The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-02-03
What Kentucklan Knows About Roots.

Nudk NOHtubhtnh tNHpWo FNuOut
HVNTHOA-EPl Here am again,
wv with another load of yer med
ercine stuff" bawled out long, lean,
lank Kentuckian the other day, as he
pulled up his team in front of one of
Cincinnati's large drug manufactures.
81 want all the money yer got in yer
store this time fur this load of roots,"
said he to the proprietor, as the latter
stepped out on the sidewalk. "What
have you got ?'' asked the drug man.
"Oh, lot of sang, wahoo and May
apple root, p" replied the Kentuckian, as
he commenced throwing off sack after
sack of the valuable load. A Cincinnati
Star reporter happened to be passing at
the time, and overheard the conversa-
ton. He stopped and inquired Of the
man from over the river" what he
expected to get for his load. Some
where in the neighborhood of about q
hundred an fifty" replied he. "It
takes you about half your lifetime to get
load like that, don't itY" asked our
young man. "Now, look here, young
man, are We kiddin', or have We never
bin out in the country anyp Do ye
s'pose I'd gether roots half my natural
life fur hundred and fifty 7"
The reporter didn't suppose he would,
but still he was under the impression it
must take long while to gather tOgeth-
er as large a aquantity of roots as he had
in his wagon.
"What do you get for different kinds
of roots ?" asked the reporter.
"Say, young man, want ter git this
yer wagon onloaded some time to-day,
an ye'd obleege me by not botherin'
me no more at present. Ifye'll go over
in that er tavern across the road an
wait thar about twenty minutes fur rue,
I'll be thar, an will answer any ques-
ton We want to ak me-"
The reporter went, and in the appoint
ed time was met by the man from Ken
lucky, who, as he entered the saloon,
tucked large roll of bank-notes down
his pants pocket. He sat down at a
table opposite the reporter, and in an
swer to the latter's questions as to what
kind of roots he brought to market and
the price he got for them, he gave the
information desired about as follows:
Roots amt nigh SO plentiful as they
used to be. Iknow the time when
could gathera wagon-load like 1 just
fetched in, in day, but now 1t takes
considerable longer than that, an then
prices are not nigh so good as they have
bin. There's sang (ginseng), that
used ter git $1.3O pound fur, only brings
me 81 a pound now, and thet's fur thu
very best. What is it used fur : Why
the biggest part of it goes to China, tt
purify queensware with. Sang won
bear cultivation at all. 1t has seed every
year. A curious thing about sang ii
that cows won't tech it. They'll. ca
weeds off all round it, but they let thu
sang alone. Sang is mighty scarce.
bring in considerable Indian arrow o
Wahoo root. There's big demand flu
it, but still can't git over ten cents |
pound fur it. That's the stuff they max
ager medercine of. It's the best age
cure known.
Then there's May apple root. 1t onl,
brings three cents pound. That
what the mandrake pills is made oi
The roots is ground up into flour an
rolled inter pills. I've fetched in enoug
! May apples this fall ter keep the Unite
: States supplied with pills fur the mex
ten years.
Prickly ash. also bring in. 1t ain
very plentiful. The roots bring twelv
cents pound. 1t is used in makir
i medicine for the rheumatism.
e Sarsaparilla root is used in makir
Q blood purifier. 1t is tolerable plentiful
t and is worth five cents pound.
4 Burdock root is used for the sam