_ uses of plants for food, clothing, manufacturing purposes, 
BOTANICON SINICUM. 21 
“Pétude des encyclopédies chinoises et japonaises pourrait rendre 
“plus de services 4 l'histoire des espéces cultivées, laquelle A son 
“tour est importante pour l’histoire des nations.” 
Indeed a considerable amount of information, interesting to 
botanists and throwing light especially on the history of cultivated 
plants, is found in Chinese literature, but is generally difficult to 
discover, and often involved in a mass of other matter, appreciated 
only by Chinese readers. We know from their ancient records 
the plants cultivated in China at‘an early period, when it had no 
intercourse with the other nations of Asia. We meet also with 
positive statements of ancient authors regarding other economic 
plants now abundantly grown all over the Empire, but intro- 
duced from other Asiatic countries, especially Western Asia, after 
these regions had become known. 
After the discovery of America a great many American plants 
were introduced by the Spaniards and Portuguese into the Philip- 
pines and the Indian Archipelago. Their cultivation spread 
rapidly over the neighbouring regions of the old continent, and they 
found their way also to China, Most of these plants have become 
perfectly naturalized in Asia and, had the proof of their intro- 
duction from America not been preserved in ancient western 
records, they would certainly be considered natives of Asia, 
There are some other plants now generally cultivated in America 
as well as in Asia regarding which even M. De Candolle, not- 
withstanding his diligent researches, is unable to state, whether 
they are indigenous in America only, or whether they have been 
cultivated from time immemorial in Asia also. For the decision 
of these questions the ancient Chinese records again prove to be 
of great weight. 
_An important aid towards defining the geographical distribution 
of plants in China is found in the geographical works of the 
Chinese, and such information is all the more precious, as our 
botanical knowledge regarding the interior of the Empire is still 
almost a blank. In another place we shall speak more in detail 
of this branch of native literature. ae 
_ There are numerous Chinese works dealing especially with — 
Botany, Agriculture, and other kindred sciences relating to Prac- ee : 
tical Botany. They are replete with information regarding the 
