358 



GINSENG 



GINSENG 



Fig. 507. Dry ginseng roots. 

 One-third natural size. 



for the ills of those organs; and, as the roots of 

 ginseng often resemble the form of a man, they 

 are therefore specific for the ills of man. 



When the plant is old enough to produce fruit it 

 is rather conspicuous and is easily recognized, but 



until three or four 

 years old it is not 

 usually very promi- 

 nent. The seedlings 

 at first somewhat 

 resemble newly 

 sprouted beans, in 

 that they send up 

 two cotyledons, and 

 from between them 

 a stem with two 

 minute leaves. 

 These enlarge until 

 the plant has at- 

 tained its first sea- 

 son's growth (about 

 two inches). The 

 work of the plant 

 during the first 

 year is to develop 

 the bud at the 

 crown of the root, 

 which is to produce 

 the next season's stem and leaves. In autumn the 

 stem dies and breaks off, leaving a scar, at the side 

 of which is the solitary bud. In the spring of the 

 second year this bud produces a straight, erect 

 stem, at the top of which the one to three branch- 

 like stalks of the compound leaves appear. Three to 

 eight leaflets are developed, which usually rise not 

 more than four inches from the ground. The third 

 year eight to fifteen leaflets may be put forth, and 

 the plant may attain a height of eight inches. In 

 succeeding years the plant may produce three, 

 sometimes four or even five leaf- stalks three or 

 four inches long, each bearing five thin leafiets 

 palmately arranged, two of them an inch or two 

 long, the remainder three or four inches, egg-shaped 

 in outline, with the broad end away from the stem, 

 abruptly pointed and saw-toothed. 



At a point where the leaf -stalks meet, the main 

 axis is continued into an erect flower-stalk, two 

 to five inches long, bearing in early July, or in late 

 June, a number of inconspicuous, yellowish green 

 flowers. These are soon followed by the fruit, 

 which develops rapidly, remaining green until the 

 middle of August, when it begins to turn red, 

 becoming scarlet and ripe in September. The ber- 

 ries, which have the taste of the root, are the size 

 and shape of small wax beans, and contain two 

 or occasionally three seeds each. No seed is pro- 

 duced the first year, and only an occasional berry 

 on extra strong plants in the garden in the second 

 season. It is only the third season that the plants 

 produce seed in any quantity. Plants in cultivated 

 beds produce more freely than those in the forest. 



History. 



American ginseng was discovered near Montreal, 

 Canada, in 1716, by Father Laftau, a missionary 



among the Iroquois Indians. Soon the French began 

 collecting it, through the Indians, for export to 

 China. The demand thus created was so large that 

 ginseng presently became an important article of 

 commerce in Canada. It was not until 1750 that 

 ginseng was found in the more southern colonies 

 of New England. In 1751 it was found in central 

 New York and at Stockbridge, Mass. It was also 

 found plentifully in Vermont at the time of the 

 settlement of that state. 



Ginseng in its wild state grew abundantly in the 

 hard-wood forests of a large part of the United 

 States, and was dug in quantities sufiicient to sup- 

 ply several hundred thousand pounds of the dried 

 or prepared root each season. In the past few 

 years the supply of forest root has greatly dimin- 

 ished, the result of so many persons being engaged 

 in hunting for ginseng in the summer months and 

 the vast extent of timber land that has been 

 cleared for pasture. The early collectors gathered 

 only such roots as they thought had grown to mar- 

 ketable size, but in the past twenty years practically 

 no attention has been given to the age or size. 

 Digging the root before the seed had an opportun- 

 ity to ripen contributed much to the almost total 

 extinction of the forest root, with the result that 

 the garden cultivation of ginseng has been largely 

 engaged in to supply the Chinese markets. 



Ginseng has been grown under cultivation in 

 America for the past twenty years, and it has been 

 fully demonstrated that the plant can be raised 

 successfully provided the necessary requirements 

 are furnished. 



Culture. 



Ginseng is propagated from the seed produced 

 in the small berries which ripen during the early 

 part of September. Eighteen months are required 

 for these seeds to germinate, and during this time 

 they must not be allowed to dry. When the ber- 

 ries are gathered, they should either be planted at 

 once or be stored in four times their bulk of clean, 

 moist sand. A tight wooden box will answer the 



Fig. 508. Ginseng plants coming up. 



purpose for storing, but, as mice are very fond of 

 ginseng seed, the top should be covered with a 

 wire screen. The box containing the seed may be 

 stored in a cool cellar during the stratifying 

 process, which requires twelve months. During 

 this time great care should be exercised in keeping 

 the sand continually moist ; if the sand gets dry, 

 the seed will generally become moldy very soon, in 

 which case it should be separated from the sand, 



