Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-02-25
miscellaneous Reaains.
GlNSING CULTURE.
Norsh Carolina Man Says There Is Big
Money In II.

WSSlCIH SdiOiho- ONSA SA<A~s
now, but powerful, heavy set, healthy
specimen of six feet, weighing not less
than 100. He has a florid, weather.
tanned complexion, and keen, shrewd
gray eyes; a gruff, thick voice and a
| tone Of voice that impresses the hearer
that here is a man Of affairs, Of deci-
sion and determination.
In Hendersonville his real estate
holdings are considerable and valuable,
for 1t Is the mecca Of thousands of
wealthy southerners during the entire
summer, a beautiful and modern city
| on a plateau nearly three thousand
feet above the sea level. But long be-
fore the summer visitors began build
ing cottages, and before the big hotels
and the boarding houses sprung up he
was the best known man not only in
Hendersonville, but in that section Of
the state that embraced no less than
half dozen counties.
For he was born trader. And be-
fore the railroad went through from
Spartanburg to Asheville Zone Of the
most difficult to build railroads In
America 1t was, too.) this man bought
from the natives their produce, paying
cash, and he loaned them money, and
he bought and sold land, and he ham
died tan bark and minerals, and most of
all he paid them the highest prices ever
known for ginseng, or sang" as they
called 1t.
captain Toms"
Today one ca go forty miles from
the railroad ana ask q native ques-
ton about ginseng and ten chances to
one the answer will begin with capt.
Toms" So there is on the door
Of his office, over the handsome bank
building which he owns in Henderson
Vile, the simple inscription, Capt. M.
C. Toms" as II the reader could guess
the rest about his money lending, gold
mining, zirconizing, apple orchards,
real estate and other interests.
So I found him one day this past
summer, and started him off on the
subject Of ginseng. AS I had heard
many remarkable stories Of his success
in cultivating the plant, I wanted to
learn at first hand whether 1t would be
practicable for one to initiate his
methods elsewhere, and the like. But
chiefly may say I had travelled fifty
miles out Of my way to ask him direct
ly as to the truth Of a statement which
I had heard many times during several
years, which was that he had realized
from a piece Of ground 80 by 75 feet In
his garden the sum Of s1,100.
$4,000 Per Acre.
"Yes. sir, that is just about right" he
replied. 1.-The ground was 80 by rs,
and the proceeds amounted to a few
dollars over q thousand, or at the rate
Of $25,00o per acre.
And how mucl ground have you in
ginseng now?"
well, you know, 1t takes seven years
for sang to mature, so I figured on
planting an acre every year for seven
years, to get $4,000 a year after the
seventh year, with, Of course, a little
besides that after the third year from
the sale OF Seed"
What are seed worth?"
"One cent each, or $1,000 a bushel.
But you don't get any seed until the
plant is three years old, and then you
don't get bushel from an acre."
"Then how long were you in getting
the first acre planted?'
"Oh, got 1t planted in one year. i
bought the roots from the people over
this country. They found them grow
ing wild in the woods everywhere, IN
the mountains"
But more in some places than 9TH
ers?" I ventured to ask.
Yes, Of course. Pinnacle mountain,
about five miles from here, was the
best locality for 1t, and owned that
myself But they cleaned 1t up In a
short while and sold me my own roots
at good prices"
why didn't you leave that in its ma
tive surroundings for reserve?"
Cultivated Ginseng.
why, there's a thousand acres Of
land in that tract and I had no way
to protect 1t. These people know it's
mine, but they have never been accus-
toned to the idea Of posted land, and
so 1 decided to let it rock along that
way rather than have them sell 1t
somewhere else. So I got all could
set out for cultivation"
well, do they disturb the cultivated
ginseng?"
"They would If they could. But II
have a man living right by 1t, working
on shares with me, and we have q sew
en-foot fence around it. When 1t is
worth from six to twelve dollars a
pound, you know, we have got to watch
it pretty close"
do you fence in the entire seven
acres?"
mo. Only the first acre I planted.
In fact never got the rest planted.
The trouble was, we could not get
the cultivated ginseng to bear seed
properly. And find 1t so with the
wild plant, too, these last few years.
The plant will grow nicely in the
spring anu lOOh pEOLllSLlS ShouShb DuS
then about the first Of August the
leaves begin to wilt and a week or two
later the plants look dead. Right now
my field is dried up and won't get
two quarts Of seed off the whole acre."
Perhaps it is blight" I answered,
reasoning from experience with toma-
to growing.
"Oh, yes, it's blight all right. And
I've used sprays Of every kind and all
the remedies ever heard of, but we
haven't been able to stop him, or even
to find what he Is is."
You would give a thousand dollars,
then, for a remedy?" thought he
could easily afford to make the offer.
But he was tired Of experimenting.
II won't promise" he answered. Il
might run upon something still worse"