shade and mulch there need be little fear of weeds 
as is the case with vegetable gardens, this is par- 
ticularly true if the ground has been previously 
summer fallowed. 
Excepting the shade requirement ginseng will 
grow and thrive under the same moisture and soil 
condition required for garden vegetables. 
The IDEAL conditions would be a rich, black, 
sandyloam, with considerable humus, no barnyard 
or commercial fertilizer except perhaps some phos- 
phoric acid if other crops indicate a deficiency in 
that element. Ideal moisture conditions would be 
such as found under thick leaf mulch beside an old 
log, moist but not wet, ginseng can not stand wet 
feet, the ground must be well drained and yet gin- 
seng is not particularly drouth resisting. 
Ginseng will attain at least twice the size under 
artificial shade, compared to that grown under 
natural shade where it has to compete with trees or 
vines for plant food and moisture, but roots grown 
under natural shade usually bring considerable 
mcre per pound. 
If artificial shade is used the lath ot lumber 
edgings must run north and south so there will 
be an ever changing sunshine and shade, about one 
fourth sunshine, three fourths shade, the farther 
south the more shade. Good air drainage is desir- 
able, tight fences objectionable. 
The more sunshine given the plants without 
using enough to kill them the larger the root 
growth. 
If one can provide both artificial and natural 
shade a good plan would be to grow under artificial 
shade two years or until the roots are about a half 
inch diameter, then transplant in the timber, where 
the ginseng would have to compete with the tree 
and vine roots and given a stunted, starved, matur- 
ed appearance making it resemble the wild. 
If a large planting is to be done it is usually 
better to do the work in the fall shortly before 
freezing weather, when the weather is usually fav- 
orable for many days or even weeks but if only a 
few pounds are to be planted it is just as well to 
leave the seeds in the care of some one exper- 
ienced until the frost has left the ground in the 
spring, the seed will then germinate at once and 
soon show a patch of ground one may well expect 
to be proud of in the future. 
