224 FUR FACTS 



and the lucky finder would reap a harvest. Some one conceived the 

 idea of planting ginseng seed and raising the plant. Just who first 

 hit on this idea is a mooted question. At any rate the pioneers were 

 not very successful, and most of those who tried it, gave it up. How- 

 ever, it has been shown conclusively that ginseng can be successfully 

 grown, and that a larger root can be produced than is found in the 

 wild state. When the cultivated ginseng first made its appearance 

 on the market, the Chinese did not value it very highly and it looked 

 like cultivated ginseng was due to be a failure, but evidently the 

 Chinese have overcome their prejudice against the cultivated root, 

 as there is very little difference between the market value of the 

 cultivated and the wild root at this time. 



It is often asked why the Chinese do not raise their own ginseng. 

 One answer to this question seems to be that the ginseng requires 

 virgin soil, and some growers who have experimented claim that it 

 is impossible to raise a second crop of ginseng on the same land. 

 At any rate it grows best in new land, which would seem to indicate 

 that it requires the same natural conditions to cultivate the root as 

 in the wild state. This is further indicated by the fact that leaves are 

 used for mulching and every effort is made to create in the cultivated 

 field the conditions that exist in the wild state, both as to the leaves 

 that cover the plant and the shade that is furnished by the trees. 



Fromm Brothers, who probably have one of the largest ginseng 

 beds in this country, informed the writer that they got the best 

 results after the plant was six years old. Their method is to take 

 the ginseng seed, which has a very hard outer shell, and place it in 

 sand and leave it there for a year to germinate. This is done by 

 taking a wooden box, the size depending on the number of seeds that 

 are to be used, and laying a layer of sand on the bottom of the box 

 about six inches deep. Over this they spread a layer of ginseng seed, 

 and then a layer of sand about two inches deep, then another layer 

 of ginseng seed, etc. This box is kept in a damp, moist place, and 

 is allowed to remain as it is for one year. The seeds are then taken 

 out and planted in a bed and are allowed to remain there for two 

 years. At the end of the two years, the plant is about three or four 

 inches high. It is then transplanted and allowed to remain three 

 years and then the root is dug. It takes six years to mature a crop 

 from the time the seed is first planted; but after the 6th year a crop 

 may be gathered each year, and it is estimated that the yield of 

 dry roots from a well managed planting will be about a ton to the 

 acre. At the present price of $12.00 per pound this would net 



