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LIBRARY

BECEIVB©

JUL 10

TJ. S. Dep^uiiiuit

gome Information about the Root

"SANG" or GINSENG

AND

CULTURAL DIRECTIONS

TOGETHER WITH PRICES FOR SEEDS AND PLANTS

-HARLAN P. KELSEY

923 *

f^griculfcoie.

Copies of this Circular Supplied Free on Application to

HARLAN P. KELSEY

1106 Tremont Building BOSTON, MASS.

Fig. 1. A root of the fourth year, showing annual stem and bud at the top. Natural size. (Bull, 78, Ky. Agr. Exp. Sta.)

American Ginseng,

The cultivation of American Ginseng (Aralia quinquefolia) in this country is receiving so much attention at the present time, that quite recently a number of rather elaborate bulle- tins on the subject have been issued by the different State Experiment Stations and the United States Department of Agriculture, as follows :

1. American Ginseng, Its Commercial History, Protection and Cultivation. U. S. Dept. of Agri., Div. of Botany, Washington, D. C. Bulletin No. 16, 1895, and a revision and extension, 1898.

2. Ginseng, Its Nature and Culture. Ky. Agr. Exp. Station, Lexington, Kentucky.

3. The Cultivation of American Ginseng in Pennsylvania, Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg.

4. Ginseng. Ontario Agricultural College Exp. Station, Toronto.

All these can be had on request as above.

A still more recent and fuller treatise, perhaps, than any of the above named may be found in Maurice G. Kains' "Ginseng," 1899. This book we will send on receipt of price, 25 cents, or it will be given free with orders amounting to $2 or over.

All these writers agree that Ginseng can be grown successfully and with great profit if given proper conditions of soil and treatment.

At the present time Ginseng com- mands a cash price in the open mar- ket of from $2.50 to $4 per pound for the dried wild root, while the culti- vated root brings as high as $6 to $8 per pound.

To show how the supply of seng has diminished and the increased, the following figures reliable sources are quoted : In 352,992 pounds were exported value of $171,786, or 48 cts. a pound, while in 1897, 179,573 pounds were ex- ported at a value of $840,686, or $4.68 per pound.

This export consists almost en- tirely of wild roots, as only recently has the cultivation 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 monop- oly in the latter country.

The above 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 returns larger and more sure for those who

devote the necessary care and atten- Fig. 2. American Ginseng,

tion to its cultivation. (BulL Div of Publications, U. S. Dept. of Agr.)

Gin- price from 1821, at a

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Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, N. C, and Boston, Mass.

The extremely high value of Ginseng being thus conclusively proved, it only remains to be shown that its culture can be made a success.

The conditions can 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 gar- den soil, if given shade and moisture and constant cultivation.

This is ths secret of growing Ginseng, and although there are many ways of applying the above principles, still if these points are kept in view there can be but little doubt of success; and where the conditions do not exist naturally, they can usually be artificially furnished.

For those who intend planting on a large scale, the following suggestions will aid in

FiG. 3. Fresh roots of Ginseng from cultivated plant, a, 1 year old; b, 2 years old; c, 3 years old; d, 4 years old; e, bud; f, leaf scar. {Bull. 16, Div. of Publications, U. S. Dept. of Agr.)

making a proper start. First, where possible, select a cool, moist piece of ground, prefer- ably level or nearly so, and where there is natural loam, or where the ground is loose and rich. Well-rotted stable manure is good for bringing up garden soil to a proper condition, as is also leaf-mold, rotted sods, etc. The ground must be fertile. Sandy soil, if rich and moist, is not objectionable, but rather desirable; but in any case, the drainage must be good.

Propagation from seed. — As a rule it takes eighteen months for the seeds to ger- minate; if the seeds are planted out for this length of time, there is danger of losing most of them from the depredations of field mice and ground squirrels, and it is, therefore, far wiser to stratify them for about twelve months and then plant out in beds. The care of the beds for a season is also thus saved. To stratify the seeds, place a layer, say 3 inches

Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, N. C, and Boston, Mass.

Fig. 4. Wild root (hi (Bull. Dept. of Agr.

deep, of moist sand or leaf-mold and loam over the bottom of a strong, tight box, then scatter a thin layer of seeds over this and cover with an inch of the sand or loam.

After filling the box in this manner, see that there are sev- eral inches of the covering over the last layer of seed, to prevent drying out. A wire netting of fine mesh should be securely tacked over all, to prevent the attacks of mice. The whole should be kept in a moist cellar, or may be left out of doors if the box is plunged level to the top in soil.

In planting the seeds, they should be scattered evenly and thinly on a prepared bed and covered with an inch or more of fine soil. The planting thus being done in the fall, twelve months after the seeds are collected, they should then be cov- ered with leaves and straw, or similar covering-, over which brush is laid. In the early spring the brush is removed and lath shade covers substituted.

The beds may be made either 4 or 6 feet wide, and any length, and should always be surrounded by boards firmly nailed to posts, giving a rest for the lath shades. The boards used are of ordinary inch boxing, and should extend 2 feet or more from the ground.

Where 6-feet-wide beds are made, the lath covers are made as shown in the illustration; viz.,

4 by (i feet. Ordinary laths are nailed 1 inch apart to 6 feet strips 1 inch thick and 2 inches wide, and then braced. Where the bed is made 4 feet wide, the laths are simply nailed to other laths with clinching nails. The latter size, being lighter, are the most easily handled covers, but the larger beds and shades are the most economical of room and lumber where the planting is on an extended scale. These lath covers are to stay on all sum- mer, to be replaced by mulching and brush in winter. The beds and subsequent treatment after planting are the same for both seeds and plants.

Planting. — After one season's growth, the seed- ^> lings should be transplanted into permanent beds

iiMk. in tne fall, after the tops have died down. Some

prefer to wait till the second autumn, but the roots are more liable to be injured, and it is very important that a good, clean tap- root is preserved, making at maturity a larger and more saleable article, that will command the best price.

A planting-board ( See Fig. 7) is made of %-inch white pine, or similar wood, 5 feet 9 inches or 3 feet 9 inches long, and 1 foot wide, to easily fit in the 4-feet and 6-feet beds.

This board is braced by light strips tacked across the ends and middle to prevent warping, and notches 5 inches apart are cut on the edges. A trench is then opened, by using a light spade and lifting the dirt away from the board, the back of the spade being flat against the edge of the board, on which the planter is standing.

The plants are set at the 5-inch in- Fig. 5. Dried root of Ginseng from wild plant. tervals, care being taken to see that the

(Bull. 16. Dir. of Publications. V. S. Dept. of Agr.) roots are in straight, and the crown at

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Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, N. C, and Boston, Mass.

T

i

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Fig. 6. Lath shade.

least an inch below the surface. Dirt is pulled in with the hand as each plant is set, and after firming the row with the foot, the bed is smoothed off with a fine-toothed rake. The middle of the board is then placed directly over the row, and the planting of the next row is

proceeded with. This leaves the plants 5 by 6 inches apart, each row containing 15 plants in a 6-feet-wide bed. To find out the number of plants such a bed will hold, muti- ply the length of the bed in feet by 30.

Some prefer sowing the seeds singly in drills 2 or 3 inches apart, and at intervals of 1 to 2 inches apart in the row. In this event the same plant- ing-board can be used, only the notches on one edge must be cut the required distance

apart, the rows being 3 inches or less apart instead of 6 inches, as in the case of the plants.

As shown in the illustration (Fig. No. 8), the shading in summer may also be accom- plished by raising the lath covering on a framework of scantling firmly attached to posts, and high enough to permit of standing under it.

The beds, however, should be boxed in as before noted, and on the approach of -winter the sections of lath covering are removed to a barn or other dry place. This makes a rather elaborate structure, but is really preferable to the beds being covered individually, allowing cultivation without handling of the shades. Each spring the beds should receive a fine dressing of very rich loam, which is to be scattered over the old leaf mulching. But all the weeds must be pulled out as they appear, and the spaces between the rows kept stirred up loose with a small hoe or weeder, great care being taken not to strike and injure the roots or tops.

As the seed ripens it should be collected immediately and stratified as before mentioned, and it occasionally will come up the following season.

Ginseng can be grown under the shade of trees, but this method is not so satisfactory as the cultivation under artificial covering, and, excepting on a small scale, is not recommended.

In any event, where possible, the Ginseng garden should be planted on ground sheltered from strong, prevailing winds.

Preparing for market.— After the roots are of sufficient size, that is, from 3 to 5 ounces or more in weight green, dig very carefully, without bruising or breaking, and after washing per- fectly clean in fresh water, place on wooden trays or boards, to dry in the sun where pos- sible. Or, the roots may be spread evenly and thinly on trays in a warm room. Too rapid drying is not desirable, and where the quantity to be dried is considerable it would pay to buy a small evaporator.

The small, fibrous rootlets should be cleaned off during the drying process, as a better price is commanded for large, smooth roots. After making sure that the roots are perfectly

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Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, N. C , and Boston, Mass.

dry. cool off. and weigh out at once in paper sacks of one to two pounds, finally packing in clean boxes of ten to twenty-five sacks each. If it is undesirable to dispose of the dried root at once, it would be best to pack in air-tight glass jars or seal in tins, to prevent damage caused by the boring beetle, which is said to attack it.

The roots, also, should be carefully graded according to size, appearance and weight, and marked accordingly on the outside of the packages before shipping.

The best markets are New York, Cincinnati and San Francisco, from whence almost the entire product is shipped to China, whose people value it as a panacea for nearly all human ills.

AVith these instructions followed, success should be made of growing Ginseng, and the element of profit is so large as to be rather startling.

The greatest discouragement in growing Ginseng is the depredations of thieves. The root is so extremely valuable that if the location of a plantation is generally known, the crop would stand but little chance of maturing without at least a part being stolen.

It will pay, as a rule, to erect a high, solid wall with barbed wire on top, and to keep the crop a secret. An electric wire can be arranged around the plantation at little cost, which will ring a bell or bells located where desired, if an entry be forced.

Pig. 8. Ginseng- growing under lath shed.

Any very valuable article finds ready thieves if unprotected — Ginseng being no exception to the rule — but it is amply worth any expense incurred in protecting it.

To conclude, it will be observed that with ordinary attention to details Ginseng can be grown with large and sure profits.

For a more complete history of this plant, and many good suggestions as to culture, etc.. I would again refer those interested to Mr. Kains' book on "Ginseng," which will be sent on receipt of 25 cents, or will be given free with any order amounting to $3 or over, if requested at the time of ordering. Any questions that may arise I will gladly answer.

It seems probable that Ginseng can be grown in every state of the Union, if the required conditions naturally exist, or are produced artificially.

A map (Fig. No. 9) showing the natural range of the Ginseng plant in the United States, prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture, is given above.

Ginseng is probably sparingly found growing wild in other states, and at one time was abundant in Ontario and Quebec, but has now become rather scarce, as it has been so ener- getically hunted by native "sang" diggers. This is the reason, also, for its present rarity in the United States.

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Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, N. C, and Boston, Mass.

Fig. 9. Map showing the natural range of the Ginseng plant in the United States.

PRICES, POSTPAID.

Per 100 Per 1,000

1st size, averaging 3-year-old plants $5 OO $40 OO

2d size, averaging 2-year-old plants 3 OO 25 OO

3d size, averaging 1-year-old plants 2 00 15 00

A few thousand roots, that will produce a good crop of seed the first year, at $10 per 100. A good proportion of the first size quoted above will also produce seed the first year. On orders for several thousand, a very special price will be named.

Seed, $2 per ounce, $20 per pound. Orders for seed taken conditionally, and fulfil- ment not guaranteed, as present means of securing supply is extremely limited.

/

Orders should be placed at once, and shipment can usu- ally he made at any time from August till April. Stock will he reserved only when cash accompanies order.

Always address

HARLAN P. KELSEY,

1106 Tremont Building,

BOSTON, MASS.

Proprietor HIGHLANDS NURSERY, Hardy American Plants, Kawana, North Carolina.

from which place all shipments are made.

%W Always address Boston Office, and save delay.

8261B5T899 J. Horace McFarland Co., Horticultural Printers, Harrisburg, Pa.