58 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



medicine. Lagenaria vulgaris, " Hu-lii," is cultivated for its 

 hard shells, which are converted into receptacles for holding 

 water, oil, or wine. In addition to the above, several gourds 

 are cultivated for their ornamental fruits, which are used for 

 decorative purposes. 



In the valleys and on the plains and low hills bordering 

 them throughout the Yangtsze Valley and Yunnan, the Sweet 

 Potato {Ipomcea Batatas) is the most important root crop. 

 The crop is always cultivated on ridges and is grown from 

 both old tubers and cuttings. Tubers are planted out in 

 May, and cuttings from the shoots of these are inserted in 

 July and early August, and produce a fine crop in October and 

 November. The crop from the old roots is ready in August. 

 Sweet potatoes are eaten after being boiled, baked, and dried 

 in chips, and constitute a truly delicious dish. As they 

 deteriorate by keeping, they are cut into slices, scalded, and 

 then dried in the sun. The tubers are also macerated in cold 

 water, and the resultant starch dried and made into vermicelli. 

 In Hupeh the sweet potato is known as the " Hung-shao," 

 in Szechuan as the " Pen-shao." 



In the mountainous districts the sweet potato is displaced 

 by the Irish potato, or " Yang-yii " [Solanum tuberosum), 

 which, like maize, is another plant of American origin that 

 has become a most important crop. It was introduced by 

 the Roman Catholic priests at the time of a great famine 

 some forty odd years ago. Its culture has spread enormously, 

 and though it is despised by the rice-eating Chinese of the 

 plains it has become a staple article of food with the highland 

 peasantry. In the valleys it is cultivated as a late winter 

 crop, in the mountains as a summer crop. Its culture is 

 unfortunately but little understood ; it is always grown too 

 thickly, and seldom if ever properly earthed up. Both red 

 and white-skinned varieties are grown, but the flavour is 

 usually very poor. The potatoes cultivated by the Buddhist 

 priests on Mount Omei are justly celebrated, but the best I 

 ever ate in China were grown by Sifan tribesfolk around 

 Sungpan. 



Two kinds of Yam are commonly cultivated, namely, 

 Dioscorea alata, the " Chieh-pan-shao," which has enormously 



