84 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



making. It is also sparingly employed for the same purpose 

 in Szechuan, where, however, it is chiefly used by the shop- 

 keepers as string. 



Rice-straw is largely used for making bed-mattresses 

 and sandals and to a less extent for ropes. Wheat-straw is 

 braided and used for making large, wide-brimmed summer 

 hats. Certain districts like Shuangliu Hsien, near Chengtu, 

 are famed for their straw-braid, but the industry is of local 

 importance only. 



Tobacco {Nicotiana Tabacum), called " Yen," was probably 

 introduced into China from America, contemporaneously with 

 maize — just when is a matter of dispute, but some sinologues 

 consider it was about a.d. 1530. It is cultivated all over 

 China, and nowhere within the Middle Kingdom are finer 

 tobacco leaves produced than in Szechuan. Within the rice- 

 belt tobacco is a spring crop, the seeds being sown in late 

 October and the crop harvested by mid-June. In the maize- 

 belt it is grown as a summer crop but not extensively. The 

 districts oiE Chint'ang and P'i Hsien, on the Chengtu Plain, 

 are noted for their tobacco. In these districts one crop only 

 is taken from the plants, but in the warmer parts of the province 

 contiguous to the Yangtsze River, three crops are secured 

 before the plants are ploughed under. 



Tobacco leaves are prepared in three ways : (i) the large 

 leaves are dried on screens, kept flat, packed into bales to form 

 " Ta-yen," or large tobacco ; (2) the smaller leaves are dried 

 in the same way to form " Erh-yen," or second tobacco, which, 

 when treated with Chinese rape-oil and red-earth (Tu-hung) 

 is pressed and shaved into fine shreds and used for smoking 

 in water-pipes, being known as " Shui-yen," or water tobacco ; 

 (3) " So-yen," or cord tobacco, prepared by cutting off the 

 leaves with a piece of the stem to form a hook, by means of 

 which the leaves are suspended under the eaves of houses or 

 from rafters indoors and allowed to dry, naturally shrivelling 

 and curling in the process. This " So-yen " is rolled into rough 

 cigars, which are inserted into the bowl of long-stemmed pipes 

 and smoked. It is also exported from Szechuan. In the 

 mountains up to 9000 feet altitude the smaU-leaved Nicotiana 

 rustica, " Lan-hwa-yen," is sparingly cultivated for local use. 



