Dug a little undug turn of the century dump.

[DiggerBryan]

Where are you located Kevin? I'm from Ashland and always looking for new bottle spots. I've been wanting to dig some privies but don't want to tackle one alone.

 

[Plumbata]

Cool finds, but the ginseng interests me the most! The monster root is fantastic, i bet the Chinese would pay well for that specimen. I've come across patches of it now and again while hiking around but never tried collecting any, or more than a root or 2 anyway. There was a buyer/dealer located the next county over but they were no longer operating by the time i got my driver's license. Do you know what a fair price to a dealer for a dry pound would be these days?

 

[toddrandolph]

That's interesting about finding ginseng in briar patches. I've only seen it in undisturbed old growth beech maple woods with rich, well drained soil and a diverse flora of spring wildflowers (trillium, ramps, etc). I'm out regularly from Lorain County east to the PA state line. I've never seen it on the lake plain, only on the Allegheny Plateau area. As for dumps, yeah, those tiny, random dumps are the best and are easily overlooked and hidden under the leaf litter. Early sugar house sites also sometimes yield a couple of bottles or a tiny dump and are usually only marked by some blackened dirt, a few bricks and maybe some cast iron evaporator arch pieces. If I'm out hunting bottles, I'll usually concentrate on the areas that would seem least likely to have a dump as they are more likely to be undug.

 

[Bent_Twig]

ORIGINAL: DiggerBryan

Where are you located Kevin? I'm from Ashland and always looking for new bottle spots. I've been wanting to dig some privies but don't want to tackle one alone.

Bryan ,
We shold do a privy or two in Ashland. There was a big fire in Ashlands oldest section back in the day , so things may be a little out of context but we will never know unless we try. There are a few very old small towns just North and South of Ashland also. The weather is about perfect for some privy digging also. Lets get together!
Kevin.

 

[Bent_Twig]

ORIGINAL: Plumbata

Cool finds, but the ginseng interests me the most! The monster root is fantastic, i bet the Chinese would pay well for that specimen. I've come across patches of it now and again while hiking around but never tried collecting any, or more than a root or 2 anyway. There was a buyer/dealer located the next county over but they were no longer operating by the time i got my driver's license. Do you know what a fair price to a dealer for a dry pound would be these days?

Plummy,
Do I remember you being from Columbus? If so , not too far from you is Mount Vernon and that surrounding area has some nice ginseng . Today the market price on a dry pound here in Ohio is about $580 to $650 . I see where a very good digger in Vermont sold his up there a coule of days ago and got $800 lb. I have seen it get close to $1000lb but last year was a little low so usually that is good for the following year. I think it should hit $700 to $800 this year before the price drops off. Price is always driven by the Asian market. It is kinda like the stockmarket , you watch it go up till it levels off and then decide when the right time to sell.
Kevin.

 

[Bent_Twig]

ORIGINAL: toddrandolph

That's interesting about finding ginseng in briar patches. I've only seen it in undisturbed old growth beech maple woods with rich, well drained soil and a diverse flora of spring wildflowers (trillium, ramps, etc). I'm out regularly from Lorain County east to the PA state line. I've never seen it on the lake plain, only on the Allegheny Plateau area. As for dumps, yeah, those tiny, random dumps are the best and are easily overlooked and hidden under the leaf litter. Early sugar house sites also sometimes yield a couple of bottles or a tiny dump and are usually only marked by some blackened dirt, a few bricks and maybe some cast iron evaporator arch pieces. If I'm out hunting bottles, I'll usually concentrate on the areas that would seem least likely to have a dump as they are more likely to be undug.

Todd,
The briar patches have been a great area for me for big mature plants. But all the conditions you describe still apply. It has to be well drained areas and most of the time there is big old timber around. Alot of woods over here have been logged and after about 6 to 8 years after the logging the open areas are huge briar patches , but big enough and shaded enough for the ginseng to be able to put the tops up again. I have noticed this year that in the drought that I have found ginseng in places that are alot lower than I normally would. The plant would have been there for years and years but these are the areas I would avoid in a wet season.
Kevin.

 

[Plumbata]

Kevin,
Thanks for the explanation, that's really interesting. And yes, your memory is pretty much correct. I am from Peoria, IL since 1995, and collect Peoria stuff primarily, but my gal is in grad school at OSU so I hang out in Columbus a lot. Just got here again on the 11th and already found a few more dumps to poke around in.

Regarding the ginseng, do you typically sell it the same year it was harvested, or does it store well enough to stockpile until the prices are where you want them to be? Or to put it differently, do the dealers pay different prices for freshly dried roots versus 2 year old roots, or for monster roots versus normal roots?

I've seen a few plants around Franklin Co. but most were in parks/preserves so i should probably let them be. Being far more familiar with the Illinois stomping grounds I'll likely stick to collecting there. My dad has some country property which is loaded with "scarce" wild plants; ones you don't see in most altered landscapes. Bloodroot, trillium, solomon's seal (and the false), jack-in-the-pulpit, dutchman's breeches, morels and other tasty fungi, and a bit of ginseng too. The adjacent woods off the property are probably no different. Also, the land which houses my favorite Peoria dump is loaded with ginseng for some reason. I guess there aren't many collectors of the stuff around there. Works for me. []

Anyway thanks again for the info and inspiration. It's cool how you can relax and reconnect while exploring the woods and extract real value at the same time. A real win-win deal.

 

[toddrandolph]

If you are near Ashland, that makes sense. I don't get down to that area much. I did the ecological survey for the section of new Rt. 30 between Mansfield and Bucyrus and was really surprised at the wildflower diversity in those isolated woodlots down there. Also more undug dumps than up here as those areas are pretty inaccessible unless you get permission from landowner.

If you guys need any help for a privy dig let me know. I've never dug one though I've tried unsuccessfully to find one at about half dozen early houses around here, including mine.

 

[BillinMo]

I'm pretty certain that's not an insulator. As Jim said, it might be some sort of electrical equipment piece, but this doesn't match any sort of glass bushing I've seen, and all the bushings I'm familiar with have a hole through the center. I can't make sense out of why any sort of electrical design would require two depressions opposite each other but don't connect in any way.

If I was pressed to make a bet, I'd put my money on it being a candle holder.