ginseng harding 1

7/30/2019 Ginseng Harding 1

1/31

GINSENG AND OTHE RMEDICIN AL P LANTS

A Book o f Va lu a b l e In fo r m a t ion fo rGr ower s a s We l l a s Co llec to r s

o f Med ic ina l Roo t s , Ba r ks ,L e a v e s , E t c .

BYA. R. HARDING

(Revised E dition.)

P U BL I SH E D B YA. R . H AR DI NG

COLUMBUS, OHI O

Ginseng a nd O the r Med icina l P l an t s - Ha r d ing - P age 1


2/31



3/31

C O N T E N T S

Chapter.

I. Plan ts a s a Sour ce of Revenu eII. List of Pla nt s Ha ving Medicina l Valu eIII. Cult ivat ion of Wild Plan tsIV. The Story of Gins engV. Ginsen g Ha bitsVI. Cult ivat ionVII. Sha ding an d BlightVIII . Disea ses of Ginsen gIX. Mark eting an d P ricesX. Lett er s from Gr owersXI. General Information

XII. Medicina l Qua litiesXIII. Ginsen g in Ch inaXIV. Ginsen g- Governmen t Descript ion, E tc.XV. Michigan Mint Fa rmXVI. Miscellaneous InformationXVII. Golden Sea l Cu ltivat ionXVIII . Golden Sea l Hist ory, EtcXIX. Growers' Lett er sXX. Golden Seal-Government Description, Etc.XXI. Cohosh-Black and Blue

XXII. Sna ker oot- Can ada an d VirginiaXXII I. P okeweedXXIV. Ma yappleXXV. Sen eca Sn aker ootXXVI. Lady's SlipperXXVII. Forest RootsXXVIII. F orest Plant sXXIX. Thicket P lan tsXXX. Swam p P lan tsXXXI. F ield Pla nt s

XXXII . Dry Soil Plan tsXXXIII . Rich Soil P lan tsXXXIV. Medicinal HerbsXXXV. Medicina l Sh rubs



4/31

INTRODUCTION

WHEN the price of Ginseng advanced some years ago hundredsengaged in the business who knew little or nothing of farming, plantraising and horticulture. That they largely failed is not to be wonderedat. Later many began in a small way and succeeded. Many of thesewere farmers and gardeners. Others were men who had hunted,trapped and gathered sengfrom boyhood. They therefore knewsomet hin g of the peculiar ities of Ginseng.

It is from th e experience of th ese men t ha t t his work is lar gely made u pwritings of those who ar e in t he bus iness.

This edition is more complete t ha n th e first , being increased from 317 to367 pages. The chapt ers on Ginsen g an d Golden Seal ha ve been r evisedby C. M. Goodspeed, Editor and Publisher of Special Crops, as well asgrower of medicina l root s for m any, many year s.

Golden seal is also attracting considerable attention owing to the rapidincrease in price during the early years of the present century. Thegrowing of th is plant is given car eful a tt ent ion also.

Man y oth er plan ts ar e destin ed to soon become va luable. A work gott enout by the governmentAmerican root drugscontains a great deal of value in regard to habits, range, description, common names, price,uses, etc., etc., so that some of the information contained in this book istaken therefrom. The prices named in the government bulletin whichwas issued in 1907 were those prevailing at that timethey will vary,in th e fut ur e, lar gely accord ing to th e supply an d dema nd.

The greatest revenue derived from plants for medicinal purposes isderived from the roots, yet there are certain ones where the leaves andbark are used. Therefore to be complete some space is given to theseplants. The digging of the roots, of course, destroys the plant as well asdoes t he peeling of th e bar k, while leaves secur ed is clear gainin other

words, if gathered when matured the plant or shrub is not injured andwill produce leaves ea ch yea r .

The amount of root drugs used for medicinal purposes will increase asthe medical profession is using of them more and more. Again thenumber of people in the world is rapidly increasing while the forests



5/31

(the natural home of root drugs) are becoming less each year. Thisshows the growers of medicinal roots will find a larger market in thefutu re tha n in the past .

Those who know something of medicinal plantsRoot Drugscansafety embark in their cultivation, for while prices may ease offgolowerat times, it is reasonably certain that the general trend will beupwa rd as th e sup ply growing wild is ra pidly becoming less each year .

A. R. HARDING. (1912, revised 1936)



6/31

C H AP T E R I .

P L AN T S AS A S O U R C E O F R E V E N U E .

With the single exception of ginseng, the hundred of plants whose rootsare used for medical purposes, America is the main market and user.Ginseng is used mainly by the Chinese. The thickly inhabited ChineseEm pire is where t he American ginsen g is pr incipally used. To wha t u sesit is put may be briefly stated, as a superstitious beverage. The rootswith certa in sha pes ar e car ried about th e person for cha rm s. The rootsresem bling th e hum an form being th e most valua ble.

The most valuable drugs which grow in America are ginseng andgolden seal, but there are hundreds of others as well whose leaves,barks, seeds, flowers, etc., have a market value and which could becultivated or gathered with profit In this connection an article whichappeared in the Hunter-Trader-Trapper, Columbus, Ohio, under thetitle which hea ds t his chapt er is given in full:

To ma ny un acqua inted with t he n at ur e of the various wild plan ts wh ichsurround them in farm and out-o'-door life, it will be a revelation tolearn th at th e world's supply of cru de, bota nical (vegeta ble) drugs a re t oa large extent gotten from this class of material. There are more thanone thousand different kinds in use which are indigenous ornaturalized in the United States. Some of these are very valuable andhave, since their medicinal properties were discovered, come into use inall parts of the world; others now collected in this country have beenbrought here and, much like the English sparrow, become in theirpropagat ion a nu isance an d pest wher ever foun d.

The impression prevails among many that the work of collecting theproper kind, curing and preparing for the market is an occupation to beundertaken only by those having experience and a wide knowledge of th eir species, uses, etc. It is a fact, th ough, t ha t everyone, however litt lehe may know of the medicinal value of such things, may easily become

fam iliar enough with th is busines s t o su ccessfully collect a nd p repar e forthe m ar ket ma ny different kinds from t he sta rt .

There are very large firms throughout the country whose sole businessis for t his line of mer cha ndise, and wh o ar e at all times an xious t o ma kecontracts with parties in the country who will give the work business-



7/31

like attention, such as would attend the production of other farmar ticles, an d which is so necessar y to the success of th e work .

If one could visit the buyers of such firms and ask how reliable theyhave found their sources of supply for the various kinds required, itwould provoke mu ch laughter. It is quite t ru e th at not more t ha n one inone h un dred wh o write t hese firm s to get a n order for some one or morekinds they might supply, ever give it sufficient attention to enable afirst shipmen t t o be made. Repeated experiences of th is kind ha ve ma deth e average buyer very promptly commit to the n earest waste basket allletters received from those who have not been doing this work in thepast, recognizing the utter waste of time in corresponding with thosewho so far ha ve shown n o inter est in t he work .

The t ime is ripe for th ose who ar e willing t o take up th is work , seriously

giving some t ime a nd bra ins t o solving th e compa ra tively easy pr oblemsof doing this work at a small cost of time and money and successfullycompete for this business, which in many cases is forced to drawsupplies from E ur ope, Sout h Amer ica, Afr ica, and a ll pa r ts of th e world.

From the writer's observation, more of these goods are not collected inth is coun tr y on accoun t of the false ideas t hose investigat ing it h ave of the amount of money to be made from the work, than from any otherrea son; they ar e led to believe th at un told wealth lies easily within t heirrea ch, requ iring only a sm all effort on t heir pa rt to obta in it. Many cases

may be cited of ones who have laboriously collected, possibly 50 to 100pounds of an article, and when it was discovered that from one to twodollars per pound was not immediately forthcoming, pronounced thedealer a t hief an d never again considered t he work .

In t hese days when a ll cru de mat erials are being bought, ma nu facturedand sold on the closest margins of profit possible, the crude drugbusiness has not escaped, it is therefore only possible to make areasonable profit in marketing the products of the now useless weedswhich confront the farmer as a serious problem at every turn. To the

one pu tt ing th ought , economy an d per severa nce in th is work , will comeprofit which is now mer ely th rown a way.

Many herbs, leaves, barks, seeds, roots, berries and flowers are boughtin very large quantities, it being the custom of the larger houses tomerely place an order with the collector for all he can collect, withoutrestriction. For example, the barks used from the sassafras roots, from



8/31

th e wild cher ry tr ee, white pine tr ee, elm tr ee, ta nsy h erb, jimson weed,etc., run into the hundreds of thousand pounds annually, forming veryoften th e basis of ma ny r emedies you buy from your dr uggist.

The idea prevalent with many, who have at any time considered thisoccupation, that it is necessary to be familiar with the botanical andLatin names of these weeds, must be abolished. When one of the firmsreferred to receives a letter asking for the price of Rattle Top Root, theyat once know that Cimicifuga Racemosa is meant; or if it be ShonnyHaw, they readily understand it to mean Viburnum Prunifolium ;Jimson Weed as Stramonium Datura ; Indian Tobacco as Lobel ia

In flata ; Star Roots as Helonia s Roots, and so on throughout the entirelist of items.

Should an occasion arise when the name by which an article is locally

known cannot be understood, a sample sent by mail will soon be themean s of ma king plain t o th e buyer wha t is mean t.

Among the many items which it is now necessary to import fromGermany, Russia, France, Austria and other foreign countries, whichmight be produced by this country, the more important are: DandelionRoots, Burdock Roots, Angelica Roots, Asparagus Roots, Red CloverHeads, or blossoms, Corn Silk, Doggrass, Elder Flowers, HorehoundHerb, Motherwort Herb, Parsley Root, Parsley Seed, Sage Leaves,Stramonium Leaves or Jamestown Leaves, Yellow Dock Root, together

with m an y oth ers.Dandelion Roots have at times become so scarce in the markets as torea ch a price of 50c per pound as t he cost t o import it is sma ll th ere wasgreat profit somewhere.

These items just en um era ted would not be wort hy of men tion were t heyof small import an ce. It is tr ue, th ough, t ha t with one or two exceptions,the amounts annually imported are from one hundred to five hundredth ousa nd pounds or more.

As plentiful as are Red Clover Flowers, this item last fall brought veryclose to 20c per pound when being purchased in two to ten-ton lots forth e Winter's consu mpt ion.

For five years past values for all Crude Drugs have advanced in manyinsta nces beyond a proport iona te a dvance in th e cost of labor, and th ey



9/31

bid fair to maintain such a position permanently. It is safe to estimateth e avera ge enh an cement of values t o be at least 100% over th is period;those not reaching such an increased price fully made up for by otherswhich h ave ma ny times doubled in value.

It is beyond the bounds of possibility to pursue in detail all of the factswhich might prove interesting regarding this business, but it isimport an t tha t, to an extent at least, th e mat ter of fluctu at ions in valuesbe explained before th is subject can be ever in a mea su re complet e.

All items embraced in the list of readily marketable items are at timesvery high in price and other times very low; this is brought aboutprincipally by the supp ly. It is usu ally th e case t ha t a n a rt icle gradu allydeclines in pr ice, when it ha s once star ted, un til the pr ice ceases t o ma keits production profitable.

It is then neglected by those formerly gathering it, leaving the naturaldema nd n oth ing to dra w upon except st ocks wh ich h ave accum ulat ed inthe hands of dealers. It is more often the case that such stocks areconsumed before any one has become aware of the fact that none hasbeen collected for some t ime, and th at nowhere can an y be foun d r eadyfor the m ark et.

Dealers then begin to make inquiry, they urge its collection by thosewho formerly did it, insisting still upon paying only the old price. The

situation becomes acute; the small lots held are not released until afabulous price may be realized, thus establishing a very much highermarket. Very soon the advanced prices reach the collector, offers arera pidly made h im at higher a nd h igher prices, unt il finally every one inth e distr ict is a tt ra cted by th e high a nd profitable figur es being offered.It is right here that every careful person concerned needs to be doublycareful else, in the inevitable drop in prices caused by the over-production which as a matter of course follows, he will lose money, Itwill probably take two to five years then for this operation to repeatitself with these items, which have after this declined even to lower

figur es th an before.In the meantime attention is directed to others undergoing the sameexperience. A thorough understanding of these circurnstances andproper heed given to them, will save much for the collector and makehim win in th e ma jorit y of cases.



10/31

Books and other information can be had by writing to thema nu facturer s an d dealers whose advertisements m ay be foun d in th isand other papers.

Ginsen g and O the r Med ic ina l P l an t s - Ha r d ing - Pa ge 10


11/31

C H AP T E R I I .

LIST OF P LANTS HAVING MEDI CINAL VALUE .

The list of American Weeds and Plants as published under abovehea ding ha ving medicinal value an d th e part s used will be of especialvalue to th e beginner , wheth er a s a grower, collector or dea ler.

The supply and demand of medicinal plants changes, but the followinghave been in constant demand for years. The name or names inpar ent hesis ar e also applied to th e root, bar k, berr y, plant , vines, etc., asmentioned:

Balm Gilead (Balsam P oplar ) T h e Bu d s .Bayberr y (Wax-Myrt le) T h e B a r k o f R o o t .Black Cohosh (Black Snake Root) T h e R o o t w i t h R o o t le t s .Black Ha w (Vibur nu m. Sloe.) T h e B a r k o f R o o t . T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .Black Indian H emp (Can adian H emp) T h e R o o t .Blood Root T h e R o o t w it h F i b r e .

T h e R o o t w it h n o F ib r e .Blue Cohosh (Papoose Root. Squa w Root)

T h e R o o t .Blue Flag (Lar ger Blue Flag) T h e R o o t .Burdock T h e R o o t .

T h e S e e d .Cascar a Sagrada (Chittem Bar k) B a r k o f Tr e e .Clover , Red T h e B l o s s om s .Corn Silk Cotton Root T h e B a r k o f R o o t .Cram p Root (Cran berry Tree. High Bush Cra nberr y)

T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .Culvers Root (Black Root ) T h e R o o t .Dandelion T h e R o o t .Deer Tongu e T h e L e a v e s .

Elder T h e D r i e d R i p e B e r r i e s .T h e F l ow e r s .Elecampane T h e R o o t , c u t i n t o s li c e s .Elm (Slippery Elm) T h e B a r k , d e p r i ve d o f t h e

b r o w n , o u t s i d e l a y e r .Fr inge Tree T h e B a r k o f R o o t .



12/31

Gelsemium (Yellow J asmine) (Car olina jasmine)T h e R o o t .

Ginseng T h e R o o t .Golden Sea l (Yellow Root . Yellow P uccoon . Orange Root . In dian Dye.

Indian Tur meric) T h e R o o t .Gold Thr ead (Thr ee-leaved Gold Thr ead)

T h e H e r b .Hops These shou ld be collected a nd

packed in such a man ner as to ret ain all of th e yellow pow der( l u p u l i n . )

Hydrangea T h e R o o t .I ndian Hemp, Black (See B lack In d ian H em p )Lady Slipper (Moccasin-F lower . Lar ge Yellow Lady Slipper .

Amer ican Valerian ) T h e R o o t , w i t h R o o t l e t s .

Lobelia (In dian Tobacco) T h e H e r b . T h e S e e d .

Mandr ak e (May-apple) T h e R o o t .Nettle T h e H e r b .Pa ssion Flower T h e H e r b .Pipsissewa (Pr ince's P ine) T h e Vi n e .Poke T h e B e r r i e s .

T h e R o o t .Pr ickly Ash (Tooth ache Tree. Angelica Tr ee

Pepper Wood. Tea Ash) T h e Ba r k .

T h e B er r y .Sassafras T h e B a r k o f t h e R o o t .T h e P it h .

Saw Palmetto T h e B e r r i e s .Scullcap T h e H e r b .Sna ke Root, Virginia (Birth wort -Serpen ta ria )

T h e R o o t .Snake Root , Can ada (Asa rabacca . Wild Ginger . Coltfoot Root)

T h e R o o t .Spruce Gum.... C le a n G u m o n l y .

Squa w Vine (Pa rt ridge Berry). T h e H e r b .St ar Root (See Un icorn False ).Star Grass (See Un icorn T rue ).St illingia (Queen 's Delight ) . T h e R o o t .Stramonium (Jamestown-weed.

J imson-weed. Th orn -apple) T h e L e a v e s .T h e S e e d



13/31

S e n e g a S n a k e R o o t (C u l t i v a t e d ) i n B lo s s o m .

Unicorn Tru e (Sta r Gr ass. Blazing Star . Mealy Sta r-wort . Colic Root) T h e R o o t .

Unicorn Fa lse (S ta r Root . S ta rwor t ) T h e R o o t .Wahoo (Str awberr y Tree. India n Arr ow. Bur ning Bush . Spindle

Tree. Pegwood. Bitter T h e B a r k o f R o o t .T h e B a r k o f Tr e e

White P ine (Deal Pin e. Soft Deal Pine)T h e B a r k o f Tr e e , R o s s e d .

Wild Cherr y T h e t h i n G r e e n B a r k , a n dt h i ck B a r k R o s s ed .

T h e d r ie d C h e r r i es .Wild Ind igo (Horsefly Weed. Rat t le-bush . Ind igo Weed. Yellow In digo.

Clover Br oom) T h e R o o t .Worm seed, Amer ican (Stinking Weed. J esuit Tea. J eru salem Tea.

J erusalem Oak) T h e S e e d .Wild Yam (Colic Root . Chin a Root . Devil's Bones)

T h e R o o t .Yellow Dock (Sour Dock. Narrow Dock. Curled Dock)

T h e R o o t .



14/31

T h e f ol l ow i n g a r e u s ed i n l i m i t e d q u a n t i t i es on l y:

Arbor Vit ae (Whit e Cedar ) T h e L e a f y Ti p s .Balmony (Turt le-head. Sna kehead) The Her b, fr ee fr om lar ge stalks .Beth Root (Trillium Er ectu m.

Wake Robin. Birth-root) T h e R o o t .Birch Bar k (Cherry Birch.

Sweet Birch. Black Birch. T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .Black Root (see Culversroot )Blackberr y (High Blackberr y) T h e B a r k o f R o o t .Black Willow T h e Ba r k .

T h e Bu d s .Boneset (Thoroughwort) The H erb, free from lar ge stems .Broom Corn T h e S e e d .Broom Top (Scotch Broom) T h e F lo w e r i n g To p s .

Bugle Weed (Water Horehound) The H erb, free from lar ge stems .But ternut B a r k o f R o ot .Catnip T h e H e r b .Chestn ut while still green. T h e L e a v e s , c ol le c t e d i n

S e p t e m b e r o r O c t o b erChicory (Succor y) T h e R o o t , c u t i n t o s li c e s

(C r o s s s e c t i o n .)Corn Er got (Corn Smut ) T h e F u n g u s , r e p la c i n g

t h e g r a i n s o f c o r n .Fa lse Bitter sweet (Shr ubby Bitter sweet. Climbing Bitt ersweet

Wax-wort. Stafftree) T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .Garden Lettu ce T h e L e a v e s .Geranium (Cranesbill) T h e R o o t o f t h e w i ld H e r b .Gra vel Pla nt (May Flower. Ground La ur el. Tra iling Arbu tu s)

T h e L e a v e s .Great Celan dine (Gar den Celan dine) E n t i r e p la n t .Helebore, Fa lse (Adonis Vern alis) T h e R o o t .Hemlock T h e Ba r k .

T h e G u m .Horse Nettle T h e B e r r i e s.

T h e R o o t .Huckleberry T h e D r i e d Be r r y.Life Everlasting (Common Everlasting. Cudweed)

T h e H e r b .Life Root Pla nt (Rag-wort ) T h e H e r b .Lovage T h e R o o t .Maiden Ha ir T h e F e r n .



15/31

Milkweed (Pleur isy Root) T h e R o o t c u t i n t o S e c t io n s l e n g t h w i s e .

Motherwort T h e H e r b .Moun ta in Ash (Moun ta in Lau rel (See S heep L aurel ).

T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .Mullein (Comm on Mullein) T h e L e a v e s .Pennyroyal T h e H e r b .Peppermint T h e L e a v e s . T h e H e r b .Pitcher Plant (Side-Saddle Plan t, Fly Trap. Hun tsma n Cup. Wat er Cup)

T h e P la n t .Plant ain (Rib-gra ss. Rib-wort .Ripple-gra ss)

T h e L e a v e s .Poison Oak (Poison Ivy) T h e L e a v e s .Pumpkin T h e S e e d .Queen of th e Meadow (J oe-Pye Wood. Tru mp et-Weed)

T h e R o o t .Ragweed (Wild Red Raspber ry) T h e L e a v e s .Rosinweed (Polar plan t. Compa ss plan t) T h e R o o t .Ru e T h e H e r b .Sage T h e L e a v e s .Scouring Rush (Horsetail). T h e H e r b .Sheep La ur el (Lau rel.Moun ta in La ur el. Broad-leafed Lau rel. Calico

Bush . Spoon Wood) T h e L e a v e s .Sheep Sor r el (Field Sor r el) T h e L e a v e s .Shepherd's Purse T h e H e r b .

Skun k Cabbage T h e R o o t .Spikenard T h e R o o t .St one Root T h e R o o t .Tag Alder T h e Ba r k .Tansy T h e H e r b .Tra iling Arbu tu s. See Gravel Plan t Vera tr um Viride (Green Hellebore. Amer ican Hellebore)

T h e R o o t .Verva in (Blue Verva in) T h e H e r b .Virginia St one Crop (Dut ch Stone) T h e H e r b .

Wafer Ash (Hop Tr ee. Swam p Dogwood. St ink ing Ash. Scru bby Trefoil.Ague Bark ) T h e B a r k o f R o o t .Water Avens (Thr oat Root. Cure All. Evan 's Root. In dian Chocolat e.

Chocolat e Root. Bennet t Root ) T h e R o o t .Water Er yngo (But ton Sna ke Root. Corn Sna ke Root. Rat tle Sna ke's

Weed) T h e R o o t .Water Hem lock (Spott ed Par sley. Spott ed H emlock. Poison Pa rs ley.



16/31

Poison Hem lock. Poison Sna ke Weed. Beaver Poison)T h e H e r b .

Watermelon T h e S e e d .Water Pepper (Sma rt Weed. Arsm ar t) T h e H e r b .Water Ash T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .White Oak (Tann ers Bar k) T h e B a r k o f Tr e e , R o s s e d .White Ash T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .White Poplar (Trem bling Poplar . Aspen . Qua king Aspen )

T h e B a r k o f Tr e e .Wild Lettu ce (Wild Opium Let tu ce. Snake Weed. Tru mpet Weed)

T h e L e a v e s .Wild Turn ip (Indian Tur nip. Ja ck-in-the-Pulpit. Pepper Tur nip.

Swamp Turnip) T h e R o o t , s l ic e d .

I n d i a n Tu r n i p . ( Wi ld )

Wint ergreen (Checkerber ry. Par tr idge Berry. Teaberr y. Deerberry)T h e L e a v e s .

Witch H azel (Str iped Alder. Spott ed Alder. Ha zelnu t)T h e Ba r k .

T h e L e a v e s .Yarrow (Milfoil. Thousand Leaf) T h e H e r b .Yellow Pa r illa (Moon Seed. Texas Sar sapa rilla)

T h e R o o t .Yerba Sa nt a (Moun ta in Balm. Gum Plant . Tar Weed)

T h e L e a v e s



17/31

CHAP TER I I I .

CULTIVATION OF WILD P LANTS.

The leading botanical roots in demand by the drug trade are thefollowing: Ginseng ( Ara li a Qu in qu ifolium ), Golden Seal, ( Hyd ra st isCanadensis ), Senega Snake Root ( Polygala Senega ), Virginia SnakeRoot, a lso called Serpen ta ria ( Arist oloch ia S erp en taria ), Canada SnakeRoot or Wild Ginger ( Asa ru m Ca nadense ), Mandrake or May Apple(Podophyllum Peltatum ) Pink Root ( Spigelia Marilandica ), Blood Root(Sanguinaria Canadensis ), Lady Slipper ( Cypripedium ), Poke Root(Phytollacca Decandra ) of the comm on far m an d gar den weeds, th e rootof the Dan delion an d t he Na rr ow Leaf Dock a re in th e greatest demand.Most of these plants, except the two last named, grow in more or lessshade, several of them in dense woods. These plants were originallyfound in abundance in their natural habitat but from the constantdigging of t he r oots and also from clear ing off of the forest lan ds some of th ese plant s a re becoming scarce.

The pr ice pa id for most of th e wild roots used for med icine is s till too lowto make it an object for people to gather, wash, dry and market them,mu ch less to be to the expen se of cult ivatin g, especia lly as most of th emmu st be grown u nder sh ade.

There are a few medicinal roots, however, that have become so scarcethat cultivation must be resorted to or the Physician or Druggist willhave to go without them. If our people were willing to work for the lowwages paid in foreign lands, several other roots could be eithercultivated or gathered wild. Out of the many tons of Dandelion rootsused yearly in this country almost none of them are gathered here onaccount of the high cost of labor. Golden Seal, Ginseng, Senega RootSerpen ta ria , Wild Ginger a nd t he Lady Slippers h ave advan ced in pr iceto a point where they can be very profitably grown and people arebecoming interested in t heir severa l nat ur es, mann er of growth, na tu ra lha bita t meth ods of propagat ion, cult ivat ion, etc.

This opens up a new industry to persons having the natural aptitudefor such work. Of cour se, the soil and environm ent mu st be congenial t oth e plant grown. A field a dapt ed to growing wint er wh eat would n ot bewell adapted to growing Peppermint as the soil would be too hard andtoo dry.



18/31

It would also be too-dry for growing the Lady Slippers, but Ginseng and

Golden Seal will do very well where good heavy crops of corn andwinter wheat can be grown. In fact, these two plants will thrive in anygood garden soil where well drained. As we shall show later on, theseplants can be grown on good soil and under proper climatic conditions,with a profit that the corn and wheat grower never dreamed of. In fact,a half acre of either is equal in profit to a large farm under the mostfavora ble cond itions of stock or gr ain farmin g.

The writer began the cultivation of Ginseng in 1899 or fourteen yearsago. I have had a very wide range for observations along the line of

cultivation, propagation, and marketing of this valuable root. Besidesvisiting hundreds of gardens, I have had separate beds of wild roots inmy garden arranged side by side, each bed containing roots from someone state only. At one time we had one such bed for each state whereGinseng grows wild. A comparison of these beds was very interesting,but more of this later.



19/31

It is t he h istory of nea rly all wild plant s when br ought un der cultivat ionto develop a weakness and liability to disease. Ginseng has been noexception. This has been brought about in part by a change of environment, but of all the causes that have brought disease to theGinseng plant, I think the greatest single element has been too highfeeding. Naturally this plant grew among the roots of trees and otherlarge and strong plants. These sapped the fertility from the soil andGinseng was fed sparingly and made a very slow growth. Taking theplant from this condition and giving it rich garden soil with nothing tosteal the fertility from the soil and then covering the beds every fallwith from one to three inches of manure proved too much and soenfeebled th e const itut ion th at for a time it looked a s if th e plant wouldsuccumb to disease but for two or three years now the growers havebeen getting the upper hand again and I believe soon everything willbe moving along smooth aga in.

Wheth er t his disease will at ta ck Golden Seal or not I do not k now, but Iexpect it will, as I sa id before; th at is th e history of wild plan ts sam e asit is of wild people. Take a tribe of Indians from their wild life andeducate them and civilize them, giving them the big city to live in andyou will kill ninet y per cent of them . Spread th e tr an sition from wild t ocivilized life over a half dozen generations and the Indians will notsu ffer by th e change. So we rea son if the growers of Golden Sea l will goslow th ey may escape th e tr oubles Ginsen g growers h ave ha d.

I began growing seal in 1902 an d so far as I kn ow was t he firs t t o growit to any extent in th e gar den. There m ay ha ve been oth ers a head of meth at I do not kn ow of. In t his FOREWORD I might sa y tha t from a ctu almeasured plots of ground at the end of four years I harvested foursquar e rods of seal, washed an d dried the r oots a nd sold th em at ma rketprice and the plot brought at the rate of over $20,000.00 per acre. Thisplot was s et with sma ll wild r oots, six by eight inches. This pr esent fallwhat Golden Seal I harvested was only three years from planting andyielded at ma rket pr ice slight ly over $12,000.00 per a cre.

While this does not begin to reach what has been done with Ginseng,yet it is a good sh owing and sufficient t o inter est a nyone a dapt ed to th iskind of work. On small plots of Ginseng at six years from planting Ihave reached as high as 50,000.00 per acre. These two roots are thelargest m oney ma kers of th e list. None of th e oth ers will at presen t br inga pr ice mu ch over fifty cent s per poun d, and no fabu lous am oun ts needbe expected from cultivating small plots until the wild supply is more



20/31

nearly exhausted than at present. That time will surely come and thedr ug far mer will do well to, grow some of a ll kinds t o become a cqua int edan d rea dy to ta ke adva nt age of his kn owledge when th e time comes.

This work of growing medicinal roots and such other of nature'sproducts as is to be desired by man and has not yet been cultivated,gives a wide and very fascinating study. Not only that but it can bemade very profitable. I think the time has come when the Ginseng andGolden Seal of comm erce a nd med icine will pra ctically all come from th egardens of the cultivators of these plants. I do not see any danger of overproduction. The dema nd is grea t a nd is increasing year by year. Of course, like the rising of a river, the price may ebb and flow, somewhat,but it is const an tly going up.

The information contained in the following pages about the habits,

r an ge, descript ion a nd p r ice of scores of root dr ugs will help h un dr eds t odistinguish the valuable plants from the worthless. In most instances agood photo of the plant and root is given. As Ginseng and Golden Sealare the most valuable, instructions for the cultivation and marketing of sa me is given in det ail. Any r oot can be s uccessfully grown if th e would-be grower will only give close attention to the kind of soil, shade, etc.,un der which th e plan t flour ishes in its na tive sta te.

Detailed methods of growing Ginseng and Golden Seal are given fromwhich it will be learn ed th at th e most successful ones a re t hose who ar e

cultivating these plants under conditions as near those as possiblewhich the plants enjoy when growing wild in the forests. Note carefullythe nature of the soil, how much sunlight gets to the plants, how muchleaf mould and other mu lch a t t he var ious sea sons of th e year .

It has been proven that Ginseng and Golden Seal do best whencultivated as near to nature as possible. It is therefore reasonable toassume that all other roots which grow wild and have a cash value, formedicinal a nd oth er pur poses, will do best when cultivat ed or ha ndledas near as possible under conditions which they thrived when wild in

th e forest s.Many root drugs which at this time are not very valuable-bringingonly a few cents a poundwill advance in price and those who wish toengage in the medicinal root growing business can do so withreasonable assurance that prices will advance, for the supply growingwild is dwindling sma ller a nd s ma ller ea ch year . Look a t t he pr ices paid



21/31

for Ginseng and Golden Seal in 1908 and compare with ten years prioror 1898. Who knows but that in the near future an advance of hundreds of per cent. will have been scored on wild turnip, lady'sslipper, crawley root, Canada snakeroot, serpentaria (known also asVirginia and Texas snakeroot), yellow dock, black cohosh, Oregongrape, blue cohosh, twinleaf, mayapple, Canada moonseed, blood-root,hydrangea, crane's bill, seneca snakeroot, wild sarsaparilla, pinkroot,black Indian hem p, pleur isy-root, culvers r oot, da ndelion, et c., etc.?

Of cour se it will be best to grow only th e more valua ble roots, bu t at th esame time a small patch of one or more of those mentioned above mayprove a profitable investment. None of these are apt to command thehigh price of Ginseng, but the grower must remember that it takesGinseng some years to produce roots of marketable size, while manyoth er plan ts will produce ma rk eta ble roots in a year .

There are thousands of land owners in all parts of America that canmake money by gathering the roots, plants and barks now growing onth eir pr emises, If car e is ta ken to only dig an d collect t he best specimens

an income for year s can be ha d.



22/31

CHAP TER IV.

T H E S TO RY O F G I N S E N G .

History and science have their romances as vivid and as fascinating asan y in t he r ealms of fiction. No story ever told ha s su rpa ssed in int erestthe history of this mysterious plant Ginseng; the root that for nearly200 years h as been a n importa nt ar ticle of export to China .

Un til a few year s a go not one in a hu ndr ed intelligent American s livingin cities and towns, ever heard of the plant, and those in the wilderpar ts of the coun tr y who dug an d sold t he r oots could t ell noth ing of itshistory and use. Their forefathers had dug and sold Ginseng. Theymer ely followed t he old cust om.

The natural range of Ginseng growing wild in the United States isnorth to the Canadian line, embracing all the states of Maine, NewHampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,Delawa re, New York , Penn sylvania , New J ersey, Mar ylan d, Ohio, WestVirginia , Virginia , India na , Illinois, Michigan, Wiscons in, Kent ucky an dTennessee. It is also found in a greater part of the following states:Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North and South Carolina, Georgia andAlabam a. Un til recent ly th e plant was foun d growing wild in th e abovestates in abundance, especially those states touched by the Alleghenymount ains . The plan t is also foun d in Onta rio an d Quebec, Can ada , butha s become scar ce th ere a lso, owing t o persist ent hu nt ing. It a lso growsspar ingly in th e sta tes west of and border ing on th e Mississippi river.

Ginseng in the United States was not considered of any medical valueuntil about 1905, but in China it is and has been highly prized formedical purposes and large quantities of the root are exported to thatcoun tr y. It is indeed doubt ful if the r oot ha s m uch if any medical value,an d th e fact tha t t he Chinese prefer r oots t ha t r esemble, somewhat , thehu ma n body, only goes to prove th at th eir us e of th e root is r at her fromsuperstition t ha n r eal value.

However, this su perst ition is in t he m ain confined t o th e wild moun ta inGinseng of Korea and Manchuria and does not apply at all to theAmerican cultivated Ginseng and, in fact, I cannot find that it has anyapplication even to our wild root. I have shipped direct to China largeamounts covering a period of years and have had very definite



23/31

instructions as to what kind and shape of root to ship, but have neverha d an y mention m ade of roots r esembling th e hum an form .

Some of our orders for dry Ginseng root have been as high as oneth ousa nd poun ds at a single order, an d not only that , but we have hadsevera l Chinam en come t o our place an d persona lly select t he r oots, an dthrough all my dealings with the Chinese I have never heard one of th em m ention su ch sh aped r oots a s being desira ble.

It has been supposed that certain localities gave a better quality of Ginseng than others. The fur dealers, in their price list usually quote,especially the wild root, at a higher price from the northern states thanth ey do from t he sout her n sta tes. The cau se of this differen ce in pr ice isnot the real quality of the root but the manner of gathering andhandling. In the south it has been the practice of Ginseng hunters todig and dry everything. In the north only the larger roots have beendug. This ma kes a ll th e differen ce th ere is. In t he south , most of the wildroot is gathered by poor, ignorant people and their methods are not the



24/31

best. When gat hered, it is usu ally str un g on st rings and h un g up in theliving room, where it gathers dust and colors unevenly from the lightstriking it on one side only. Not only this shiftless manner of handlingbut often stems are put on the string and sometimes other kinds of rootand all left on strings when sent to market. I have repeatedly takenroots from t he sout h a nd others a bout th e same size from th e nort h, an dI find no Chinaman can tell them apart. With the cultivated, there isabsolutely no difference as to quality that is caused by location so far asth e norther n an d sout hern sta tes a re concern ed, nor in fact, any localitywhere Ginseng will thrive. In this connection the short chapter onqua lity will be inter esting.

Ginseng in its wild or natural state grows mainly in mixed hard woodforest s, alth ough it is s omet imes foun d a mong evergr eens. Origina lly, itwas u sua lly foun d in a bun dan ce am ong th e ma ples, beeches, basswood,

rock elm and butternuts, and especially on the shady sides of deepgullies.

The Ginseng plant ripens its seed in lat e sum mer or ea rly fall, accordin gto th e locality in wh ich it grows. As n at ur e plan ned it , th is seed, coat edwith a bright scar let covering, dropped on t he groun d, and often becam edr y before th e leaves would fall and cover it. Fr om t he t ime the leaves of the forest trees covered the seed, it would naturally be moist until timefor it to grow. It, therefore, follows that soon after gathering the seed, itmay be allowed to dry but after that it should at all times be kept

somewhat moist. The seed ripens in New York state the last of Augustand does not grow until about eighteen months after. In other words, itdoes n ot grow, except in r ar e cases, t he s pring following bu t waits un tilthe second spring.

The first season the young Ginseng plant has but three leaves and itvery strongly resembles the wild strawberry leaf. At two years old itgenera lly has four leaves and r eaches a h eight of eight or t en inches. Itis not unusual for strong two year old cultivated plants to show thema tu re leaf arr an gement , which is thr ee leaf stalks bra nching from one

stalk and each leaf stem having five leaves. The mature plantsometimes reaches the height of two feet but eighteen inches is a goodavera ge for gard en Ginsen g. The wild plan t is less. The st alk dies downevery fall, and where it perishes away from the neck of the root, itleaves a scar wh ich r ema ins to tell th e age of th e plan t in a fter years. Inthis locality, about the middle of July a new bud forms for the nextseason's stalk. This bud forms on the opposite side of the neck. This



25/31

habit causes the neck of this root to be made up of series of scars fromthe stalks dropping off. I have in my possession a wild root showing 90of th ese scar s. It often ha ppens, however, th at as t he n eck of th ese veryold plant s gets very long, th at it r ots off and a bud will form down n earth e ma in root. In th is case, th e age of th e plant can not be told.

While the palmy days were on, it was a novel occupation. The sangdiggers, as they were called, go into the woods with a small mattock, asack and a lunch and the hunt for the valuable plant begins. Ginsengusually grows in patches. This is not because the plant is by nature abedding plant but for the reason that the seeds fall near the parentplant . The Ginsen g fam ily does not spr ead from th e root a t a ll but comeswholly from seed. In the early days, hunters found very large patcheswhere for hundreds of years the parent plant and its progeny hadincreased without molestation. Sometimes as high as one hundred

pounds of root would be secured from one such plot. Women as well asmen and boys hunt the root. The plant is well known to all mountainlads and lasses an d few are th e moun ta in cabins th at ha ve no Ginsengin th em waiting or in pr epar at ion for m ar ket. The fall is th e proper t imeto gather this root and in the north that is about the only time it isgather ed but in th e sout h, it is dug whenever foun d, as th e hu nt ing of seng is a business there, if the finder does not gather it as soon asfoun d, some oth er digger is sur e to save h im t he t rouble.

How this odd comm erce with Ch ina a rose is in itself rem ar ka ble. Man y

years a go, Fat her J ar toux, a Ca th olic pr iest, one who ha d long served inChina, came as a missionary to the wilds of Canada. Here, in the wildsof the forest , he noted a plant bear ing a close r esemblance to one m uch,valued as a medicine by the Chinese. A few roots were gathered andsent as a sample to China. Many months later, the ships brought back the welcome news that the Chinese would buy the roots. Early in itshistory, the value of Ginseng as a cultivated crop was recognized andrepeated effort s m ade t o propagat e it , but with out success at th at time.Many failures led to the belief that Ginseng could not be grown. All theearly experiments in growing Ginseng were conducted by common

san g diggers an d t heir failur es a ll hinged on sha ding. To me it seemsstr an ge th at it never occur red to them th at shade was n eeded.

It remained for Geo. Stanton, in the early eighties, to be the first tosuccessfully grow this plant. I can do no better at this point thanintr oduce a sh ort obitu ar y writt en by J . K. Bra mer.



26/31

G E O R G E S TAN TO N .

My DEAR MR. GOODSPE ED:

Unless others more prompt and thoughtful of the memory of ourlamented friend and co-worker and first president of the New York State Ginseng AssociationGeorge Stantonhave occupied all thespace at your disposal in next issue of SPECIAL CROPS, perhaps youand your many readers who, through his contributions to your paper,extended correspondence and wide personal acquaintance, had learnedto respect and honor the man, will be pleased with a few lines incomm emora tion from one who ha s kn own h im a ll his life a nd consideredhim as a brother, as well I might, for at the time of my birth Mr.Sta nt on, a s a poor, h omeless boy, was living with my folks a nd learn ingth e tinsm ith's t ra de with my fath er in th e village of Fa bius, N. Y. Uponcompleting his apprenticeship he took a part interest in the business



27/31

and still later purchased the entire business, which he conductedprofitably for a number of years. As a tin worker Mr. Stanton was anexpert. Anything that could be constructed from tin or sheet iron thatth e ordin ar y man failed on, fell to him, and it is a frequent th ing to hea rhis ingenuity as a mechan ic men tioned. The need of more an d better tinworking tools stimulated him to invent and patent several devices. Theimproved vat used so commonly years ago and to some extent yet, incheese factories, was also his invention, the model of which is in mypossession now.

Never a robust man, he was finally compelled to give up his indoorwork . For year s it seemed th at his st ru ggle for life would be against him,as it su rely mu st except for his indomitable will. Coupled with th e fra ilbody and poor health, was an ambition and perseverance that rarelyaccompany a much more robust person, and which would never allow

him to be idle. His motto was wear out, not rust out, which he did inliving up to. Along about 1885 nobody expected he could survive anylength of time, but he would drag himself to the woods and dig a fewwild ginsen g roots becau se of th e love he had for th e exercise. About th istime the thought occurred to him that if he could only transplant thesmall roots in his garden and cultivate and grow them to a profitablesize for drying it might be a pleasing vocat ion, an d work th at he, in hisfeeble health, could do. The carrying out of this thought was thefoundation work of Ginseng culture and the George Stanton ChineseGinseng Far m.

It is probable tha t h ad Mr. Stan ton been a r obust m an an d able to car ryon a heavier work, the cultivation of Ginseng as an industry would nothave been put before the public until much later, if ever. There is nogainsaying that Mr. Stanton is the father of the Ginseng industry, atitle he was justly proud of. The many incidents connected with theearly and tender years in the life of his much loved child before it wasable to run alone, are interesting and sometimes pathetic. Theten dern ess with which be would h an dle the litt le roots, which he calledhis babies, would remind you of the care a mother would show in the

tu cking awa y of a r eal baby in its little bed. The st udy h e gave to theirnecessities, and the anxiety lest certain things and conditions might beharmful to them, were amusing to me, because at that time and for along time after, I had not become imbued with the spirit and belief inthe real vale of what I called his hobby and the prominence it wasdestined to take. The efforts he made to get the results of his first twoyears' experience before t he pu blic, an d t he cont empt he m et with from



28/31

most publishers would have discouraged anybody else, but he kepthammering away, got out a small circular and finally kindled a smallspark of interest in the minds of a few. From this spark a flame wassta rt ed th at finally cau ght su ch m en a s Timerm an , Crosly, Ready, Mills,Perkins, Curtis, Goodspeed, the Knapps and others in this vicinity, andmany more in other parts of the state and many other states, whobecame expert growers. The history of Ginseng culture from then on,you are all more or less conversant with. Mr. Stanton's prominence inthe history of the business, especially its first years, must always restsecure with him. Those who knew him best knew his peculiarities andma ny of the lat er gr owers did n ot th ink it necessa ry t o follow him in a llthe little details of cultivation laid down by him. Improvements inmethods in any enterprise are looked for and expected. But in honor toMr. Stant on's methods and t horoughness I a m free to say th at so far asmy knowledge goes no nicer or larger roots have ever been produced

th an in certa in beds over which h e ha d entire su pervision. Now tha t t hegood kind-hearted old man is gone, I feel a great pleasure in knowingth at he ha d a per fect r ight to enjoy his feeling of pride in th e pat ter n h eha d set. Others h ave out grown h im in th e business so far as t erritory isconcerned, but I do not th ink t he pa rt icular beds above referr ed to havebeen equaled. Am in hope this small tribute may be of interest to someof your rea ders, a nd I a lso hope some one bett er equ ipped ma y give th esu bject of th is sket ch fuller m easur e of just ice. Per sonally, I fell th e lossof my long time friend very keenly. His death occurred January 31st,near Jamestown, N. Y., where he was spending the winter. It was my

privilege in carrying out one of his last requests to bring his body back to his home for burial in the family plot at Tully, N. Y. He was buriedfrom his old home M. E. church, of which he was a member of longsta nding. It was t he comm on expression of his old acqua inta nces tha t h ehad by his life earned the epithet of an honest man. Cannot we allstrive to ear n a s grand a t itle?

Your s tr uly, J . K. BRAMER.

Apu lia St at ion, N , Y., Feb, 28, 1908.



29/31

As has since been shown, Ginseng can be easily grown and respondsreadily to proper care and attention. Under right conditions, thecultivated roots are much larger than the wild and at first broughtextremely high prices. As the Chinese came to know of our cultivatingthe root, it lost favor with them and the wild root is still the highest intheir esteem. This is mainly owing to the slow growth which will betouched u pon in th e cha pter on Quality.

The Chinese Ginseng is not quite the same plant as the AmericanGinseng, but is so near that the casual observer could not distinguishthe one from the other. The chemists, however, say that so far asan alysis sh ows, both ha ve pra ctically the sa me pr opert ies.

The photos which accompany give a more accurate appearance of theplan ts t ha n is possible to give from a wr itt en description.

Western au th orit ies have her etofore placed little value on Ginsen g as a



30/31

curative agent, but a number of recent investigations seem to reversethis opinion. The Chinese, however, have always placed the highestvalue upon it and millions have used and esteemed it for untoldcent ur ies. Its pr epar at ion a nd u ses ha ve never been fully un derst ood bywestern people.

Our Consu ls in China h ave at various times fur nished our govern mentwith very full reports of its high value and universal use in theFlowery Kingdom. From these we learn that Imperial Ginseng, thehighest grade grown in the royal parks and gardens, is jealouslywatched and is worth from $40.00 to $200.00 per pound. Of course itsuse is limited to the upper circle of China's four hundred. The nextqua lity comes from Korea an d is valued at $15.00 to $35.00 per poun d.Its use is also limited to the lucky few. The third grade includesAmerican Ginseng and is the great staple kind. It is used by every one

of China's swarming millions who can possibly raise the price. Thefourth grade is Japanese Ginseng and is used by, those who can do nobetter.

Mr. Wildman, of Hong Kong, says: The market for a good article ispra ctically un limited. There a re four hu ndr ed million Ch inese an d all tosome extent use Ginseng. If they can once become satisfied with theresults obtained from the tea made from American Ginseng, the yearlydemand will run up into the millions of dollars' worth. Another curiousfact is the Chinese highly prize certain peculiar shapes among these

roots especially those resembling th e hu ma n form . For such t hey gladlypay fabulous prices, sometimes six hundred times its weight in silver.The rare shapes are not used as medicine but kept as a charm, verymu ch a s some Amer ican s keep a ra bbit's foot for lu ck.

Sir Edwin Arnold, that famous writer and student of Eastern peoples,sa ys of its m edicina l values: According to th e Chin am en, Ginsen g is thebest and most potent of cordials, of stimulants, of tonics, of stomachics,cardiacs, febrifuges, and, above all, will best renovate and reinvigoratefailing forces. It fills th e hea r t with h ilar ity while its occas iona l use will,

it is said, add a decade of ear s to th e ordin ar y hu ma n life. Can a ll th esemillions of Orientals, all those many generations of men, who haveboiled Ginseng in silver kettles and have praised heaven for its manybenefits, ha ve been totally deceived? Was th e world ever quite mista kenwhen half of it believed in something never puffed, nowhere advertisedan d not yet fallen t o th e fat e of a Tr ust , a Combine or a Corner ?



31/31

It has been asked why the Chinese do not grow their own Ginseng. Inreply it m ay be said tha t America su pplies but a very small part , indeed,of the Ginseng used in China. The bulk comes from Korea andManchuria, two provinces belonging to China, or at least which didbelong to her u nt il th e recent E ast ern t roubles.

Again, Ginseng requires practically a virgin soil, and as China properhas been the home of teeming millions for thousands of years, onereadily sees that necessary conditions for the plant hardly exist in thatold an d crowded coun tr y.


ginseng harding 1

Documents