90 PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. 



It is believed, however, that no adulteration with the 

 Japanese article worthy of extended notice is practiced, 

 since the imports of Japanese ginseng into the United 

 States for the years 1895 and 1896 were $846.60 and 

 $358.19 respectively. Even if the whole of this im- 

 ported ginseng were used for sophistication of Amer- 

 ican roots, it would form but a very small percentage 

 of the actual output, which amounted in 1896 to 

 $770,673 ; but it is believed that this Japanese root 

 found its way to the States upon the Pacific Coast, 

 there to be used not to adulterate the American article, 

 but to supply the demand of the resident Chinese and 

 Japanese. 



"Apart from adulteration there is little fraud prac- 

 ticed, except by a few collectors, who load the root 

 with nails, screws, lead, and other heavy substances to 

 make the sample 'weigh up well.' These foreign sub- 

 stances may be inserted while the root is soft with 

 comparative ease. Upon drying, the shrinking of the 

 root generally exposes the metal. Little loss is sus- 

 tained, however, through this fraud, since the whole- 

 saler refuses such roots as have been plugged, and the 

 country merchant is supposed to shift his prices when 

 bartering groceries and dry goods for ginseng roots." 



Perhaps, however, more disappointment is caused 

 by misrepresentation of the possibilities of ginseng 

 culture in a short time upon any kind of soil from 

 muck to brick clay, than by any other kind of fraud. 

 Exaggerated statements based upon estimates are com- 

 mon in the daily papers, and it is believed that many 

 would-be ginseng growers are duped annually in con- 

 sequence. As a matter of fact careful authorities are 

 of opinion that the present area devoted to ginseng that 

 will be ready for market within the next two years is 

 probably less than ten acres. And this is largely in 

 plats of only a few square rods at most, and the largest 

 part of which, so far as the grower of it is concerned, 



