The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-11

are peaceful and not given much to the
use of intoXicants. Their garb is gro
tesque in the extreme, being made up of
any ana all kinds of cast-om things. ana
frequently d covering, Of half covering.
of rags ana tatters A single garment of
tow or calico is enough for the women,
and the numerous children run as naked
as they We're born as long as the weather
viii permit il. The only attempt al agr-
culture these people make Is the scratch
ing up OF a little ground to raise the
tobacco they use-and they all use it, re-
gardless OF age or sex, chiefly by smoking
it in a cOrncob pipe The women drink q
tea made from pungcnt roots or sassafras
bark. Marriage rs not looked upon as
necessary, although if a Sanger wants to
make the sharer OF his hut his wife by
marriage ceremony he may DO so But
rolygamous relations are not permitted
under any circumstances.
Naturally, or, perhaps, mnaturally,
the members Of this tribe are close of kin.
They live in log huts. with chimneys made
of clay. There is never more than one
room to a hut, and that serves Tor all the
needs of the occupants. They sleep on
the floor, and although in the winter time
they are frequently put to great straits
for the necessaries of life, they seem hap
Ply amid their want and squalor. At such
times it would be Well Tor the outlying
settlements if the Sangers were hiberna-
thing about approaching the settlements,
the depletion of granaries and smoke
houses therein shows that some Sanger's
necessity has been greater than his shy
ness.
THE Sanger despises work and shuns
It habitually but great change comes
over him when the ginseng season arrives.
The country storeSeeper who has
frowned upon his efforts to get credit dur
ing the winter, now warns toward the
Sanger. and is glad TO be on good terms
with him, for he wants the profits of his
seasons sanging-and the country store
keeper makes a fat thing out of the Sang
er every season. The ginseng season be
gins about the middle Of Nav, when the
tender green stalk of the plant shows it.
self above the ground. The season ends
about the middle of October, when the
ripened berries have fallen, the plant
turns yellow, withers away. and is indis-
tnguishable from the surrounding under
growth. The root is the only part Of the
plant that has commercial value, and
even the root would not have any value,
but for the superstitions of a sem-civil-
lied race, which has made of what would
otherwise be an inconsidered weed an ar
ticle which has added millions to the eX-
ports Of the United States The root when
it comes from the ground is Of q pale sal
mon color on the rind, the interior being
pure white. II has a feeble odor and a
sweet. slightly aromatic taste. not uu-
like licorice.
Ginseng root is sold green to the coun-
try stores by the diggers. The rural deal
ers frequently offer prizes for the heaviest
single root, and for the greatest number of
pounds brought in by "A Sanger. The price
paid varies with the season, all calcula-
tions being made upon the basis of dry
sang. Thus i'm May and June the root is
light, taking nearly five pounds Of green to
make one of dry In July and August less
than four pounds Of green will yield a
dry pound. and in September and October
the root having matured. less than three
pounds Of green viii make one pound of
dry root
AS soon as the root is bought from the
Sanger it is either dried in the sun or In
kilns made for the purpose or steamed
and quickly evaporated. This last pro
cess produces the highest grade OF gin
seng known 10 the trade. il being clear
and like amber. But there is great risk
to the country dealer in preparing the
root in this way, and he prefers to dry il
and sell IL in its natural condition. The
faster the root can be dried the better
for the rural merchant, for ginseng dried
rapidly does not lose so much in weight
as it does when dried slowly It behooves
the man who IS dealing direct with the
Sanger to he uD TO all the tricks Of the