The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-08-12
THE TRADE m GIAsE7
Facts About an American q
uct Sold In China.
DEMAND FOR 1T NOW oE,n,|

Americana Ever Heard of
~ Ua Laat Year.
Il noticed not long ago a dIrn...
the newspapers from Cortan
said a Kentucklan of pretty gen...' !,
formation to a New York Sun ~.
the effect that the Chipess -
ances had interfered so serious,-
the business of shipping ginspo, :
the sang diggers of that part -
state had about lost their occrn-y
Possibly you do not know IL hr,
tell you that China uses our -
product of ginseng. and. WIN.
may never have given the Suh,...
thought. the fact remains thar "a.
than 100 years We have been sh,-s
ginseng to the Chinese and ~.
CeleStials In that time have co.,.s
In the neighbOrhood of S1so@s
worth OF a root that the majors,
Americans never saw and eood :.
never heard of. Since 1870
never shipped less than 46.OOo -.
yearly. and shipments have re,ra.1
high as $4,000 pounds ann.,'
These large shipments. howe,,r
Cured IN the earlier history y
trade and before the supply heen
diminish. Values have chane.s
cordingly also. and the 75S, III uu'
shipped In 1922 represents a v.l-
1918. 943 as against a value Of So
for $4,000 pounds shipped ia a
Shipments for 1898 amounted, 10 ss.
115.OO0 pounds. valued at $5Oo0oa \
for 1899 125.0OO pounds. worth =
$500. 900. showing a continual dee
In quantity and increase in price \
Chinese disturbances. however.
knocked the trade all out Of kelt.,
as the demand for ginseng has e.,1
dealers are not buying. and the i
digger is out of Job. Such a a
tion has never before occurred
ginseng trade. and as it cannd
tinue the wise dealer will buy q 4
roots at the present low price and
ize on them later.
More or less mystery has alwsHI
tached to the use Of ginseng b.
Chinese. and. while some perssa,
sert that it is a tonic of rare Don
the general belief is that Its use /
fiuenced rather by superstition thn
science. Ginseng is supposed to d
corruption of the Chinese word 4
shen.' which means manwort. The
of the plant much resembling the fcI
of human being. The more neifb
resembles the human form The q
powerful it is considered to BE-
when of extra good quality the 0l
man will balance the scales With 4
for his sang Physicians and Cd
lists in the United States have md.
study of ginseng from a therspea
standpoint. and they have condai
that about the only virtue the not
is the high price it will bring am
the heather Chinese. the figures q
ing ordinarily from IS TO S25 pen
the same being worth in the Un1
States from S1.75 TO $3.50 a pound
Green 'sang'-that is. the fresh Oca
are worth only about 40 or 50 ceH1
pound to the digger. and they are
often sold in that shape.
Ginseng prevails all along The q
ern sections of the United States
Canada. but it is found now on!
the remoter parts. as the root neea
sandy soil in the deep woodS
lucky and Tennessee furnish 4
quantities. though Of an inferior gr
and | fancy that the typical sang
ger does not exist elsewhere as hs
In these states and in West VlrE
and North Carolina. Here be IS q
best. and when he can scratch AS
all day in the cool shadows Of the
meval forests and get 81 for the
he digs he is perfectly content ID
the civil war the ginseng trade
disturbed by reason of the mouhn
GERS going off to fight. and f@
years the roots were left to gos
the Businesses of the hills. TnAl
a fine crop for the returned solola'
Some efforts have been made
rious localities 10 cultivate O.
but so many difficulties are enca
ed that not a great deal has Den
Kentucky has several fairly soecs
ginseng farmers. and ProfessH
man OF the Kentucky agrieulruis
pertinent station at LexiDgios
written a bulletin on the naIut
culture of ginseng which Is a
esting and valuable work. AeM
has no laws protecting tDe
farmer, but West Virginia IA
there is also such a law ID
where sang has been prodno'
1716. There Is not STATE sAs'
Mississippi river in which
seng is not produced. but me ~
comes from the less settled
famous states. China raises
her own sang and some eol1
japan and Russia. the JapaneN
a considerable quantity tDe
but as far as statistics show ~
Of the sang used in the or'eD. -
from North America Wnaa
suits of the present disturoano
ma will be cannot be known ~
time yet. but if the foreign o~
60 and China's ports be closeo -
soon expect to see sang
headed to the westward anu
ring stories Of the sang smuss
John Chinaman must have ns
and ve've got II to spare fof -