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that the right hand branch (with intermediate sized flow- 

 ers) was more like an apricot thaifc 'a peach blocnrt. The 

 photo of the large conspicuous" "white-flowered 'type-some 

 did not recognize as being a peach flower , -"'though* : others 

 said that kind was never cultivated in the orchards but 

 only for ornament, as it never bore anything' but scrubby 

 little fruit, bitter and leathery. Now my own recollection, 

 though I do not recollect; ever having been through a peach 

 orchard here in North China during flowering "season, only 

 passing them in the railway train, is that the orchards 

 show white predominatingly, and I distinctly rec-ollect 

 trying to get some pink double flov/ering peach "pott-ed 

 plants last spring and was rather struck with the fact 

 that I could not find anything except clear pure:white, as 

 you say, not even the cerise colored ones -which I 'know are" 

 abundant in south and west China and in Japans Yet " r -h9 

 ordinary name for pink is peach flower color, and notwith- 

 standing the love of Chinese for color, it is 'use-d spar- 

 ingly, in fact, owing to its being associated 'With the 

 peach blossom, seems to have an unsavory 'st'gnlfidsrricev as" 

 I found when I came home one day with 'a pink -satin'- brocade 

 gown that I had just purchased. My people' held up-'tlieii* 

 hands in horror, and exclaimed it was a mer^dy that? I -'did 

 not intend to wear thab here, it would-only do fdr outside 

 countries that did not know about peach flowers 1 , which -'re- 

 marks led me to leave it in America when r canie "fcacK" 

 though it was a very lovely ddlioate " color and L 6Hef ^of my 

 prettiest gowns. 



"The reason for this prejudice i3 #wing 'flo Jits film's 

 bolism. Just as the violet is considered fn- T wes1Je'rA lands 

 to be the symbol of modest worth, so ; the plum "is" 'that T 0f 

 feminine virtue in China and the peach flower tfee 'oppo- 

 site. Not even the beauty of its color, whether ' 'delicat?4 

 pink or deep cerise, redeems it from tills fatal signifi- 

 cance. In order that there may be no possibl6 

 for a 'peach flower heart 1 ' to spring 'up unaware s"J In 

 girl of respectable family, it is not considered 

 plant a peach of any kind near the bed room windows oof 

 court yards inhabited by the women, yet peach wands 

 supposed to be especially useful to: beat ^off fall T 

 spirits, only they must be plucked during a soEar 

 and -a hole bored through one end for hang-ing up -'by , 

 a lunar eclipse, which perhaps accounts for thei'r '.fewness , 

 as during those times in the old days the people 

 generally busily occupied in beating goings and yf irin 

 crackers to drive away the heavenly dogs :which we're* 

 posed to be devouring those luminaries ,. > -and rro 'one .had 

 time to think of making peach wands! The Iu~eky p<fissesdr 

 of an efficacious peach wand is supposed to be able to 

 sleep at night with it under his pillow in ^ full" confidence 

 that no evil spirits can harm him! ^ 



