Permanent locating permanent beds, ground should be chosen that slopes sufficiently to carry away the surface water. An eastern or northern exposure will be found the most desirable, as the garden is much more protected from the direct rays of the sun than with a southern or western slope. The garden should be located where it can have a free circulation of air ; high ground, entirely away from buildings, is preferred.
In preparing permanent beds, the soil should be mellowed to a depth of twelve to fourteen inches ; the beds should be raised four to six inches above the level, and surrounded with four- or six-inch boards, the same as the seed-beds. Ginseng will grow in almost any kind of soil, but unless it is of proper texture, the growth will be so slow that it will take several years to develop the roots to a marketable size. A light, deep, rich, well-drained soil that is supplied with decayed vegetable matter should be selected,—a soil that will not bake and crack or become firm and hard after heavy rains. New or sod ground is much preferred to land that has been tilled for several years, and, in case such soil cannot be had, leaf-mold, swamp-peat or light woods dirt should be added in liberal quantities.
September and October are the most favorable months for planting the roots, although they may be grown successfully when planted in the early spring. In planting permanent beds, none but healthy roots should be used. They should be dug carefully to avoid cutting or bruising, and great care should be taken not to injure the bud at the neck of the root, as this will set the plant back one season's growth and, in some cases, will entirely destroy the plant. The roots may be planted in rows four to five inches apart each way. The bud at the top of the roots should be covered two to two and one-half inches.
Subsequent the planting is completed, very little care is required with the exception of keeping the weeds out and harvesting the seed when ripe. The plants begin bearing seed when three years old, generally averaging twenty seeds to the plant, increasing to seventy-five to one hundred at five or six years old. Plants growing in their wild state seldom produce more than fifteen or twenty seeds in a season, regardless of their age.
Under proper cultivation, the root matures at five years old at least, and is then in its best con dition for marketing. It should be harvested in October, care being taken not to cut or bruise it. The roots may be washed with a soft brush, not scrubbed until perfectly clean, but simply to re move the clots of dirt. Then they are ready for drying. When only a few pounds are to be dried, they may be placed about the stove or dried in the sun and air ; when large quantities are to be dried, evaporators can be used. Evaporators never should be run at a temperature of over 85° or 90°. When the roots are thoroughly dry, they are ready for market. In case the grower does not dispose of t . once, they should he placed in sacks or I. and stored in a cool, dry place.
The natural home of ginseng is in the still, sha ly f rrt, protected from heavy winds and the &Urea rays of the sun during the growing period. In autumn it is furnished with a mulching of leaves to protect it in the best possible way from becom ing, injured by frost during the winter. Nature supplies these protections for the plant in its native home, and the cultivator must furnish these re iffirements in order to grow the plant success fully. When the beds are placed where they do not hive natural shade from trees, artificial shade must be s!l.stituted. When ginseng is cultivated in the open field, the grower will find that supplying a proper degree of shade is one of the most difficult problems, and, as the locality has a great deal to do with the degree of shade necessary, it is very difficult to advise a certain kind of shade that will give the best results under all circumstances. After a careful test, the writer has concluded that more failures in ginseng-culture have been due to supplying too much shade rather than too little. Some very successful results have been secured by shading with brush, but as this requires a great deal of repairing it can hardly be recommended as a practical method. Screens built of common plas ter lath or slats can be used to advantage, as will be seen in Figs. 509, 510, which give an idea how to construct a ginseng arbor.