The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-11
GINSENG CULTURE IN MISSOURI
A Novel Industry Likely to Make
Big Trade With China.

New York Tribune.
China IL sending its nobiest sons to this
country to investigate the properties OF
the Missouri soil as to raising ginseng for
the use Of the millions of Chinese across
the water. Within recent months several
delegations of notable Chinese, among
them being the Hon. Ho Vow, Chinese
Consul at San Francisco, have journeyed
to the country lying in the heart OF the
Ozarks, and there they have found
most propitious place. they say. for the
culture of ginseng, the favorite opiate OF
the Chinese.
|, There has been for some time GIN
seng farm In the Ozark country and this
novel industry-novel for the southwest
at least-is now likely to grow rapidly.
Arrangements have been made to export
the ginseng raised here direct to the
principal ports of China, where 1t will be
sold. At present American raised GIN
seng Is considered of inferior quality.
In travelling by rail across that rug
ged uplift known as the Ozarks few per-
sons would think of connecting the land
scape with the ancient customs and super
stitions of the faraway Chinese Empire
Yet here has begun the industry which
may establish gigantic commercial rela-
lions between this country and the OPP
posite side of the earth. The connect
ing link between such wide apart localities
is ginsengfi that tabled root of antiquity.
generally believed by learned men to be
identical with the mandrake of the Bible
About two hundred years ago ginseng
was discovered among the North Ameri-
can Indians, and ever since then the
growth as found wild. principally In the
CatskiH mountains, has died out untii
there Is hardly any wild ginseng 10 De
found. Most of the ginseng cultivated In
in Missouri
and this is indeed a small area compared
to the possibilities.
Ginseng ia used alone in China where
the people believe 1t Is a cure for all Ills.
They think 1t is a blessing sent from
heaven, and when the plant or root Is
grown in certain shapes to represent Idols
then the Chinese are willing to pay almost
any price for 1t to eat. They make
tea out of the root or eat 1t dry. 1t pro-
duces a sensation similar to that OIL
op.,-r7. The rest of the world, except
Cores. IL -.ttle use for the root, except
to raise and sell it to the Chinese. 1t Is
estimated that IL the American farmers
should try to grow ginseng to perfection
they could build up a trade of $2OOOO,oO
annually. At the present time the plant
ers of Corea who raise the finest qualty
of the sinsing root have an absolute cor
fer on the importing of ginseng INTO
China, This year, it has been reported.
the Corean planters, fearing there was
to be an overproduction OF the root
burned at least one-ffth Of their STOCK
in hand. This was done to Keep the
prices up.
its weight in gold. 1t has been known
to bring 500 a pound. The poorer class
cannot afford to buy this. and sometimes
they have to do without when the quanti-
ty imported from America and Japan Is
not forthcoming. The wild ginseng III the
United States has seen its last days, ana
now II must be handled with care to be
grown at all. The biggest ginseng ranch
is that Of H. s. Willard, near Houston
Mo-, on the Frisco Line OF railway.
Fifteen years ago G. F. Millard, then
merchant and farmer OF Houston, MO,
became interested in the subject of gin
sens culture. He investigated the mat
ter carefully, ana found out that 1t could
| he cultivated like corn or wheat. 1t took
| him three years to get his frst crop
| started Ginseng is like horse-radlsh IN
| appearl ce. 1t grows rank, and Is kept
| inside of covered gardens The Miilaro
| ranch contains fifteen acres. and 1t brings
huge profits This year from one-fourth
| of an acre the Millards sold Sl6,OO worth
| of ginseng.
1 But the results nave nOl pSOiA
plished without serious difficulty. In the
beginning Mr.. Willard suffered failure
after failure. He studied the plant as
1t grew in its wild state among the sand
hills of the ozark, and his efforts at nome
culture were finally successful.
Ginseng requires two primary elements
shade and moisture. Given these, 1t can
be grown in Missouri to perfection be-
cause of the climate. 1t 10 not adVisaoie
to depnd Upon natural shade and Druoh
arbors should be erected over each bed
to keep out the sunlight While ginseng
thrives on water 1t does not necessarily
have to have 1t as a ginseng plant mas
been known to outlive any other plant
without water. 1t Is very hardy.
The Millards ship most Of their gin
seng direct to Hong Kong and Peking'
where they secure from So to y pound,
They say the actual cost of producing IL Is
loss than 25 cents a pound. The culture
is rapidly spreading throughout the ozark
region.