AGRICULTURE 6i 



These plants are in flower in February and March, and the crop 

 is harvested in April. The seeds are crushed and steamed, 

 and the oil obtained by expression. In Szechuan the use of 

 the oil as an illuminant equals its culinary value. It also 

 enters very largely into the composition of Chinese candles. 



Oil is also expressed from the seeds of the Ground-nut 

 {Arachis hypogcea), the Opium Poppy [Papaver somniferum), 

 the Sunflower [Helianthus annuus), Cotton seed [Gossypium 

 herbaceum), the Soy Bean {Glycine hispida), and members of 

 the cabbage family, other than those already mentioned, 

 notably the kales, and in the highlands from Flax seed, 

 " Shan-chih-ma " {Linum usitatissimum) . These oils are all 

 used for cooking and lighting purposes and for adulterating 

 the more valuable " Ts'ai-yu." With the exception, however, 

 of the ground-nut, they are not extensively employed. In 

 Hupeh and Szechuan, Sesamum indicum is cultivated sparingly 

 as a summer crop. In Yunnan its cultivation is more general. 

 The oil from its seeds is very highly esteemed, and commands 

 a high price in the market. It is known as the " Hsiang-yu," 

 or fragrant oil, and is eaten raw, mixed with cooked vegetables. 

 From the seeds of Perilla ocymoides an oil, known as " Su-ma," 

 and similar to sesamum oil, is expressed ; it is used in salads. 

 This plant is, however, but very sparingly cultivated. 



A large number of miscellaneous vegetables are used as food 

 in various ways. Some are wild, but most are cultivated, and 

 many of them are strange and novel to Europeans. A hand- 

 some if tasteless fruit, the Brinjal, " Chuei-tzu " [Solanum 

 Melongena), is largely cultivated as a vegetable. The Chinese 

 distinguish at least 5 varieties that differ from each other in 

 colour, shape, and time of maturing. Some of them are truly 

 enormous, often weighing 2^ lbs., and measuring i foot in 

 length. They are in the market from June till October, 

 The Tomato (S. Lycopersicum) has been introduced by 

 foreigners, and in Yunnan is frequently met with semi-wild 

 as an escape from cultivation. The Chinese, as far as my 

 observations go, do not eat it themselves. 



A small-fruited variety of the Chilli-pepper, " Ai-chiao " 

 {Capsicum frutescens), is commonly cultivated, and is particu- 

 larly happy in the dry, hot valleys of the Tung and Min 



