Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-10-31
GINSENG DIGGERS.
The High Prices Paid for the Root
Which is a Remedy for Diseases
With the Chinese-What George

root. While many more people have
| successfully hunted the root for the past
! three or four years, the work entailed
seems to have gradually discouua grid
| them. until dropping out one by one.
they have left the field to two or three
persistent dggers, who, having become
| experts, find their searchings not only
remunerative, but likewise fascinating
| in the open-air exercise which their eff
! forts require. We all remember how our
grandIathers, many years ago. dealt ex-
tenSiNely in the root, employing i'm many
! instances their nelghbors in the season
| OF ginseng digging, sending their pro-
| duct TO Boston by team. In those DAYS
| IL the crop brought rs cents to 81 rs
| pound. the diggers considered them
selves fortunate. though 1t is probably
| true that the root was more easily found
than today. when a digger must traverse
Wide territory, and oftentimes spend
| several days in securing very few
| pounds of the root which however
| brings much higher prices than were
| paid half a century ago, while the de-
mand has constantly increased. To the
many New Englanders who possibly have
never heard of the enormous profits
realized from the traffic in ginseng, the
story of its digging and marketing by
one who has made a business of It, and
the fact that this valued commodity
ilourishes. as IT were. at their doors, af-
ApiuihE W lioSt WHO KNOW and seek 1t
most satisfactory income will be of
interest. Vermonts ginseng product is
said to be of a superior quality, COM
| mandng. like the ginseng of certain
sections of Canada. Maine and north
eastern New York, the highest market
price. Vermont's crop is generally mar
keted in Boston or New York. and is
supposed ultimately to find it's way to
China. where the great bulk of all the
ginseng raised is sold. Here in Wind
ham county there are half dozen deal
ers in the root. most of whom do their
own digging and who have so quietly
purused their vocation as to attract lit
tie or no attention, though the results of
their labors are shown in stable in
comes.
One of the most successful "diggers'
in this section of the state is George
Whitney. whose farm is located on the
old turnpike which leads off from the
stage road about four miles west of
Brattleboro village. Mr.. Whitney has
dug ginseng for the past II years, dur
ing which period he has familiarized
himself with the hills and dales OF Wind
ham and Windsor counties having trav-
elled over nearly every farm in both.
About nine years ago Mr.. Whitney Sc
cured his largest crop, gathering in the
months of September and October a
large quantity of the root, which, when
thoroughly dried. as it must be before
sold, amounted to about 70 pounds, for
which he was paid SO pound by White
Bros. of Boston. This was considered a
good price then, though since that time
ginseng has increased in value. until,
last year Mr.. Whitney sold his crop for
$6.l5 pound, and hopes to do as well, or
even better, this year. Brattleboro 10
years ago was considered a great local
ity for ginseng. The Aldrich, Clark and
Miner farms were. to quote Mr.. Whit
naN nfara 1fty rxrft "a
that time he was supposed to be about
the only digger in this vicinity though
Paul Willis, a war veteran, and Orrin p
Shepardson the old carriage maker,
hunted the root. ]. j. Barnes of West
minister has gathered ginseng for years
in connection with his farm duties. Gin
seng can be found in July and August
though September and October are con-
sidered the best months for digging as
the berry is red and fully ripe then. and
more readily seen in the yellow vegeta-
ton. The most Whitney ever found in
one locality was on the farm of Mrs
w. ii. Bigelow, in the west part of Brat
tleboro, just northwest of Round mount
ain, where he dug steadily for at least
two weeks, with most satisfactory
suits. When he began, it was his GUS
tom to pick of the little fibres of the
root before shipping. but now that it has
been ascertained that these little feelers
invariably require the fibres to be left
on the root.
Ginseng. growing. looks something like
sarsaparilla, only the stalk and leaves
are blue. When ripe II has a bunch of
red berries at the top and centre of the
stalk. around which is growth of
beech-shaped leaves. Most stalks have
their branches with five leaves to each
branch, and IL has been found with as
many as five branches with % leaves.
The stalks grow all the way from six
inches to two feet, depending altogether
upon the quality of the soil. Ginseng is
generally found in woodlands, among
hard wood timber, butternut timber land
being the best locality for it. although
it is indigenous to the soil of d-growth
ash and maple where the land is partly
shady. The roots grow in all shapes
and lengths. and Mr.. Whitney reports
finding as many nine roots to one
stalk though it generally grows with
two or three roots. Whitneys best find
this year has been root that weighed
nine ounces. After digging the roots
are washed and dried as much as posi-
BILE before shipping, but the seller must
await another and more thorough pro-
cess of drying by the buyer before 1t is
finally weighed. when he gets his money.
The root is dug with a little hook-like
continuance attached to an ordinary
walking-stick, and great care must be
exercised not to cut or break the root,
for such damage takes from it's selling
price. For the past two or three years
ginseng has been reported as scarce.
owing, II is supposed, to too much hunt
ing and the fact that cattle and sheep
seem to be very fond of it, and where
they Craze II is difficult to find enough
to pay for the digging. Mr.. Whitney
says he has never dug less than this
year. but then he was late in getting at
it and some other fellow, evidently had
got there first. Ginseng is of slow growth
and takes five years, at least, for the root
TO mature from the seed. A Newfane
man is engaged in growing ginseng I'M
der cover something as Sumatra tobacco
Is grown in Florida. The Newfane patch
is fenced in and protected, according to
common report, by a system of electric
bells, which ring whenever the wire
fence is touched. This grower is said
TO have sold recently over $500 worth
of ginseng berries to different ones, who
will attempt to cultivate it as is done
in the West
Ginseng is pleasantly aromatic and
probably slightly stimulant. The celes-
tails value it highly and consider it
specific for almost every trouble' from
which they suffer, 1t has been used in
China for 40 centuries, where the product
is one of great commercial Importance.
Imperial ginseng raising is a government
monopoly, being grown in the royal
parks and gardens, where a death penal
ty is visited upon those who steal the
plants. This product sells as high as
$500 pound, and is used by the aristo-
Gratis of China. American ginseng Is
bought as third erade. though 1t is the
ii