36 GINSENG 



CHAPTER XIII. 

 GIN5ENQ. 

 SHADING. Ginseng is a native forest plant, and as we have noticed, 

 in its natural home, will only thrive in tiie shade, not a dense shade 

 however, for some sunlight is most essential. In preparing an ar- 

 tificial home for the plant, we must provide this shade by building 

 an arbor over the beds. Here, as in some other cases, we can im- 

 prove on the natural home of the plant, in as much as we can build 

 the shade arbor so that the shade is more uniform. By providing 

 the shade in this manner we also do away with the roots of the 

 trees which exist in the forest soil in large numbers, and sap the 

 ground and rob the plant of much nourishment. 



A shade arbor may be constructed in various ways. A cheap 

 arbor may be built by setting posts at necessary intervals, fasten- 

 ing crosspoles to the top of the posts and cover with brush suffi- 

 ciently to shut out al^out eighty per cent of the sun light, and 

 allowing about twenty per cent of sunlight to penetrate; this pro- 

 portion has been found proper for this locality- In the southern 

 states the shade should be a little denser. 



A more practicable shade arbor than the one just suggested, 

 can be built by setting posts in the ground at intervals of from 

 eight to ten feet apart, letting the posts extend 7 feet above 

 ground. Fasten 1x4 inch boards to the side of the upper end of 

 the posts for joists, running from North to South. Crosswise, on 

 top of the joists, fasten 2x4 rafters on the Hat side, four feet apart 

 from center to center This will complete the frame work upon 

 which ordinary laths (Fig. 8) can be nailed, allowing a space or f 

 of an inch between the laths. In localities where the snowfall is 



