Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-04-16
GIN SENG CULTURE

IL is a well Known 1acC Inab GIN
seng is native OF the forest and
must be grown under conditions as
nearly similar to those that prevail
in the forest Ginseng can only be
propagated from the seed. 1t has
been found that 1T takes eighteen
months to terminate, and during all
of that time the seed should never be
allowed to become dry. When the
young plant does appear it looks
somewhat like beans. 1t has three
leaves at the top OF stem rising two
or three inches from the ground.
The next years growth is different
in appearance. From the last week
of April till the middle OF May the
plant will shoot up it's stem from
four to six inches with two branches
with five leaves on each branch in
the shape of a wheel. The third
years growth has three branches OF
five leaves-fifteen leaves to each
plant. Il h third years growth
bears seed. In July it produces a
cluster OF small yellOwish green flow
ers. These are later followed with
fruit resembling fiattened berries, the
color being green till in August,
when they change to ~ bright scarlet
and ripen in September. These Der
ries are about the size OF peas and
produce one, two and three seeds
each. The root is perennial, but the
plant above ground is an annual
that is, it dies down in the fall and
springs up again the next spring.
The root some what resembles the
horseradish root.
Being a native OF the forest, the
plant requires shade. 1t must be
protected from the sun during the
whole summer. No shade has prov
en- SO satisfactory as latticework
This can be made of lath three
fourths OF an inch apart over the
top, while the sides are left open to
admit the free circulation of air.
This covering may be six feet above
the ground, SO a person can pass
| under it.
The soil selected for a ginseng gar
| den should be a moist, cool one. The
ground should be rich and mellow,
and we prefer a north or east slope.
Above all, the drainage should be
good. If planted on level land you
should underdrain with tile, as gin
seng will not stand wet feet.
1t takes the root about five years
to get it's growth from the time the
seed was planted. Some dig the
roots at the end of the fourth year,
! but it pays best to wait till five
years or six years. Then dig them
carefully SO as not to cut tQem. TO
dry the roots spread them out thin
ly where they will have full exposure
to the sun and the air. 1t generally
! takes three pounds OF green roots to
make one OF dry. The roots are
shipped to China, where they are
used for medicine. The Chinese be-
lieve that it will cure all the diseases
both OF the body and mind. The
large roots, which somewhat resem-
BILE the human body's shape, com
mand the best price in the orient.
| The average price OF the root in
America is about SIS per pound. You
will find it quoted in any Of the
standard daily market reports
Ginseng is a very small plant, so
small that 100000 plants can be set
in an acre. A plant three years old
will produce about twenty seeds,
while plants five and six years old
will bear from fifty to a hundred
seeds. The present market price OF
seeds is from $50 to$S0 per pound.
1t takes about 5000 seeds to make
a pound. 1t is said that an acre Of
ginseng is worth 0,000.-EX.