PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY. 



plants come up in the spring, thus throwing growth all 

 into the roots. This, of course would be heroic treat- 

 ment with seed at from $50 to $100 a pound, but we 

 think it will come into general practice in the near 

 future. It is not at all likely that the present high 

 prices of seed will maintain many years, and it is not 

 best that they should. Neither is it likely to go as low 

 again as in the pioneer days of this industry. When 

 the price gets so low that it no longer pays for its 

 production, then take off the seed heads and develop 

 root growth. I have often said to people visiting my 

 grounds that the seed crop was a silver mine, while 

 at the bottom of the plant was a gold mine. Better 

 develop the gold mine, as that is destined to be the only 

 true standard of value. 



"Here let us emphasize the value of starting with 

 good stock. We consider northern stock much more 

 desirable than southern ; northern ginseng commands 

 a much higher price in the market than the southern. 

 In the South it has assumed a fixed type known as 

 'nubbin' and 'peanut' ginseng. Northern grown 

 seed is much larger than southern some southern 

 growers claim thirteen thousand seeds to the pound, 

 while best grade northern seed runs about eight thou- 

 sand to the pound. It stands to reason, and our own 

 experience and observation bear it out, that large seed 

 will produce large, strong plants from the start, other 

 conditions being favorable. We are not making this 

 statement in the interest of any particular geographical 

 or local section but in the general interest of the 

 business. 



"We have observed a peculiar freak of ginseng 

 seed which we have never observed in any other kind 

 of seed, and that is, two separate, distinct stems from 

 one seed and only one root. It is not the result of 

 'stooling out' or after development; the indication 

 is that some of the seeds have double germs. It does 



