HISTORY.
In discussing the cultivation of a well-known crop, such as the apple, or the onion, an author need mention nothing as to its history. The great majority of readers are not interested in such matters, and will skip over to the more practical parts which deal with cultural directions, yield and profits. But in writing of a new crop, especially one that can never become a staple, it is necessary that the reader should know something of its development, in order to judge of its advancement and the probable limits of the market. He will then be in a good position to judge whether or not to start growing the crop, or as in this case, start growing ginseng. The following brief introductory paragraphs, therefore, are inserted to show the development of trade in American ginseng from its earliest stage to its present position of commercial importance.
Chinese ginseng, to which American ginseng is closely related, has been to the Chinese of vastly more importance than quinine has been to the nations of more progressive ideas. Unlike quinine, however, which is prescribed for a limited number of ailments, ginseng is considered a sovereign remedy for almost every malady that human flesh is heir to, from indigestion to consumption, and is believed to insure immunity from all kinds of disease. There is still a more remarkable belief in the properties of this plant. It is thought that certain specimens, like the one represented in Fig. 1, which bear a somewhat close resemblance to the human
2. THE GINSENG INDUSTRY
form, are specially useful in certain ailments. For instance, the leg-like parts are particularly valuable for leg troubles; the arm-like portions for affections of the arm, and so on. Whole roots of this form are believed to be capable of prolonging life itself, and are consequently very highly valued; in fact, can not be purchased for less than their weight in gold. Truly, the plant is well named “panax”-a panacea. It is, however, not dependent wholly upon superstition for its power, but is possessed of medicinal qualities, more highly prized in it by the Chinese than by us, since we have a number of drugs that we use in preference. By us ginseng is recognized as possessing slightly stimulating and mildly aromatic qualities, as well as demulcent, alterative, carminative and tonic properties. It is probable that these were discovered by the Chinese before the qualities of more valuable drugs of the same class were discovered, and that the
FIG. 1. HUMAN FORM OF ROOT.
main reasons for its present popularity in China are the conservative ideas of the Chinese and their belief in supernatural affairs, which, coupled together, exalt the merits of the plant unduly. In America, the root is seldom used except as a demulcent, and even for this purpose we have other drugs that are more popular.
The reverence in which the plant is held, and the high price that it commands in the open markets of China, of course led to untiring search for a substitute, not only in adjoining countries, but in remote parts of the world. Roots were, and still are, found in Japan
HISTORY. 3
and Korea that so closely resemble ginseng in appearance that even experts find difficulty in detecting them when mixed with the true root. These roots, however, have no value, and are appreciated only by the unprincipled men who use them as adulterants of true ginseng, or as substitutes thereof.
Search in America, however, resulted more favorably. A plant (Panax quinquefolium), Fig. 2, was found that not only resembles the Chinese root (P. ginseng) in appearance, but possesses its medicinal qualities. In 1714 Father Jartoux, a missionary among the Chinese, published “A Description of a Tartarian Plant called Ginseng” in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, a copy of which shortly afterward came under the eye of Father Lafitau, a missionary among the Iroquois Indians in Quebec. Believing that there might be such a plant growing in the Canadian forests, Lafitau made diligent inquiry and untiring search for it, and after about two years his efforts were successful. In 1716 the plant now known as American ginseng was found near Montreal.
Roots were gathered and dried by the Indians and sent to China, where they were so well received that a considerable trade in ginseng sprang up. The roots were purchased from the collectors at about thirty-five cents a pound, and were often sold in China for ten or twelve times that amount. At that time all the trading in this root was done by the officers and crew of a French trading organization, the “Company of the Indies.” When, however, the directors of the company discovered that there was a wide margin of profit to be made upon this root, they assumed control of the industry and prohibited the private ventures of their employees. This move had a marked effect upon the price, which quickly rose to more than five dollars a pound. Good prices such as these might possibly have been maintained had
4. THE GINSENG INDUSTRY.
FIG. 2. AMERICAN GINSENG.
HISTORY. 5
it not been for an excessive demand made in 1752, as a result of which an immense quantity of root was dug out of season and improperly dried in ovens. Upon its arrival in China it was found to be so inferior that the dealers refused to accept it. In a single year the trade dropped from about $100,000 to $6,500, and in a few years more ceased entirely. The Chinese faith in the Canadian article was so severely shaken that the standing of the American root also suffered, an effect that it has taken more than a century to overcome.
During these years, and particularly those following the event just recorded, the New England states, and later the sister states as far west as the borders of the Mississippi, profiting from the ill-luck of their northern neighbor, increased their trade until, in 1858, more than 350,000 pounds were exported, but at the low average figure of 52 cents a pound. Since that year the quantity of root exported has decreased, but the price has improved. In 1897 the price per pound reached its highest average, $4.71, slightly more than nine times the price in 1858. This steady increase is a hopeful sign that confidence is being restored, and forms one of the strongest arguments in favor of the cultivation of the root in this country. Further data upon this topic may be found under the heading, “Profits.”
BOTANY OF THE PLANT.
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium, L.) is a member of the natural order “Araliacea,” which is allied to the Parsley family. The plant, when old enough to bear seed, is easily recognized, and, especially when in fruit, is somewhat conspicuous; but during the first two or three years it is not particularly prominent. The seedlings appear, in New York state, about the first of May, sometimes a week or so earlier. They at first look something like newly sprouted beans, in having two
6. THE GINSENG INDUSTRY.
FIG. 3. a. Yearling ginseng plant in July; b. yearling root in October; c. two-year-old root.
BOTANY OF THE PLANT.
seed leaves (cotyledons), between which is a little stem and one, two or three tiny leaves. These are the only leaves borne by the plant the first year, and they seldom rise more than a couple of inches above the ground.
FIG. 4. STEM, LEAVES AND FLOWER CLUSTER.
They are usually fully developed in four or five weeks from the first appearance of the plant above ground, and this is true of older plants as well. Fig. 3, a, represents a
THE GINSENG INDUSTRY.
yearling plant when full grown as it is seen in July, and b, a root as it appears in October. The whole work of the plant the first two, three, or even more, seasons, is to develop the solitary bud that is to produce the leaves and stem of the following year. This bud is borne at the crown of the root, and is called by the Chinese the “head.” When growth ceases, the stem breaks off beside the bud, leaving a scar that is always retained. Fig. 3, c, shows the bud and the scar on a two-year-old root as it appears in October.
During the second year the plant may produce from one to three branch-like stems with from three to eight leaflets, and may reach a height of five inches. In the third year from eight to fifteen leaflets may be produced, and the plant may grow eight inches tall. In after years there may be as many as four leafstalks, each bearing usually five leaflets-sometimes three or seven- arranged, as in the horse-chestnut leaf, like the fingers of the hand, as seen in Fig. 4.
The two smallest leaflets are an inch or two long, the others three or four. In outline they are egg-shaped with a saw-toothed margin and an abrupt point. The large end is away from the stem. In cultivated beds specimens with five leafstalks and twenty-five or thirty leaves may be found, and they may reach a height of thirty inches, though twenty is as tall as they usually get in the woods. The stems of mature plants are generally about the thickness of a lead pencil.
The flower stalk, which is usually from two to eight inches long, according to the strength of the plant, is borne erect at the point where the leafstalks branch out (Fig. 4), and bears in late June or in early July a cluster of inconspicuous, odorless yellowish-green flowers arranged in an umbel somewhat like the flowers of parsley or carrots. The fruit is soon formed, and develops from green in August to a handsome scarlet in the mid-
BOTANY OF THE PLANT. 9
dle of September, when it reaches full maturity. The berries, which are edible, have the taste of the root, and are about the size of small wax beans (Fig. 5). They contain from one to three seeds, usually two. Seeds are produced by plants three years old and upward, though
FIG. 5. FRUIT CLUSTER ON PLANT.
a. Berry; b. seed, natural size.
occasionally an unusually strong plant may produce seed the second year. In the cultivated plots the production of seed is generally much greater than in the forest, from forty to sixty being commonly found,
10 THE GINSENG INDUSTRY.
though one hundred or more may often be borne upon a single head. Plants with several stems may have a cluster of fruit upon each stem, though these will usually be smaller than upon plants of the same age where only one stem appears. In the woods the plants seldom bear more than fifty seeds, and usually not more than half that many.
The root, which is the part of commercial importance, is composed of two parts-the rootstock and the root proper. The former, rarely more than one-third of an inch in diameter, shows the scars, already mentioned, each one of which indicates a year’s growth. Specimens have occasionally been collected that were over fifty years old, and one has been found that has reached the age of sixty-five. Size and value do not, however, increase, but diminish with age after a certain stage in the development of the plant has been reached. The power of producing seed is also lost to a greater or less extent. The old specimen referred to was very much shriveled, weighed less than half an ounce, and was scarcely more than one-third of an inch thick.
As a general thing, when the roots have attained a certain age they gradually decrease in size and weight year by year, and at the same time lose their medicinal qualities. They continue to shrink until they become mere bundles of woody fibers, shadows of their former selves. They may, however, take new courage and send out new roots near the crowns, which, as the original roots become more and more feeble, gradually take their places and do their work. When this is accomplished the old roots die and slough off. This is not a form of reproduction, but of the continuation of the life of a single plant. Young roots may often reach a weight of two or three ounces after drying, and a diameter of one and a half inches. Some specimens have been gathered that weighed half a pound, but these
BOTANY OF THE PLANT. 11
are now rare, the constant search for the plants tending to prevent their full development. Such sizes and weights are, however, possible in cultivated beds.
FIG. 6. THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLD ROOTS.
a. Bud; b. scar.
When young, the root is shaped and colored like a little parsnip, but usually becomes more or less forked and darker in color as it grows older. Its size is largely governed by the supply of food, exposure and other con-
12 THE GINSENG INDUSTRY.
ditions influencing its growth. When one year old it is usually about an eighth of an inch in diameter, and about an inch when five or six; and after the first year or so, it is plainly marked with wrinkles running part, or even all, the way round it. Roots of three and four years of age are represented in Fig. 6.
Ginseng reproduces itself naturally by seed only. When cultivated, and occasionally even in the forest,
FIG. 7. DIVISIBLE ROOT.
plants may be found that bear from two to four stem roots, like the one shown in Fig. 7, which spring from near the base of the rootstock at the crown. These, if carefully removed, may be made to produce as good roots as if grown direct from seed. In this particular case three plants could be obtained from this one root. An advantage that they possess is that they will attain a marketable size and produce seed sooner than seed-
BOTANY OF THE PLANT. 13
lings. It seems possible, too, that the rootstocks might be made to produce roots in the same manner as ordinary cuttings. This, so far as can be learned, has not yet been done.
From what has been said, it is clear that ginseng must not be dug in the summer, because if the roots be harvested before the seed is ripe the latter will be lost. In the forest this is actually taking place, and is the principal reason why the price of ginseng is rising year by year; the pasturing of stock in the woods and the destruction of the forests by widening agriculture or by fire being the only other important influences toward its extermination.
The dealers claim that they are still able to obtain the root in nearly the same quantity as formerly, but they say that it is coming from places more remote each year. The latter statement is certainly true, but a glance at the export figures, given under the heading, “Profits,” will show that the former is probably over-estimated, because the quantity sent abroad is decreasing year by year.
The principal agents in the extermination of the native supply are the ginseng hunters, “sang-diggers” they are called. They exercise no judgment whatever in collecting. They take even the tiniest roots whenever they see them, whether in April, June or November, and the plants are thus given no chance to reproduce themselves. It is of little consequence to these shiftless people to be arrested and jailed according to the laws of the two Virginias and of Ontario. They take the matter coolly and live at the expense of the state until the end of their sentence, and go back to dig as before. When the plant is cultivated it will be to the grower’s interest to dig at the proper season, and to prevent, as much as possible, the digging of the wild root in his locality during the spring and summer.
14 THE GINSENG INDUSTRY.
There is, however, a more important reason for digging the root after the ripening of the seed. During the summer the plant is expending its energies in growth and the perfection of its seed. As a consequence, the root is in poor condition, and is thus unfit for the uses to which it is put. But in the fall, when the seed has been matured and the plant has stored food with which to commence the following year, the root is in its best condition, being not only firmer and heavier from the stored nutriment, and thus liable to less shrinkage in drying, but it is more valuable as a drug. A given weight of green roots will realize more when dug in season and properly dried than when gathered in the summer.
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