SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 



to the general reader, at the same time serving 

 as a help to the future botanists of this country, 

 in directing them to the districts, where they may 

 most readily find fruitful fields for their labours. 

 I have arranged the subject under four headings, 

 Trees, Fruits, Flowers and Cryptogams, discussing 

 under the first, wood-producing, arborial forms; 

 under the second, plants bearing edible fruit ; 

 under the third, conspicuous flowering plants, 

 and under the fourth, the flowerless plants such 

 as ferns, mosses and fungi. 



i. TREES 



North China is on the whole very poorly supplied 

 with good wood-producing trees. The Chinese 

 have no forestry laws, and though they know 

 good wood when they see it, they do very little 

 in the way of tree culture. Along the main roads 

 saplings are planted from time to time, but the 

 first passer-by, who feels in a destructive mood, 

 or is in need of a stout pole, or even a bit of fire- 

 wood, cuts down the young tree with impunity. 

 Still many remain and develop into fine trees, 

 but even these are cut down for their wood long 

 before they should be. 



The owners of woods round temples in the foot- 

 hills are very jealous of their preservation, and 

 w'oe betide the wood stealer who gets caught. 

 This desire to preserve the woods, however, does 

 not prevent the owners from selling every foot of 



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