The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-07
Chance for ,IountAln Farmers.

~ Chance for Mountain Farmers.
In view OF tho Importance OF the
American glnsing trade with China,
much OF the product going from West
Virginia, report on ginseng in Korea
by Horace N. Allen. United States min
ister resident and consul general at
Seoul. Just Issued by the government. Is
OF some local interest. Mr.. Allen
points out the enormous market that
Korea has In China for her ginseng, and
shows how more widely conducted GIN
seng industry In America would find a
practically unlimited market. Our cx-
ports OF the root to China In 1896
amounted to 353.1F pounds, valued at
s656,5l5 in gold, or about 81 SO tgold) per
pound. He saye that the Korean GIN
seng !s valued at nearly nine times as
much as the American root, some OF II
bringing as much as s3l per pound In
China, and continues as follows. con-
corning the comparative qualities, the
Possibilities OF 1t paying Americans to
cultivate the root in our mountain dis
tricts, and the opportunities for building
UP large trade:
AS there seems to be an almost unlIm-
Tied demand for this root In China, It
might as well DO produced, in all Its ex-
sellence, In the United Stntes, II possible
Tho American and Korean ginseng roots
differ In appearance: the American seems
n In .f SO
called beard" while the Korean root Is
more compact. The two are given differ
ent names by botunists. The Chinese
plant Is called Aralla schlnseng. while the
American AT is called Aralia quinquefolia.
effect produced by tho use OF these two
roots. The American ginseng is consld-
cred by our medical authorities TO be
Inert" This cannot be said of tho 10
rean root. have seen the latter produce
suppuration In otherwise healthy wounds
when surrcptitiously given to hasten the
slow process OF healing. When the cause
was discovered and removed. the wounds
gradually came Into proper condition
again. ~ ~
OF the uses of ginseng among the Chi
nese little Is known in this country, even
among the exporters who ship large
quantities OF the American root to that
country. 1t is regarded as the panacea
for most Of the Ills OF the Chinese and
Koreans, and has held this reputation
for centuries. 1t cannot, Mr.. Allen con-
tends. have attained and preserved this
reputation among these millions OF peo-
pie without possessing at least some OF
the virtues attributed to 1t. The Chinese
regard it as strong vigorant, and 1t is
used throughout the country as tonic,
and Is combined with qu!nine as rem
edy for malarial fevers.
Mr.. Allen says the climatic conditions
OF Korea are about the same as those OF
tie northern portion OF our central
states. and the Korean ginseng. which
the Chinese regard as superior to the
native American article. could be raised
here. Cultivated ginseng requires seven
years to mature. He thinks, however,
that the portions OF the United States
where climatic conditions are favorable
could engage probably in the cultiva-
ton OF the American root for the Chi
nese export trade. All Of the 100000. 600
OF the Chinese population use ginseng,
and he belleyes that when they become
once satisfied with the results obtained
from American ginseng the demand will
run up into millions of dollars year.
According to United States Consul
Wildman at Hong Kong. American GIN
seng now sells there for from 50 to SO 50
per pound In gold, and he believes IL
properly exploited could sell for ten
times as much. Much information Is
contained in the reports OF the two con-
suls We have quoted concerning the de-
mand and the methods Of cultivation
About all the ginseng which is now ship
ped from West Virginia is wild, but It
brings good prices In China, and IL the
farmers In the mountain regions can be
persuaded to try the experiment OF cul-
tivadnS the root, it might lead to the
establishment OF a profitable industry In
few years.