LETTERS FROM GROWERS. ^ 



market. We think it will be fatal to put ginseng 

 seed into ground known to be infected with 

 nematodes. 



"It should be the aim of every grower to produce 

 the best possible quality of root for market in order to 

 build up and maintain a high reputation for cultivated 

 ginseng. The demand of the Chinese market is for 

 solid, heavy roots. A large, light root is not as 

 desirable as a heavy, small one. To reach best results, 

 growth should be rapid and continuous, with liberal 

 fertilizing. Roots should be taken up when in best 

 prime condition. To determine how long they should 

 be left in the ground to attain best results is a problem 

 not easy to solve. From the experience and observa- 

 tion of ten years we have come to the conclusion that 

 four to six years is long enough to keep transplanted 

 roots in the ground. Much may depend upon soil, 

 climate and other conditions, but it is safe to assume 

 that when a bed of plants commences to go back, and 

 the seed crop is less than the year before, the plants 

 should be dug. It should be borne in mind that age 

 does not indicate quality. We often find wild roots 

 showing over sixty years' growth not nearly as large 

 nor as heavy as some not more than fifteen or twenty 

 years old. Like old people, after a certain age they 

 lose their vitality and vigor. 



"With the intensive culture applied to this plant we 

 are producing heavy seed crops at the expense of seed 

 production. With high price of seed the tendency is 

 to keep roots in the ground too long. The real value 

 of ginseng culture is production of root for the 

 Chinese market, which is willing to pay good prices for 

 quality. Selling seed and roots for planting is only 

 incidental; the extremely high prices are likely to do 

 the business more harm than good. To obtain best 

 results in root production in shortest possible time, we 

 think the seed head should be pinched off as soon as 



