THE LUNtiAN 1U5 



Beds about 15 feet wide with trenches between of about 6 feet are 

 often raised up as in lychee culture. Lungan trees are then planted 

 along the edge of these beds and pumelo are planted down the center. 

 The lungan prefers a rich, sandy loam and its roots should have 

 access to plenty of water. At Ta t'ang (Tai t'ong ;fc$t) an interest- 

 ing form of planting is followed, similar to that sometimes used in 

 citrus culture. After the beds have been raised up above the incom- 

 ing tides, little mounds of canal earth are built up on the beds several 

 feet above the surface and the young trees are then planted on these 

 mounds. Year after year as the trees grow more canal earth is 

 carried on to the beds and the young roots are thereby nourished by 

 this fresh, rich soil. The young trees, thus planted, are often held 

 in place by bamboo supports and the trunks are wrapped with rice 

 straw to prevent sun scald. When the trees are planted upon higher 

 ground holes are dug and the soil enriched. The trees are always 

 planted in the spring. 



In order to obtain good results with lungan the Chinese 

 recognize the importance of fertilization. The trees are fertilized 

 after picking the fruit; once during the winter and once during 

 the flowering season. At the latter season the Chinese recognize 

 that it is not well to feed too much night soil or urine fer- 

 tilizers high in nitrogen but that they should feed more ground bones 

 and ash. In low-land culture it is common to take advantage of the 

 winter months, when the waters are low, to smear fresh canal mud 

 o\er the beds. The results from this rich soil are indeed gratifying. 



Several interesting customs connected with the cultivation of 

 this fruit are worthy of note. The Chinese recognize that consider- 

 able thinning of the fruit is usually necessary. It is a common 

 practice to thin the flowers rather than the fruit. The Chinese say, 

 "Lungan, one flower, ten fruits; lychee, ten flowers, one fruit. " 

 By this they mean to point out the importance of protecting the 

 flowers in lychee culture and of destroying some in lungan culture. 

 Accordingly a large number of flower-bearing twigs are pruned from 

 the trees by the growers. Mr. W.B. Cole 1 of Hing-hua, Kukien, 

 an important center for lungan culture, in a letter to the Office of 

 Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, said, * This is the flowering 

 season of the longan. It is also the time when the pruning is done. 



1 Cole, W.B. , from Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, United 

 States Department of Agriculture, Washington, Reports, Correspondence, 



