The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-18
GINSENG FARMING
Profitable Industry in
Heathful Infancy in
Our Mountains.

Several enterprising men in the
mountains of North Carolina are eX-
perimenting with one of the most cost
II and nrofita BILE herbs known, called
ginseng pronounced gensang), which
can he grown to any advantage what
ever only in the hills. The plant is a
native OF America and Manchuria,
and is used in great quantities by the
Chinese. who value il more highly
than ali other medicinal plants. ttfe
Senate Yesterday passed the bill of Mr..
a. +. Toms of Henderson county.
which protects the growers OF GIN
seng, who are starting this infant m
,tustr.v in the western part ofthe state.
Mr. Toms and his rather, Capt. Nj. -.
Toms. are reputed to be the largest
growers of this plant in the South, ana
they believe that North Carolina may
n the course of q few years, lead
the whole Union inthe production OF
ginseng.
Ginseng is very valuable herb,
and is demanded in large quantities
almost exclusively by the Chinese 1oi'
lie medicinal properties. 1t occurs IN
lis native state in Manchuria and the
mountains of Canada, and in the
mountains forming the Appalachian
slope i'm the eastern United states. ana
in a few other places in this country.
notably in the Ozark mountains or
Missouri. and the mountains OF West
ern North Carolina.
During the past few lyeags the de-
mand ire China for ginseng has in
creased, and the supply. which is dug
i'm its wild state in America, has cor
respondingly decreased, and hence,
tho price has steadily risen, the pro-
duct being worth from s. for native
roots. To ST. in its cultivated state,
per pound.
The principal place where ginseng is
grown is in Manchuria. where the
Russian and Japanese armies have
heen fighting. The United States an
nually exports about one million dol
lars ner year of this article. 1t has
been supposed that on account OF the
great number of people III various
tarts of the country who have IN Il
small WAY tried to raise this plant,
that the market would be crippled,
put Senator Toms expresses himself
that he has no such fear, ana bases
his reasons upon the fact that owing
Ia The time. in which il takes Il crop TO
mature. which is seven years. and the
fact that il takes the seed two years
10 terminate that in place OF the
market going down II will steadily
go IN.
oeoDle as q rule who have TO wait
seven years to get one crop, are not
very anxious to plant it. 1t Is esti-
mated that an acre of fine fun grown
ginseng is worth not less than S2fo.-
600.
Ginseng is planted i'm beds fifty feet
long and six feet wide in ROWS twelve
inches APART and separated about
threc inches apart III the row, the
beds being arranged so as TO permit
of just walking space, between, ana
the. plants are SET inthe richest WOOD
mould which is obtained from
mountain coves The Whole of these
beds arc. shaded with ARTIFICIAL shade,
which ia made by erecting posts
throughout the entire farm ten feet
nigh across the top of which are
straps or plank. upon which plank are
thrown green brush each year The
whole is then surrounded by oafoeu
wire fence ten feet high, and the
Senator smiled us he suggested that
any one travelling through his gin
yeng farm might need q compass and
chart. for it would he very unpleasant
10 have an encounter with gftZIiy
bear trap.
The roots OF this plant are used py
the Chinese principally, and small
per cent ofthe plant is used in THIS
i'm medicine. but has never been re-
Zarded in America as having any
GREAT medical properties. but is
priZed BY the Chinese above all other
medicines.
The people of Western North Caro-
lima are just now finding out the
value OF this plant, and Senator
Toms bill not only protects their
crop, but allows them to dig the gin
of l1.lV
purpose of replanting it. The law
heretofore has been That ginseng coufi
not he dug during certain months, but
this old law applied not to the resettlng
but for the purposes of exporting the
Same, and the seed upon the plant
WAS destroyed in order to get the rooteS
People digging ginseng to plant al
ways did small roots which nave no
seed uDon them.
This new bill provides a penalty of
not less than years for stealing GIN
seng. which IS in beds. whore such
beds are located upon land surround
ed by z barbed wire fence at least SIX
feet high, composed of strands OF
wire not exceeding ten inches apart.
4 person who would break into an
enclosure like this and steal pro
duet so valuable would be prose-
cuted and punished in exactly the
same decree as he would be if he had
broken into Il barn and stolen
valuable horge.
The climate of Western North Car
olna Is nagnificently adapted to the
culture Of ginseng, as is also the SOIL
and other conditions. Ii can best be
grown in the mountains where 1t oc-
curs in its native state. The bill of
Senator Toms is not local bill. but
apples to the whole State, and is de-
signed To benefit every person who de-
sires to invest his money in this way.