American Ginseng 
(HE CULTIVATION of American Ginseng (/Iralia quinqitefotia) in this 
country is receiving much attention at the present time That Ginseng 
can be grown successfully and with great profit if given proper conditions 
of soil and treatment, is now beyond question. 
At the present time Ginseng commands a cash price in the open mar- 
ket of from f+ to $6.^0 per pound for the dried wild root, while the cultivated root brings 
as high as f8 to $12 per pound. 
To show how the price of Ginseng increased as the supply diminished, the following 
figures from reliable sources are quoted: In 1821, 352,992 pounds were exported at a 
value of 1171,786, or 48 cts. a pound, while in 1897, 179,573 pounds were exported at 
a value of j!840,686, or ^4.68 per pound. 
This export consists almost entirely of wild roots, as only recently has the cultiva- 
tion of Ginseng been successfully attempted in America, although it has been grown in 
China, Japan and Korea for a long time — the industry being a government monopoly 
in the latter country. It should be carefully mted that cultivated Ginseng always com- 
mands a very much higher price than the wild root, and very recently the price of all 
kinds has greatly advanced. 
These figures conclusively show 
that the supply is entirely inade- 
quate to the demand, and that the 
wild root is becoming scarcer each 
year. Eventually it must become a 
cultivated crop, but the fact that it 
takes from four to six years' growth 
before it is properly ready for the 
market will keep many from attempt- 
ing its culture, though making re- 
turns larger and more sure for those 
who devote the necessary care and 
attention to its cultivation. 
The extraordinary value of 
Ginseng being demonstrated, it only 
remains to be shown that its culture 
is comparatively simple and can be 
made a success. 
The conditions may be stated 
in a few words: A rich, cool, 
loamy, loose soil, shade, and a 
heavy mulching of wood leaves or 
similar covering in autumn, which 
is left on during the next summer 
to decay and conserve moisture. 
Ginseng will thrive in almost any 
rich garden soil if given shade, 
either natural or artificial, moisture 
and constant cultivation. 
This is the secret of growing 
Ginseng, and although there are 
many ways of applying the above p.o. ,. American Oinscns. 
principles, still if these points are BuU. 16, Div. 0/ Publications, U. S. Dept. of Agr. 
