AGRICULTURE 63 



ts'ai " ; Spinacia olcracea, " Po-ts'ai " ; Crepis japonica, 

 " Huang-hua-ts'ai " ; Basella rubra, " Juan-chiang-tzu " ; 

 Cclosia argentea, " Chi-kung-hua " ; and Amaranthus panicu- 

 latus, " Ya-ku." 



The " Kao-sen" {Zizania latifolia) isverygenerallycultivated. 

 Its succulent stem and very young inflorescence are cooked and 

 eaten as a vegetable. From a European standpoint it is really 

 very good eating. From the rhizome of the Bracken Fern 

 {Pteridium aquilinum) an arrowroot-like substance called 

 " Chiieh-fen " is prepared. In the mountains the young fronds 

 of this fern are eaten by the peasantry. From the thick woody 

 root of Pueraria Thunhergiana an " arrowroot " similar to the 

 above is prepared. It is, however, in very little request, save in 

 times of scarcity. The starchy roots of Potentilla discolor and 

 P. multifida are also occasionally used for preparing a food-stuff. 



The flowers of Lilium Sargentice, " Yeh-peh-ho," and of 

 Hemerocallis flava, " Huang-hua-ts'ai," are eaten, as also are 

 the yellow pea-like flowers of Caragana chamlagu. The 

 mucilaginous seeds of Plantago major, " Ch'e-ch'ien-ts'ao," 

 enter into the composition of a jelly, " Liang-fen," which is 

 used in summer. The Chinese are very fond of several species of 

 Fungi, and distinguish quite a number of edible kinds. Amongst 

 their favourites are Hirneola polytricha, Cantharellus cibarius, 

 Tricholoma gambosa, Lactarius deliciosus, and Agaricus campes- 

 tris, the Common Mushroom. Seaweed is imported in quantity 

 from Japan, and is on sale in the shops of all the larger towns 

 and villages. From this Seaweed {Porphyra vulgaris) the 

 Chinese prepare a very nutritious jelly. 



The difficulty of tracing the original types of plants that 

 have long been in cultivation and of affixing the correct scientific 

 names to them is a very real one, and one that can be ap- 

 preciated by all who have studied the history of our common 

 garden plants. While in the foregoing pages I cannot hope 

 to have altogether escaped error in this matter, I have used 

 every means at my command to ensure accuracy. 



