Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. 5) 22 Price List One year old roots, per 100....$ 8 00 One year old roots, per 1,000.. 70 90 Two year old roots, per 100.... 12 00 Two year old roots, per 1,000.. 100 00 Three year old roots, per 100.. 20 00 Three year old roots, per 1,000. 160 00 Seeds) per 10000. oct... - 8 00 Stratified seeds, per 1,000..... 15 00 Prices for larger or smaller quantities given on application. Price list is subject to change, as prices are steadily advancing. ADDRESS M. H. eo La iG oeidei Illinois me SEP 8 1927% EMPRESS GINSENG GARDENS LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS Se 2 4 Y Sa ea = ak se Preface HIS booklet is written for those who have but small means to invest and wish to place those means where the element of risk will be entirely eliminated. To these we wish to say that there is no safer nor more remunerative investment to be made than the starting of a small Gin- seng garden. You will not be placing your money in the hands of others, nor be drawn into the complicated meshes of a corporation or investment company; but will have entire control of your own interests, and may make a fair beginning without any interruption of your present occupation. Where could you place a sum of money and be absolutely assured of its yielding you twenty-five per cent interest ? Ginseng culture will do far, far more for you than this, and the necessary labor in connection therewith is very light indeed. 2 It is as desirable an occupation for women as it is for men. Ginseng will thrive wherever the few requirements necessary to its growth are met with, and this can easily be done whether it is in the small yard of a town home or out on a farm. For those who wish to prove the truth of the above statements I address the follow- ing brief facts: SS \\, — LL Mb ii VG GT: AOS SCNY rae STE ETTE Se’ ilgg 71, “>, t eA Fig.1. Fresh Ginseng Roots. A, one year old; B, two years old; C, three years old; D, four years old. 4 ( Taken from U. S. Agricultural Bulletin.) 4 Ginseng Ginseng is a plant that grows wild in the wooded districts of the United States from Canada almost to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Atlantic to a little beyond the states on the western border of the Miss- issippi. The root has been dug for over a century until the once abundant supply of the forest is well-nigh extinct. This is largely due to the indiscriminate digging of the hunters of the wild root; for the plant grows only from the seed, and the root being dug before the seed has ripened has naturally tended to rapidly diminish nature’s supply. As the quantity has de- creased year by year the price has steadily increased, and as the scarcity of the root became more and more apparent there were those who realized the immense profits to be made by cultivating the root and thus supplement the wild supply. For some time this seemed impossible, not because Ginseng is naturally hard to raise, but on account of a lack of knowledge regarding 9) a few simple but very essential require- ments of the plant. Since these have been learned it has been cultivated with perfect success and correspondingly large profits. No one need hesitate to undertake the growing of Ginseng who is willing to give it the care and attention that is required to raise ordinary vegetables. The plant is very small and inconspicuous until it attains its full growth, when it reaches a height of about eighteen inches. In the month of August it is crowned with a cluster of bright scarlet berries. These berries contain the seed, but do not appear until the third year, when each plant bears about twenty-five seeds. After the third year they bear about fifty seeds each and continue to do so for years. eng Plant. Ss = Gin Fig. 2. lo / The Market China is the great market for Ginseng. Her countless millions all use it more or less as their financial condition will permit and thus create an almost limitless market for the dried root. The amount consumed in the United States is steadily increasing as the medicinal virtues of the root are being more and more appreciated. The Chinese have used Ginseng since time immemorial and will continue to do so, and however distasteful their adherence _to established customs may be to the progressive American spirit the Ginseng grower sees in it the stability of the Gin- seng industry in this country and the assurance of its steady expansion from its present infant stage. China’s consumption of Ginseng is enormous. It must neces- sarily be so when we consider that there are over 400,000,000 Chinese, all of whom regard it with superstitious veneration and look upon it as a panacea for all ills. The rich, who can afford to buy it in large 8 quantities, not only use it as a medicine but as a condiment in their food. At present there are only about twenty- five acres under cultivation in this country, and it has been estimated that it will take fully 2,000 acres to meet China’s demand. That it must take years for the industry to grow to these proportions can readily be seen, but so much the better for those who begin the culture now. A superior grade of Ginseng is grown in China under govern- mental control. This sells at prices far beyond the reach of any save the upper, wealthy classes, who, for superstitious reasons, wish to keep it for their own exclusive use. It is the countless millions constituting the common classes that are the consumers of American Ginseng. China is being gradually opened to our commerce and our Ginseng enters her ports free of duty, so there is practically no limit to the market for American Ginseng. 9 Profits The value of Ginseng as an export article is in the dried root. This has been selling from $7 to $12 a pound, and it is generally conceded by Ginseng growers that an acre of dried Ginseng will yield the almost incredible sum of $50,000. The fact that it requires about five years from the sprouting of the seed to the maturing of the roots might deter many from going into the business who feel the need of more immediate returns. But there is another side to the industry which yields large and quick returns, and that consists in the great demand in this country for young roots and seeds. On 2 piece of ground seven feet square one hundred roots can be planted. Roots, after they are three years old, bear on an average about fifty seeds and con- tinue to do so for a number of years. Let us suppose that this garden is planted with three-year-old roots. One hundred of these can be bought for $20. Each bearing 50 seeds we have a yearly seed crop of 5,000 10 seeds marketable at $75, as the present price of seed is $15 per thousand. Think of this small plot of ground yielding $75 a year. This same space can be planted with seed at a cost of $12, as it will require 800 seeds. In one year the grower will have 800 yearling roots worth $8 per hun- dred, or $64. Why let that space in your back yard go to waste when it can be made to yield such large profits ? To those who | have a larger area of ground the above figures will give the key to what may be realized from one-eighth or one-quarter of an acre. A Reliable Industry The growing of Ginseng is not a passing fad but a reliable industry. Ginseng is found on our market reports and on the list of our regular export products. The amount exported each year and the price paid .for‘it per pound ‘ate ¢ivem iageie United States Agricultural Reports. These figures show a steady decrease in the sup- ply and a corresponding increase in the 11 price since 1858. From our consuls in China come encouraging and corroboratory statements regarding the demand for Gin- seng and the oldest growers claim that for the next fifteen or twenty years at least Ginseng wiil yield larger profits than any other product of the soil. The growing of the true American Gin- seng is considered so profitable that a law has been passed in the state of New York to the effect that any Ginseng roots or seeds that are foreign to the United States, or were raised from stock imported from a foreign country, must bear a label stating in plain English the name of the foreign country from which they came. This law was passed through the efforts of the New York State Ginseng Association and will prevent the selling of an inferior article which would naturally conflict with the interests of the American Ginseng industry. These facts give all the assurance needed to those who wish to avail themselves of ‘the rare opportunities claimed for the grow- ing of American Ginseng. Dried Ginseng Root. Fig, 3. 13 Notes The Empress Ginseng Gardens are located one and a half miles from La Grange, Illinois. Ginseng may be transplanted in the fall as soon as the tops have died down and as late as the ground remains unfrozen. The spring time for planting is shorter, as the roots must be in the ground before or immediately after they are sprouted. Full cultural directions will be sent with every order. Orders less than $10 must be accom- panied with the full amount incash. Orders for $10 and over must be accompanied by one-fourth the amount in cash and balance paid when goods are ready to be shipped. No orders less than $5 accepted. Postage and express charges will be prepaid by us to any points in the United States. 14 Send money in one of the following ways: Registered letter, Postofice money order, Express money order. Send your orders in early, as our stock is limited. Money is always promptly returned when orders are received after stock is exhausted. For further information address M. H. LAHRMANN La Grange, Illinois Box 755