GINSENG 



GINSENG 



359 



thoroughly washed and repacked in new sand that 

 has never been used for this purpose. The sand 

 should be passed through a fine-meshed sieve before 

 using, then when the seeds are wanted it may be 

 sifted, making a very easy way of separating it 

 from the seed. 



After storing for ten or twelve months, as de- 

 scribed, the outside shell will begin to crack on a 

 large percentage of the seed, when it is ready for 

 planting. Some growers advocate planting the seed 

 as soon as harvested ; others advise burying it in 

 the open ground for the first twelve months ; but 

 the writer has devoted a great deal of time and 

 study to stratifying seed and thinks that the above 

 method will give by far the best results. 



This is the Korean method of caring for ginseng 

 seed: Remove the pulp or berry from the seed. 

 Wash clean, place in thin cloth bag, and store in 

 dry, cool cellar, until ready to plant. Soak the seed 

 in iDlood-warm water (98°-100°) for seventy-two 

 hours and immediately plant. Will grow in five to 

 ten days. Seed may be planted the next year after 

 it is harvested, or kept for any number of years. 

 It is planted in May only after danger of frost is 

 past. 



Seed-beds. — ^The beds for the seed should not be 

 over four feet wide, as this is the most convenient 

 width for weeding and working. They should be 

 raised several inches above the level to supply good 

 drainage, and surrounded by six-inch boards to 

 prevent washing. Walks between beds may be six- 

 teen or eighteen inches wide. 



In preparing the seed-bed, the soil should be 

 worked very fine ten to twelve inches deep. The 

 seed may be sown either in drills two inches apart 

 each way or scattered broadcast. The latter 

 method requires much less labor than the former 

 and, if the seeds are scattered evenly, will be 

 found to give as good results. When drilled in, it 

 will be sufiicient to place the seeds one inch apart, 

 if they are to be transplanted the first season. 

 Some growers do not transplant till the second sea- 

 son's growth has been completed. There are 7,000 

 to 7,500 seeds in a pound ; southern seed will some- 

 times go ten thousand or more to the pound. After 

 the seeds are sown, they should be covered with one 

 inch of fine, rich soil. If the natural soil is a rich 

 loam, light or sandy, it will answer the purpose, 

 but if it is of a heavy texture a liberal quantity of 

 leaf-mold or other light soil that is well supplied 

 with decayed vegetable matter should be added. 



September and October aVe the best months for 

 sowing the seed. After the planting, no work is 

 needed until the following spring, with the excep- 

 tion of giving the beds a light mulching of buck- 

 wheat straw or forest leaves to protect them dur- 

 ing the winter. In early spring the mulching 

 should be entirely removed before the plants make 

 their appearance, which is in the early part of 

 May. 



In the growing season the beds must be kept 

 free from weeds and allowed a free circulation 

 of air, to keep the plants strong and healthy. In 

 early autumn the seedling roots may be planted 

 in permanent beds or left for another season's 



growth. Either method is practicable, as either 

 one- or two-year-old roots are desirable for trans- 

 planting. 



Permanent beds. — In locating permanent beds, 

 ground should be chosen that slopes sufficiently 

 to carry away the surface water. An eastern or 

 northern exposure will be found the most desirable, 

 as the garden is much more protected from the 

 direct rays of the sun than with a southern or 

 western slope. The garden should be located where 

 it can have a free circulation of air ; high ground, 

 entirely away from buildings, is preferred. 



In preparing permanent beds, the soil should be 

 mellowed to a depth of twelve to fourteen inches ; 

 the beds should be raised four to six inches above 

 the level, and surrounded with four- or six-inch 

 boards, the same as the seed-beds. Ginseng will 

 grow in almost any kind of soil, but unless it is of 

 proper texture, the growth will be so slow that it 

 will take several years to develop the roots to a 

 marketable size. A light, deep, rich, well-drained 

 soil that is supplied with decayed vegetable matter 

 should be selected, — a soil that will not bake and 

 crack or become firm and hard after heavy rains. 

 New or sod ground is much preferred to land that 

 has been tilled for several years, and, in case such 

 soil cannot be had, leaf-mold, swamp-peat or light 

 woods dirt should be added in liberal quantities. 



September and October are the most favorable 

 months for planting the roots, although they may 

 be grown successfully when planted in the early 

 spring. In planting permanent beds, none but 

 ■ healthy roots should be used. They should be dug 

 carefully to avoid cutting or bruising, and great 

 care should be taken not to injure the bud at the 

 neck of the root, as this will set the plant back one 

 season's growth and, in some cases, will entirely 

 destroy the plant. The roots may be planted in 

 rows four to five inches apart each way. The bud 

 at the top of the roots should be covered two to 

 two and one-half inches. 



Subsequent eare. — ^Afterthe planting is completed, 

 very little care is required with the exception of 

 keeping the weeds out and harvesting the seed 

 when ripe. The plants begin bearing seed when 

 three years old, generally averaging twenty seeds 

 to the plant, increasing to seventy-five to one 

 hundred at five or six years old. Plants growing in 

 their wild state seldom produce more than fifteen 

 or twenty seeds in a season, regardless of their 

 age. 



Under proper cultivation, the root matures at 

 five years old at least, and is then in its best con- 

 dition for marketing. It should be harvested in 

 October, care being taken not to cut or bruise it. 

 The roots may be washed with a soft brush, not 

 scrubbed until perfectly clean, but simply to re- 

 move the clots of dirt. Then they are ready for 

 drying. When only a few pounds are to be dried, 

 they may be placed about the stove or dried in the 

 sun and air ; when large quantities are to be dried, 

 evaporators can be used. Evaporators never should 

 be run at a temperature of over 85° or 90°- When 

 the roots are thoroughly dry, they are ready for 

 market. In case the grower does not dispose of 



