BAMBOO — McCLURE 405 



Southeastern China is the chief source of split bamboo, the prin- 

 cipal use of which in "Western countries is the making of coarse 

 brooms for street cleaners. It is also used to a limited extent in 

 handcraft classes as a material for weaving. This product comes 

 principally from Bambusa textilis. 



Edible bamboo shoots are exported from China and Japan chiefly 

 to adjacent countries. While the exportation of this commodity to 

 Western countries has been small in total volume, it reaches a wide 

 geographical area, and the growing taste of Western peoples for 

 Oriental food is increasing the demand. This augmented demand is 

 being met, at least in part, by the canned product. It is probable 

 that the raw shoots exported have consisted almost exclusively of the 

 dormant winter shoots of Phyllostachys pubescens. The canned 

 shoots from Japan and central China also come from this species, 

 while those from southeastern China are supplied by Sinocalamus 

 beecheyanus and S. latiftorus. It appears that small quantities of 

 dried shoots of Bambusa sinospinosa and the Henon bamboo, a form 

 of Phyllostachys nigra, are exported from southeastern China to 

 nearby countries. It is estimated by Chinese restaurateurs in the 

 United States that the annual importation of bamboo shoots in cans 

 or tubs currently amounts to about one million dollars. They come 

 principally from Japan, Hong Kong, and Formosa. 



BAMBOO IN TRANSPORTATION 



Some idea of the importance and the extent of the use of bamboo 

 in Oriental transportation may be conveyed by the following random 

 list of adjuncts and appurtenances: Rafts, punting poles, tug and 

 tracking cables, stay ropes, anchor ropes, sail covers, hoists, landing 

 stages (both floating and fixed), fathoming poles, bilge pumps, carry- 

 ing poles, baskets of various design, tung-oil buckets, pig and chicken 

 crates, tally sticks, matting, yokes and beds for oxcarts (pi. 6, fig. 2). 

 Calking material is commonly made of shredded bamboo (prepared 

 by scraping the culms) imbedded in a putty composed of lime and 

 tung oil. 



BAMBOO ON THE ORIENTAL FARM 



The Oriental farmer may or may not have his own grove of bam- 

 boos for the production of shoots to be eaten or culms to be fashioned 

 according to his various needs. In any case, whether he grows his 

 own materials or buys them elsewhere, bamboo is an important factor 

 in his daily life. 



Perhaps in no other Oriental industry does bamboo play a more 

 varied role of usefulness than it does in agriculture. In fact, so 

 many bamboo tools and devices are used on the farm and in the 



