Am.  Join-.  Pharm.\ 
Aug.,  1891.  j 
The  Cultivation  of  Ginseng. 
THE  CULTIVATION  OF  GINSENG.1 
Ginseng  is  indigenous  to  the  greater  part  of  the  cooler  regions  of 
the  United  States.  In  Georgia  and  Alabama  it  is  found  in  the 
mountains  and  thence  northward  along  the  elevated  plateaus,  grad- 
ually descending  to  near  the  sea  level  in  some  of  our  Northern 
States.  It  appears  to  thrive  best  in  loamy  soils,  such  as  are  usually 
found  in  sugar  maple  and  oak  forests  at  the  North.  Shade  seems 
also  to  be  essential,  for  when  the  plants  are  exposed  to  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun  they  soon  die  out,  and  for  this  reason  open  field  or 
garden  cultivation  of  the  plants  has  rarely  or  never  been  attended 
with  success.  The  proper  way  to  start  a  plantation  is  to  select  a 
piece  of  land  at  the  edge  of  some  forest  where  the  plants  are  found 
growing  wild ;  then  clear  out  all  the  underbrush  and  small  trees, 
leaving  just  enough  of  the  larger  ones  to  afford  the  shade  required. 
This  should  be  done  in  spring  or  during  the  summer.  Then  break 
up  the  surface  of  the  soil  with  a  harrow,  steel  rakes,  hoes  or  other 
implements  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  inches,  removing  all  weeds, 
grasses,  and  their  roots.  The  bed  thus  prepared  will  be  ready  for 
the  reception  of  seeds  and  small  unsalable  roots  as  collected  in  the 
autumn,  the  season  of  ripening  depending  somewhat  upon  latitude. 
Ginseng  berries  are  of  a  crimson  color  when  ripe,  each  containing 
two  seeds,  produced  in  small  clusters  at  the  top  of  a  central 
peduncle  elevated  above  the  principal  leaves.  When  gathering  the 
seed,  the  roots  may  also  be  dug  up,  and  all  small  and  unsalable 
ones  preserved  and  replanted  in  the  prepared  bed.  The  seed  should 
be  rubbed  from  the  pulp  very  carefully  with  the  hand,  and  then 
sown,  or  better,  pressed  into  the  ground  with  the  finger  about  half 
an  inch  deep,  and  one  every  six  inches  along  the  row.  The  rows 
should  be  from  one  to  two  feet  apart  for  convenience  in  removing 
weeds,  should  any  appear.  Both  seeds  and  plants  should  be  in  the 
ground  before  hard  frosts  occur  in  autumn,  for  when  these  come,  the 
leaves  of  the  large  trees  will  fall  on  the  bed  and  give  the  natural 
protection  required. 
The  following  season  no  cultivation  will  be  needed — if  the  bed  is 
thinly  covered  with  leaves — except  to  cut  out  sprouts  and  remove 
1  Having  had  several  inquiries  concerning  the  culture  of  ginseng  on  a  some- 
what extensive  scale,  we  copy  from  a  paper  in  the  American  Agriculturist 
that  portion  relating  to  this  subject. — Editor. 
