Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-02-26
RAISING GINSENG.
The Precious Root for Which the
Chinese Have a Secret Use.
Successful Cultivation Of a Crop
by an Illinois Botanist.

I
a crop the like Of which is not to he
found elsewhere in Illinois, at only
two or three other places in this
country, and in but two OF the coun-
tries of the entire globe. Nowhere in
all of Europe is ginseng grown, al
though the government OF Russia
spent the fortune of prince in an un-
successful attempt to introduce It's
cultivation into that dominion. 1t is
more rare than gold, and seed in the
open market is worth 81 an ounce.
The vilue of the annual crop Of roots
to be gathered from an acre OF ground
At maturity is som .thing more than
81, OJO.
Mr.. Page, who is onc of the old
residents Of Dixon, has always been a
botanist in his way, and he WIS first
led to think that ginseng might be sue
eessfully raised in the neighborhool
by the accidental discovery, made
some years sine, that in early times
1t had unmistnkably been iudigenou,
to the + ck Il yer valley. 1t is not
to be fuaud ia re now, however. II
il a chief chnracser.st. Of the plant
ihat it is decidedly aboriginal in its
habits, invariably dying ont before the
advance of ciyilz ,tion. The entire
worlds supply ut present comes from
Til, cuuntry, it being found in its
natural state Mt IL few places in North
Carolina. Virginia, Tennessee, and
from X ireL, where it is cultivated.
Its market is iu China, where the usc to
which it is put is II carefully guarded
secret, although il is generally sup
posed that it is necessary ingredient
in the preparation of opinm. 1t is
one Of the constant fears OF the CIi'
n.ss government that at some future
day, not fur distant, the supply may
become exhausted.
In tue spring of 1894 Mr. Page pro-
cur, d some of the seed and sowed jt
at his place: Up to the e,..!iiS iiSS' of the
iiual freez mp last fall, not a single
sprout has shown above the ground,
but this is not considered discourag.
ing, as it always takes it from Is
months to two years to germinate.
Deciding then to study the plant in
its native haunts, Mr.. Page, in Octo.
Der, 1894, went to North Carolina,
md there, in Allegheny county, he ro-
NAMED for two years, making his
lDm3 in the midst of the curiun4 peo.
pie made known TO tue world by
Amclie R.ves in her novel, "ranis, the
Sang Digger. The plant is colu-
lnially known thsre as sang" Las.
priug Mr.. Page dug up such roots as
lie could find in the woods and trans
planted them. In June lie took themup
gain and started home, driving over.
and the entire distance in hopes that
he lifs out of doors won id benefit lis
battered health-as it did. The
'lants were altogether kept boxed up
or period of three months, so that
many died, yet 2)) were still in good
when he reached D.xor, and
hese were al ono, set ont in shady
laces by the side Of the barn and
long the fences and they have since
1ae well. 4 certain amount of s!rlle
$ first req liste to The sncc s,ful
ativation of ginseng. Ii is expected
bat the first crop Of the valuable root
Ill be ready to be harvested for the
larket in the summer of 1875, and
rom that time on It's annual vaIpe
lonld increas rapidly.
'You can easily understand, said
ir. Page, "thut with the seed selling
81 an onnce it is easy to put up
of dollars into a small piece
land. The plants bear some seed
two years old. On an average each
right red berry has only two seeds,
hich will produce only two roots.
liant one berry in place 1t takes
bout 6, 1000, 900 berries to plant one
ere. Thl plant is low and looks
like the sarsaparlla shrub.
has three leaves, and their shining
nderside sometimes causes amateur
eng diggers to mistake the squaw
liant for il. Tho seed is small, fiat
ad the color of buckwheat. A year
ng root is not as large around as a
lpestem and is soft and compact,
'oking, as taken from the ground, not
Mike the root of a young horse rad.
b. The present market value OF the
'ot as it comes from the ground is
ON So a pound upward according to
lie quality. Seed when planted pro.
ice roots, and roots produce seed.
he quickest and best way to get
arted in the business is to plant the
-een roots.
'At one time ginseng became so
aree that an imperial edict was issued
China prohibiting its collection
I'd declaring it imperial property
hen it was sold by the government
the few who were given the pri-
lege of dealing in it at its weight in
Id. Chicago Record.
An Amandmanf