The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-05-11
WHAT THE CHINESE DO WITH 1T.

tea Of it. They consider this tea the
best tonic in the world. When a China
man falls sick with almost any disease,
he makes about a pint Of Ginseng tea,
the stronger the better, and drinks it,
about a gill at a drink every two or
three hours. The tea, together with
his firm belief in it's virtue, usually
cures him. The infant is cured ply put
ting the pulverized roots in its food.
The rich use it to flavor their food, not
only for the favor, but its heathful pro-
perties, claiming it restores youth. The
priests use it in their religious ceremo-
MES.
In the above, and in dozens of other
waps, the Chinese use Ginseng. The
Chinese are firm in their convictions
and superstitions. They have believed
il The virtues of Ginseng for thousands
of years and will continue to do SO for
thousands of years to come. Hence
there need be NO fear of overstocking
the market. Mr.. Quang, President of
the Chinese Merchants Company, of
Shanghai, China, said:
THE supply is fast diminishing; the
demand is growing greater each year.
The amount used is only guaged by the
supply. We pay a good price for your
Ginseng; we would pay more if an in
creased price would get it. We could
use twenty times what we get at pres
ent prices. 1t would be impossible for
you Americans to glut the market with
Ginseng in the next fifty years. Gin
seng is used by every Chinaman, no
matter how poor. The Ginseng mar
ket is as staple as the market for tea or
coffee, and not subject to change as is
every other article of commerce. Unless
the Americans cultivate it, there is
going to be a great scarcity of Ginseng,
and that soon."
PROFITS.
Ginseng is the most valuable and
profitable crop in the world. More
money can be made from a few Square
rods of ground than the average farm,
and with one-tenth of the labor. As a
safe estimate. 1000 roots will grow on
one square rod of ground, which makes
100, 600 to an acre. Some growers claim
as many as 200, 600, and even more, to
the acre. Setting the roots six inches
apart each way in rows, making due
allowance for walks between the beds,
one acre will be found to contain about
100, 900. One square rod of ground pro-
duces 1000 roots set six inches apart
each way, allowing walks between the
beds. Estimating 10 roots to the pound
lat the age of five years. gives 100
pounds; when dried, SO 1-3 pounds At
Sc. 90 per pound it makes $1,000 {. While
making the five years growth, the
roots would produce 200, 600 seeds, of
at present prices, $500, 900 worth or
seeds. But, leaving the seeds out of
the count, for m square rod of Ginseng
five years old, we have $4,000, orfor an
acre we have $32, 600. This estimate
looks unreasonable and most people will
not believe it, but it is a conservative
estimate, nevertheless. Those who do
60 into it will reap a rich harvest.
NOW IS THE TINE TO GET INTO THE
BUSINESS.
Enormous profile are to be made in
planting Ginseng now From the dis
covery of Ginseng in America to 1875,
the price rarely went above $1.W per
pound for dried root. While it will pay
to grow Ginseng at $1.O per pound,
there was not sufficient inducements at
that 'price for growers to attempt its
cultivation. But from the above date
the price gradually increased, and plo-
neers in the business commenced to try
to cultivate it, and today it is bringing
from 81 to SIP per pound. There is one
thing we wish to impress on every read
er that a more profitable investment
than starting a Ginseng garden would
be hard to find. 1t is a business oppor-
tunity that will mean much in the fu-
ture. The supply of the wild root is
fast diminishing, and in a few years
will disappear altogether. Se~venty-hve
per cent of the area over which it grows
has been stripped of timber which af-
fords it shade. and is now in cultlva-
ton. Ginseng is as staple with the
Chinese SO tea, coffee and tobacco is
with US, and is quoted as regularly in
the markets of the world; and to re-
plenish the fast diminishing supply of
wild root, we are solving the problem
by Ginseng culture. A small city lot
would be quite a good sized Ginseng
garden and for this reason almost any
one can get started in the business, no
matter how limited his capital may be,
the only difference being that the per-
son who starts on q larger scale may
expect proportionately larger resulte.
Start planting at once with a few hun
dred or thousand roots as your means
will permit, with, say from 1000 to
10, 900 seed will grow into business as a
side line while you follow your usual
occupation, and note which will pay the
best for the time and money employed
for 500 to 81, 600 can be added to your
income annually, once you can get a
start, you can soon have from a half
acre to an acre growing, and an acre of
we'll cultivated American Ginseng is
valued from $25, 600 to $780, 0O, depend
ing on management,
GARDEN IN CAERoLLToN.
Some two and a half years ago A.. o.
Williams and E. NJ. Bass, started a
garden of Ginseng, putting out
five beds 4 feet by 100 feet as an expert.
ment to see whether it would grow and