Our first expedition into the country was almost directly north of 

 Peking. We went down llie railroad' about 15 miles, to Shaho, where 

 we employed donkeys and .1 ricksha, and rode across country some 

 12 or 15 miles. Here we found a very excellent Chinese hotel, and 

 surrounding orcliardis of perhaps 300 trees. Some of the consular 

 reports in China staled that this place was one of the three sections 

 in which the finest shipments of nuts were produced. 



We next went to the east of Tientsin where we found quite a num- 

 ber of orchard's and trees claimed' to be from 150 to 200 years of 

 age, although we found, after travellings a short time and inquiring 

 from the Chinese farmers, that the figures they gave to us were 

 probably inaccurate. We finally ceased to ask the Chinese farmers 

 for figures of that sort. It was very interesting to note the difference 

 in Chinese and. American methods. For instance, in China, the land 

 may be owned by one or by several people, who will lease the land 

 or the trees, or perhaps even an individual tree, for a period' of years. 

 White marks placed on the trees indicate their ownershijD. 



Young walnut trees were very scarce. We were told in one 

 province that Chinese merchants, who had been forced out of Russia 

 because of economic conditions there, and had lost everything, had 

 come home and were seeking something with which to make money. 

 They were already planting a considerable number of walnut trees, 

 and were growing crops under the trees, planting crops of millet first, 

 and then of soy beans later in the season. Another crop they use is 

 called kaolin (pronounced "gollin" in this country). 



Very few of the trees are ever pruned systematically, or taken care 

 of; the Chinese seem to have no idea of this. Of course, the rainfall 

 there is at a different time of the year than ours. Fall, winter and 

 spring, in North China, are practically without rain. Consequently, 

 the atmosphere is very dry. 



Here and there we found trees that struck us so favorably that 

 we made notes with the intention of going back to the trees to get 

 scions for propagating purposes for this country. We were told that 

 one of these trees had borne 800 pound's of nuts. I suppose, however, 

 if that was so, it was green weight, and included the hulls. This tree 

 was on the grounds of the Y. M. C. A., about 80 miles below Shanghai, 

 the farthest south we went. The tree had been planted by mission- 

 aries, and had made splendid growth. There were not many walnuts 

 south of that point, however. In the province of Shanshi the soil is 

 of a washed nature, subjected to rains, and we found there huge 



