The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1905-04-15
! VOL. XVII.

II j. + dicted to the drug habi
s6nN that it pays an annual bil
n some S1G.0OO09O TO other countries
4, ;mportations. If these drugs must
IL nsed, 1T is only natural TO ask il
no pat1ent cannot save some Of ting
] money by encouraging the home indus
~ \ good many of the drug plants
ire products Of the tropics. and cannot
~ raised here; but expert authorities
81 jnform us that some four or five mil
lion dollars worth of the Others could
readily be produced i'll the back yards
II our suburban homes.
i There has been 4 steadily increI sing
4 shortage in the common golden seal
r Hydrastis canadcnsis. At one time
Y rolden seal was so abundant in the
East that it was torn up and burnt by
tarmers to keep it from cverrunning
their fields. In the Ohio valley it was
I considered pest. But today it is
worth about seventy-five cents Il pound
wholesale in the market, and it is Gag
erIy hunted for by drug plant collect
rs There are scarcely 10000 pounds
solicited annually in this country, and
/ fbe actual demand is several times this
amount.
Golden seal will grow easily OH rich.
loose garden soil. The soil should be
made to initiate that Of the woods or
forest as nearly as possible. The plants
are put in rows six inches from each
other, with a foot between each row.
Ut takes about three years from plant
ing before harvesting, and after that
an annual supply Of ROOFS should be
had In two seasons the original plants
should increase four times by dividing
the rhizomes, which can be cut UP in
the fall. After the second year the in
crease should be much faster. for the
thiz0mes can be cut into small pieces,
and each one bearing i bud will form
new plant. The original plants can
either be- obtained from the woods or
from nurseries. In either case they
should be planted in late summer. and
carefully protected the first winter.
The cultivation of seneca root, or
snakeroot Polygala senegal, has also
been undertaken in this country. Like
golden seal it was at one time very
Dbundant in this country. and it was
gathered by collectors of drug plants
10 the South. The annual shortage
has sent the price for it soaring. Cas-
cara sagrada, Rhamnus purshiana,
and the cOneflOwer, or Echinacea an
gustifolia, are also running short in
this country, and their cultivation
.ould be undertaken with sure knOwl
ndgc that prices would be maintained
for years to come. Plantations Of
these drug plants should yield good
income after the second year. and il
The propagation increased by cuttings,
Ehe supply should be satisfactory.
A curious fact in regard to the drug
lrade is that we are to-day importing
q considerable quantities ordinary
Medicinal plants which are found grow
ng wild in this country, and are large
y neglected. In some cases these wild
,lants are destroyed by farmers as
loxions weeds, and their very presence
N the farm is an eyesore to them. In
his class Of despised drug plants we
layc the common dandeliOn, burdock,
ouch grass and curly dock. The
,oor Italians of our towns and cities
ire apparently the only ones to appre-
iat6 the value of these common medi- |
lnal plants. In the spring and summer
4 the year they so forth to dig the
cots Of the dandelion and dock in gar
ems, lanes and by the roadsides. In
peaking to one Of these Italian col |
actors, the writer ascertained that he |
lade nearly hundred dollars year
his way. Only a small fraction Of his
me was given to collecting.
Fair prices are quoted in the drug
sade for dock and dandelion roots.
nd the cultivated sorts are so iGuch
fperior to the wild that there is mon
J IN them. All that the farmer or
needs to do is to start a
ch piece Of damp ground with the
'ots OF the dandelion or burdock, and
len by transplanting cuttings each
far large supply could be raised.
he plants take possession Of the soil,
1t the small ones should be thinned
It to give the better growths more
'om. To cultivate dandelions, bur-
,ck and couch grass seems like an alb
lrdity to some, but we have it upon
le authority of the Department Of Ag-
culture that many tons Of these roots
e imported annually into this coun-
, fo- the drug trade.
have been made to in
oduce tile camphor and cork trees
the Southern States, and some little
lccess has been attained, but it would
EN- much more to the point il farm
8 would attempt the cultivation Of
lid native plants that we now have
import to meet the ordinary drug
ade demand. There is a common
Sc, which we raise in such small
Iantities that we have to depend upon
ally for our needs. The prices for
&c are small, and this fact has dis
uraged many from undertaking to
ise It. But the plant is easily cul-
rated, requiring practically no great
tentIon. and its annual crop Of leaves
large. Five Or ten acres devoted to
sc growing yields excellent returns i