THK SOt'TH CHINA KKiJION 45 



It is thus seen that although the lychee may thrive best in 

 only specially favored delta regions, its culture is nevertheless possible 

 over a decidedly wide range of sub-tropical territory. The writer is 

 best acquainted with the Canton delta and has described and pictured 

 it as ideal for lychee culture. 



The Canton delta is the most densely populated and intensive- 

 ly cultivated region in the world and here the lychee is found in its 

 most varied and highly cultivated forms. Its culture has developed 

 into an industry and whole villages give themselves over almost 

 entirely to its propagation, cultivation and drying. The delta, some- 

 times called the delta of the Pearl river is a sub-tropical region. It 

 has been formed by the deposits of the North, West and East rivers, 

 which for centuries have deposited their burdens of mud and silt over 

 this area, as chey break into numerous creeks and canals before they 

 finally flow out into the South China sea. When these rivers are 

 high, and the ocean tide holds back their waters, the whole area is 

 subject to devastating floods which the lychee, unlike many other 

 trees, very successfully resists. The fields and homes of the delta 

 are protected by numerous dykes which are often held in place by 

 extensive plantations of the lychee. Both outer and inner dykes are 

 constructed and the area between, termed in Cantonese a " waai " 

 (iP)) which cannot be drained except when the tide is very low, is 

 used for rice (fig. 6), water chestnuts, lotus (fig. 7) or sagitaria (fig. 

 8^. In fallow years it is filled with water and stocked with young 

 fish (fig. 9) which increase fertility and which are later sold at a 

 great profit if floods have not carried them away. 



The outer dykes are often held in place by stone reinforce- 

 ment and by lychee trees (fig. 10), the roots of which are shallow 

 feeders and help to bind the earth. They are thus able to withstand 

 floods of great force, some conception of which can be gotten by 

 observing the ripples in the water (fig. 11). The waters covered 

 the roots of these trees for eight days with no serious results even 

 though they were in fruit. And indeed trees seem to thrive best 

 when the roots are subjected to the periodic submerging of the tide 

 waters. These are some of the typical conditions under which the 

 best lychee in Kwangtung are grown The dykes are often used as 

 promenades for which the trees make a beautiful setting even when 

 old and neglected (fig. 12). Intercropping is often practiced on the 

 wider dykes through the center of which is a path, often a public- 

 roadway. In the illustration lychee trees with their young spring 

 growth of twigs are seen on the left and plum trees, in blossom, arc 

 on the right ' fig. 1/0- 



