The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-11
DRUG PLANTS NOTUNUSUALLY
 PROFITABLE
A Knowledge of Market Conditions Essential to Success in
 Growing Them.


 Although a large amount of money | is spent annually for the inspirations of crude drugs, and the exterminaton 1 of a number of valuable native drug | plants is threatened, government spe- | cialists do not believe that the grow | ing of drug plants offers any unusual opportunities for profit to the Ameri- l can farmer. Drug plants are subject | to the same diseases and risks as other crops and, in addition, knowl- l edge of the best methods of cultiva- tion and handling is less general than in the case of other and better known crops. In issuing a new bulle1n5 Farmers Bulletin 663, Drug Plants Under Cultivation" the Department of Agriculture, therefore, warns farm CTS that in order to have the cultiVa- ton Of drug financially successful in this country, the Introduction of inn proved methods and the extensive use of machinery is probably necessary Under these circuInstancesl the natural tendency will be to increase the pro- duction in the interest of economy. The demand for many drug plants, however, is so limited that if large areas are brought under cultivation there is considerable danger of over production. Irrespective growers are urged, therefore, to acquaint them selves with market. conditions before investing any considerable sum of money in this way
 
 drug plants which may be grown in the United States is large. Many na- tive medicinal plants which are found in their wild. state in a few sections have been successfully cultivated in situations far beyond their natural range. In suitable soil and under fa- vorab1e weather conditions the fol- | lowing plants have done well under, cultivation in numerous places in. the 1 central and eastern states and, if the | x saJiY &ir1o not i too great will probably be suitable in l other regions:
 Anise, Belladonna, Burdock. Cara way, Catnip, Camonaile, s Conium, Coriande1, Digitalis,< Dill, Echinaeea-, Elecanpane, Fenhef,D DHenbane, Hore- hound, Pennyroyal, Sage, 5tammo on I iunn, Tansy, Thyme.
 | The bulletin already mentioned
 contains specific instructions for the cultivation of each of Ethese plants and of a number of others In gen.
 eral, it may be said that many wild
 medicinal plants are much more diff l cult to propagate from seeds than. l species commonly grown in gardens. Moreover, in growing medicinal plants from seed it is much better to start l the plants in a greenhouse or hotbed 1 than to sow the seed directly in the field. Under any circumstances, the 1 preparation of the soil is of prime Importance. A seed bed prepared by
 
 1 garden soil, leaf mold, well rotted manure, and clean sand will be suit able for the sgernnination of most
 seed. The heavier the soil the greater the quantity of seed should be.
 1 Drug plants grown for their roots are usually harvested in the. fall or early in the spring while the plant is still dormant. Roots collected dur
 ing the growing season often shrink
 excessively in drying, which in all ! rI-7 r7- r
 roots are usually split or spliced,
 spread in thin layers on clean floors,
 and stirred turned freQuentiy. The
 process of drying may take several
 weeks although the time can be re-
 duced by the use of artificial heat. | Good ventilation is essential in or | der that the moisture driven off from
 the roots may be allowed to escape. Il Leaves and herbs are usually har- : | vested when the plants are in flower Picking by hand in the field is a slow process, and the entire plant is, there fore, often cut and the leaves stripped 7 after the plants have been brought | in. Flowers may be gathered either l by hand, which is a, 1aborious method or by devices similar to a cranberry
 scoop or a seed stripper. It In addition to the care and EnoW1- edge needed for the production o1 . these medicinal plants, the grower [ must be familiar with market condi- ? t1ons. In many cases there IS no To- Q cal market for the product, and the f grower should then send samples tc
 dealers in crude drugs or the nanu
 facturers of medicinal preparations
 in order,to obtain a price for his crop ESome growers who have been carefu = to maintain a very high quality 1T n their product have succeeded in build Il ling up a trade at a price a little above
 the prevailing market quotations. I
 is also possi b1e to secure a, contrac d for the sale of the entire crop in ad " vance, thus insuring a definite mar = ket. In general, the bulletin says, thu
 growing of drug plants in this coun
 try seems to be more suitable to wei . equipped cuHivators who devot' S themselves entirely to it than to tn
 general farmer who looks upon i only as a minor source of income.