SKETCH OF THE CONIFERS OF JAPAK. 649 



that so few of these seeds had vegetated, and in order to increase 

 the number by procuring another supply, I paid a visit this autumn 

 to the place where I had been so successful last year, with what 

 results I shall proceed to relate. Having arrived at the monastery 

 of Tsansing — for that is the name of the place — I lost no time in 

 visiting the spot of my last year's discovery. The trees were 

 then as beautiful and symmetrical as ever, but after straining my 

 eyes for half an hour I could not detect a single cone. I returned 

 to the temple and mentioned my disappointment to the priests, 

 and asked them whether it was possible to procure cones from any 

 other part of the country. They told me of various places, where 

 there were trees, but whether these had seed upon them or not 

 they could not say. They further consoled me with a piece of 

 information, which, although I was most unwilling to believe it, I 

 knew to be most likely too true, namely, that this tree rarely 

 bore cones two years successively, that last year was its bearing 

 year, that this one it was barren. A respectable-looking man, 

 who was on a visit to the temple, now came up to me and said 

 that he knew a place where a large number of trees were growing, 

 and that if I would visit the temple to which he belonged he 

 would take me to this spot, and that there I would probably find 

 what I wanted. I immediately took down the name of his re-* 

 sideuce, which he told me was Quanting, a place about twenty 

 miles distant from the temple in which I was domiciled, and at a 

 much higher elevation on the mountains. Having made an 

 appointment for next day he took his leave of me with great 



politeness, and returned to his home. 



" Having procured a guide for Quanting, I set out early next 

 day to visit my new acquaintance. Leaving the temple of Tsan- 

 tsing, our way led up a steep pass paved with granite stones. 

 On each side of the road were forests of fine BamSoos — the 

 variety called by the Chinese JMaai, the finest I ever saw. The 

 forests are very valuable, not merely on account of the demand 

 for the full-grown Bamboos, but also for the young shoots, which 

 are dug up and sold in the markets in the early part of the 

 season. Here, too, "were dense woods of Cryptomeria, Cuning- 

 hamia lanceolata, Oaks, Chestnuts, and such like representations 

 of a cold or temperate climate. 



•' Our road was long and rugged, and we were gi'adually attain- 

 ing a higher elevation. We reached the temple of Quanting at 

 last, and had no difficulty in finding our acquaintance of the pre • 

 ceding day, Mr, Wang-a-Nok, as he called himself. 



