916 



NOTES FROM CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD. 



China, Canton. Mr. F. D. Cheshire, reports under date 

 of July 8/1915, on the lichee: The lichee, one of the 

 most widely known fruits throughout China, is produced in 

 South China, chiefly in the provinces of Fukien and Kwang- 

 tung; it is also produced in Szechuan. A small quantity 

 is grown in other southern provinces, but none whatever in 

 the north. It is said that lichees grown in other than 

 the three provinces named are inferior in quality and al- 

 most unfit for edible purposes. 



For the sake of accuracy, this report will be con- 

 fined to the lichees grown only in Kwangtung Province. 

 The principal lichee producing districts in Kwangtung 

 Province are Namhoi, Pun Yu, Tsang Shing, and Tung Kun. 

 Some lichees are grown in the Heungshan, Shuntak, and Sam- 

 shui districts, and while they are produced in abundance 

 in the Yeung Kong and Shui Tung districts, they are of a 

 very inferior quality. 



The fruit of the lichee tree, when plucked, rapidly 

 deteriorates, and can be kept in its original state for 

 only three days at most. A plan has been adopted for pre- 

 serving the fruit by storing it in bamboo after sprinkling 

 with a weak salt solution and sealing both end of the bam- 

 boo with clay. In this manner the fruit remains fresh for 

 a period of about two weeks, allowing of its being export- 

 ed to Shanghai and Peking, and ports on the Yangtsze River. 



Dried lichees are very popular in foreign countries. 

 The fruit is dried in two ways,- by sun and by fire. The 

 sun-dried lichee, when under the drying process, is like- 

 ly to deteriorate and, consequently, it commands a better 

 price; besides it has a finer flavor than the fire-dried 

 fruit. There are but two or three species of the lichee 

 which are suitable for drying purposes, viz., the no-maichi, 

 the kwai-mi, and the wai-chi. 



The purchase of lichees by the wholesale dealers from 

 the producers is largely one of speculation, the former 

 bargaining with the latter for the frtfit during the months 

 of April and May, while the trees are yet in blossom, a 

 certain amount being agreed upon for each tree. In the 

 event of the tree being unfruitful, the purchaser must 

 suffer the consequences, and vice versa. 



The actual quantity of fruit produced annually is a 

 difficult matter to ascertain accurately, but from infor- 

 mation received from the lichee producers, the total amount 

 of lichees annually produced in the Kwangtung Province is 

 estimated at 1,500,000 pounds. 



