FUR FACTS 227 



It should be in a condition to grow good vegetables without the 

 addition of strong manure. 



The very best fertilizers are wood soil or rotted leaves 4 to 6 

 inches deep, well incorporated to a foot in depth, and fine raw bone 

 meal well worked in, applied at the rate of 1 pound to each square 

 yard. If yard manures are used they should be very thoroughly 

 rotted and in order to give the best results should be worked in some 

 months previous to planting the beds. Chemical fertilizers and 

 wood ashes have been used, but as seriously injurious results have 

 sometimes followed it is best for the beginner at least, to depend on 

 rotted leaves and raw ground bone to enrich the soil. For seed beds 

 the soil should be half woods earth, free from fiber, and if inclined to 

 be heavy, enough sand should be added so the mixture will not bake 

 or harden even after heavy rains. 



Planting the Beds 



Ginseng seeds are best planted in spring as early as the soil can 

 be worked to advantage. Only cracked or partially germinated 

 seeds should be used. They may be planted 6 inches apart each 

 way in the permanent beds or 2 by 6 inches in seed beds and trans- 

 planted to stand 6 or 8 inches apart when 2 years old. The seeds 

 should be covered 1 inch deep with woods soil or old rotten hickory 

 or basswood sawdust. That from pine or oak trees should not be 

 used. The roots may be set any time from October to April when 

 the soil is in suitable condition, the crowns being placed about 2 

 inches below the surface. The most approved distances to plant are 

 6 or 8 inches apart each way, the latter being preferred when the 

 7-year-old roots are to be grown. 



Many planters round the surface of the beds, making the center 

 several inches higher than the sides, since they find space for more 

 plants on the curved than on the flat surface, but others claim that 

 the possible injury from drought in very convex beds more than 

 offsets this advantage. It is important, however, to have the centers 

 high enough not to retain water after a rain. For roots the beds 

 should be worked fully 12 inches deep, but the seed beds need not be 

 so deeply stirred, as it is not advisable to have them settle to any 

 marked extent. 



Ginseng needs little cultivation, but the beds should at all times 

 be kept free from weeds and grass, and the surface of the soil should 

 be scratched with a light tool whenever it shows signs of caking. 

 Ginseng seedlings grow about 2 inches high the first year, with three 



