The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-01-01
Ginsenu Culture in Washington.

press anu IH0 SITOuS dIlu VI CuS law,
to be respectful to the former, rem
dering obedience to the latter, and
making special efforts to have no
entangling alliances with either. At
the same time, l have endeavored to
follow some vocation in life consid-
cred honorable among men. Among
other things, after a very careful
investigation, l decided on the cul-
ture of American ginseng as legiti-
mate, and possibly a profitable, bust
ness. After l had gone to consid-
cradle expense in said business, to
my great surprise l was confronted
with an issue of your paper recently
in which you made a very severe
indictment against ginseng culture.
Realizing that a great many men
may desire to engage in it, and bellev-
ing as | do, l think you owe it to
each of your subscribers and all 9TH
er farmers who may be influenced
either way, and more especially those
of us who are already in the bust
ness, that you should prove your as
sertions by some tangible evidence,
to say the least-sOmething better
than mere assertions.
If your assertions are true, you will
have but little trouble in proving
them. but would like in advance to
say to you that to those of us who
have tried it, and others from Mis-
souri,, you must show us by evidence
that equals ours, and not have some
man sitting in an Office, drawing
large salary, theorize and guess
against our actual experience.
Further, believe the object of your
publication is a laudable one, hav1n
in view the development of this won
derful, resourceful section, and that
you do not want to do an injustice
to any honest tiller of the soil; II
you are convinced of your error, you
will correct it and champion the cause
of the culture of ginseng.
You being the accuser, the burden
is on you to prove your charge that
culture of ginseng is fraud.
l take it that your strongest evil
dence is ID, that some expert, sitting
in his office, from some imaginary
theory has concluded that the culture
of ginseng is fraud. (2) From the
extravagant claims made by the en-
thusiast, desiring to excite the pub
lie, that he may get exhorb1tant
prices for his nursery stock, which
| am willing to admit as being the
case.
do most seriously insist that
neither of these counts are the best
evidence, nor is either anything more
than the slightest circumstantial evil
dence, as against an actual demon
stration, by planting the seed and
lifting the root mature, selling it in
open market and deducting actual
cost from gross receipts.
| wish to say that according to
the sworn evidence of three respect
able citizens and tillers Of the soil,
who have not the slightest motive to
testify falsely, ginseng will grow in
the state of Washington, and espec-
tally in the Puget Sound country, and
more profusely than in it's native
country particularly the states of
Kentucky, Maryland, Vermont, West
Virginia, Tennessee and North Caro-
lima.
1t is now conceded that the wild
root is practically exhausted, and but
little is on the market OF what is
known as select, the trouble being
that the gatherers of the wild root
take it at all ages. Wild roots from
one to three years old are almost
ynE