THE LYCHEK 107 



He calls attention to the fact that although the lungan is always 

 grafted on its own stock it is not unusual to find three or four grafts 

 sandwiched between the stock and the top, a practice which is said 

 to develop a much better fruit. This sandwiching of grafts consists 

 of top-working the lungan to the lungan, but as soon as the scion is 

 well established it is cut off and a new graft inserted in the new 

 growth of wood. This process is continued three or four times. 

 Mr. Cole says: 'The chief answer the Chinese fruit grower gives 

 for this novel method of grafting is that it makes larger fruit. They 

 also have the idea that it makes a stronger tree to withstand the wind. 

 Typhoons are very severe along this coast. This graft provides a 



brace for the new graft so that it cannot be readily torn out 



This region in China has the reputation for the best lungan. The 

 fruit growers know nothing about the scientific side of the question. 

 Their objective is large, sweet fruit. How their methods do it they 

 do not know. But it is true that they get results. In Foochow, 75 

 miles to the north, where they are not so skilled, the fruit is of a 

 decidedly inferior quality having large pit and small pulp. Here the 

 fruit is large with small pit and thick, juicy pulp. 



'They tell me that where two or three trunks are grafted 

 into one top that the good fruit bearing wood lends its strength to the 

 top making the entire top bear large fruit 



4 They do not seem to have much success here in using the 

 litchi for a stock on which to graft the longan. They say that where 

 they succeed it makes good fruit 



There are ten or twelve varieties of the lungan with consider- 

 able range in quality and earliness. A list of these will be found in 

 the Appendix. An analytical study of some of the best varieties is 

 <ji\(.Mi herewith. 



