BOTANY OF THE PLANT. 57 



In this connection also it may be well to call atten- 

 tion here to Mr. Stanton's statements with respect to 

 pinching off the blossoms. There is not the slightest 

 doubt that Mr. Stanton is correct. But, the pinching 

 must be done, as Mr. Stanton says, while the flower- 

 head is scarcely more than a bud. 



The natural range of ginseng in the United States 

 is shown in the accompanying map (Fig. 15), pre- 

 pared by the author for the Division of Botany, United 

 States Department of Agriculture. The shaded por- 

 tion shows the natural range of ginseng. 



Mr. Sears says in one of his circulars that "on 

 some seed-heads one or two rows of berries at the bot- 

 tom of the head will get ripe first, and with a little care 

 they may be gathered without knocking off any that 

 are green." Other growers think this is a risky opera- 

 tion because green berries may be knocked off. 



Some readers have had difficulty in understanding 

 the sentence commencing "The whole work of the 

 plant" (see top of Page 8). The matter may be made 

 clearer by the following sentence: During each year 

 of the first three years the energies of the plant are 

 employed in developing the solitary bud that produces 

 the stem and leaves of each ensuing year. 



"Many growers report that their roots, coming 

 from the South, will not ripen their seed in this State." 

 We do not know where the absurd idea that southern 

 ginseng could not thrive in the North, or vice versa, 

 ever got a foothold in an intelligent mind. Of course 

 the changing of climatic conditions will disarrange 

 the growth of the plant temporarily, but just as soon 

 as the plant gets accustomed to its new surroundings 

 it will partake of the characteristics of that section, 

 and it is all false to claim that it will not thrive. If it 

 does not thrive it means inattention or ignorance on 

 the part of the cultivator. 



In comment on the above quotations and also 



