The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-09-06
souTHERN FOREST INDUSTRIES.
Ginseng, Holly and the Mistletoe
Found in Abundance.

There are thousands OF sturdy peo-
nle known as the holly and n1istletoe
hunters, and whose source Of suos1sr-
ence in the winter is dependent on
their feats of climbing tail trees to
saw off the brown protuberances from
which the mistletoe springs, and in
vading the rocky rayines in a search
for the holly. Another industry is the
collecting and preparing Of roots and
herbs for sale. We are assured that
every ssyarb'' VIII keep some disease
away, but the queer little root known
as ginseng is priced above all other.
Evidently there would be very little
use for patent medicines if we be-
ueved all that has been told US Of this
plant and it's wonderful healing pow
ers
At one time there was no sale for
It outside OF the mountains, and then
there came demand for it from
China, where for Thousands Of years
the mysterious root has been used by
the Chinese as a panacea for all Ills.
They make tea OF it, use it in their
food, mix it in their soup, and use It
i'm every available way. Then. too, it
is greatly valued for its supposed
power Of combating fatigue and old
age.
According to their belief one need
not search for the fountain Of
youth . for this root restores youth.
1t is said that the Canadian Jesuits
&frst began to ship the roots Of the
American species to China. It was so
highly priced and the demand for the
American root became so great that
the price went up to SIS a pound, and
that set the highlanders to searching
for the mysterious little root. The
nasural home Of "sang," as it is called
IN local parlance, is in the wilds Of the
forests. AS one old sang-digger said
of it: eHit,s wild as a rattlesnake and
KANT be tanned. When you dig hit
kup that settles hit. Mought jist as
wen dry hit and send hit to Chiny.
No use foolin' away time to plant hit,
for sang won't grow 'cept in the
woods.
In the mountains OF the South civ
ilization has not been pushed forward
at very rapid rate. and the prim-
evaa forest still holds sway and here
where the wild root grows We find the
sang-digger pursuing his novel call
IN in the shadow of the deep cliffs,
wandering through painless stretches
OF forests; OF in the deep gorges OF
the great Appalachian chain. The
onIy equipment necessary for the
sang-digger is the sang hoe, which is
stout staff some four feet long, iron
she'd and sharpened into the likeness
OF a miniature spade. With this he
pries up the long root. Then he gen
lerally carries along, thrown over his
ShrouIders, a bag, or poke as it is
called in these Southern mountains.
These are the necessities-yes, and
something elsa good supply Of to-
bacco, for one who knows the noun
taineer cannot imagine a sang-digger
sitting down before his camp fire
without his plug Of tobacco, or his
pipe filing the air with clouds Of
smoke, while the women have the in
eyitable snuff and snuff stick. Under
the shadow of the mountain is the lit
tie shack or log cabin which he
Mcans home. It generally consists Of
one room with a big fireplace, two
doors opposite each other, one always
open. It is often without windows,
while the furniture is scarcely worthy
the name When the sang-digger has
collected enough roots he bitches up
his ancient mule team and transports
it over the rough mountain roads to
the nearest town or settlement, where
X
he swaps" it off for coffee, sugar,
snuff and tobacco.
The genseng root is a low, peren-
nial, herbaceous plant allied to the
parsley family. The leaf resembles
that of the horse chestnut. A stalk
rises in the center Of the leaf stems
with pretty tassel Of flowers, pea
green in color These turn to bright red
seed pods in the autumn. But it is
not the leaves, flowers or stalk about
Mwhich cluster the mountaineer le-
gends, but the root. They say it is
like the human form. and one who IS
imaginative can sometimes trace re-
corob-ance This fancied likeness to