THE PRINCIPAL TIMBER TREES 17 



Bamboo shavings are used in caulking boats and for 

 stuffing pillows and mattresses. The young shoots are a 

 valued vegetable. According to popular belief, in times of 

 scarcity a compassionate Deity causes the Bamboo to flower 

 and yield a harvest of grain to save the people from starvation. 



The Bamboo flourishes everywhere in the Far East, and 

 is just as beautiful when sheltering the peasant's cottage or 

 beggar's hut as when ornamenting the courtyards of temples 

 and the mansions of the wealthy. It is the one woody plant 

 that is really abundant throughout all but the coldest parts 

 of the Middle Kingdom. The Occident possesses no tree or 

 shrub which for all-round general usefulness compares with 

 the Bamboo of the Orient. 



The Chinese generic name for the Bamboo family is 

 " Chu," the different kinds being distinguished by a prefix. 

 The natives have no difficulty in recognizing the various 

 species, but botanists generally have found Bamboos 

 exceedingly difficult to deal with systematically. In the 

 Index FlorcB Sinensis 33 species are enumerated, but for the 

 purpose of this chapter only 4 or 5 species are involved. 



Throughout the Yangtsze Valley, up to about 2500 feet 

 altitude, the " Pan chu " [Phyllostachys pubescens) is one of the 

 commonest species. Its young spear-like stems rear them- 

 selves 30 to 40 feet, and finally develop into beautiful arched 

 plumes. The stems are about 3 or 4 inches in diameter, 

 dark shining green, becoming yellow with age. The wood is 

 moderately thick and is used for a great variety of purposes. 

 It is largely employed on the Yangstze, above Ichang, for 

 making tracking lines for the various river craft. A species allied 

 to this, but smaller in every way, never exceeding 20 feet in 

 height, is the Ch'ung chu (P. heteroclada) . This Bamboo is 

 commonly used in western Hupeh for paper-making. 



A very common species in the warmer parts of Szechuan 

 is the " Tz'u chu" {Bambusa arundinacea, often called B. 

 spinosa), the Spiny Bamboo. This magnificent species pro- 

 duces stems 50 to 75 feet tall and 8 to 10 inches in diameter 

 at base. It does not spread very much, but forms compact 

 clumps, which are impenetrable on account of their density 

 and the presence of innumerable, slender, ferociously spiny 



VOL. II. — 2 



