78 PRESENT STATUS OP THE INDUSTRY. 



exportation might not be favored by the Chinese and 

 that the Canadian product would have to reach China 

 as American root. But even so, neither the Canadian 

 exporter nor his product should suffer. Turn about 

 is fair play; certain American products are sent abroad 

 from Canadian ports as Canadian ! 



The letter referred to above was written to Mr. 

 James Fletcher, Botanist of the Dominion Experi- 

 mental Farm, by Mr. George Johnson, Statistician of 

 the Canadian Department of Agriculture at Ottawa, 

 Ontario, Canada. "I have to say that Canada is an 

 importer to a small extent of ginseng, and my belief 

 is that it is pretty well run out. At any rate our trade 

 returns do not indicate that we exported any in recent 

 years. Possibly there is a small quantity exported, 

 but not likely. My recollection, so far as Canada is 

 concerned, is that we produced quite a quantity at one 

 time and that it was very good. It would be, I should 

 think, worth while if the Experimental Farms would 

 inquire into the causes of the abandonment of the 

 ginseng trade in Canada. It certainly was not because 

 the quality was poor, because China thought well of it, 

 and it was not because the supply was greater than the 

 demand, as for some years back there has been a ten- 

 dency to an increase in the price. We ought certainly 

 to have a good trade in ginseng with China." 



In proof that the American supply of wild ginseng 

 is declining, the statements made on Page 13 and the 

 table of exports on Page 47 find additional support in 

 the following letter from Messrs. A. C. Hartzell & Co. : 



"We have been in the ginseng business for over 

 fifty years, and have bought as much as 130,000 

 pounds in one season, but of course, that was some 

 years ago; and we have in fifty years handled close 

 to the million mark. We have in times past bought 

 as much as 5000 pounds from one party, and in a 

 season we would find quite a few who would have that 



