 meters) long, 2 J 

 feet broad, and 2 feet apart. They 

 always lie from east to west. To shield 

 the plants from direct sunshine and 

 heavy rains, each bed is covered with a 

 thatched roof, running lengthwise f to 

 I meter above the ground and sup- 

 ported on posts and poles. These roofs 

 incline slightly to the south. Ginseng plantations are thus easily 

 recognisable at a distance by an observant traveller, e.g. in the 

 province of Shinano, by the side of the Nakasendo, in Aidzu, and 

 elsewhere. While it is growing, it is only necessary to keep the 

 ground clear and loosen the soil occasionally, besides manuring it 

 several times with straw ashes. 



Fig. 2. 



From jravaKrjs, all-healing. 



