226 FUR FACTS 



The Culture of Ginseng 



Ginseng grows naturally in rather dense shade and when placed 

 under cultural conditions must be shielded from direct sunlight by 

 tree shade or some construction that will reduce the light to about 

 one-fourth its normal intensity. This may be accomplished by plant- 

 ing it in forest beds, or, in cultivated ground, by erecting sheds open 

 to the north and possibly to the east, but covered at the top and the 

 south and west with laths or boards so spaced as to cut out nearly 

 three-fourths of the sunlight. Brush and heavy burlap have been 

 used with fair success for shading, but thin or ordinary muslins are 

 useless, as they do not intercept enough light. Denser shade is 

 required in southern localities than in the North. The rule appears 

 to be one-sixth sunlight in the latitude of Kentucky and somewhat 

 denser south, rising to one-fourth or more in Michigan and Wisconsin. 

 In the North, where open construction is preferred, Lima beans or 

 morning glories may be planted on the south and west sides and 

 allowed to run on poultry netting, thus furnishing shade during the 

 brightest summer months. 



There are many methods of construction, but the most common is 

 to set posts firmly in the ground 8 feet apart each way and about 7 

 feet high above the ground. Scantlings 2 by 4 inches in size are 

 nailed on top of the posts, running the long way of the shed. The 

 shade is usually made in sections 4 by 8 feet long, using common 

 4-foot laths or slats nailed on strips 2 by 2 inches and 8 feet long. 

 The laths should be spaced from one-fourth to one-half inch apart, 

 according to locality, whether in the North or in the South. These 

 sections of shading are laid on top of the 2 by 4 inch runners and so 

 nailed to the posts that the laths run about north and south, thus 

 giving the plants below the benefit of constantly alternating light 

 and shade 



For covering seed beds a rather low shade is desirable, in order to 

 prevent the washing out of the seeds by the drip from the laths. 

 Poultry netting covered with brush, straw litter, or burlap, made 

 light in spring and denser as the sun gains power, answers very well. 



The beds under shade should be 4 feet wide and preferably should 

 run east and west, being so placed that the drip will fall to a great 

 extent in the paths. The sides may be of 12-inch boards set 8 inches 

 or more in the ground to keep out the moles and held in place with 

 small stakes. The soil should be fairly light and so well drained 

 naturally or artificially that water can at no time remain on the beds 



