SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 



not appear till towards the end of May. The 

 fruit does not ripen till the end of September. 



The Wild Jujube {Zizyphus sativa spinosa), 

 as it grows exposed to continual cropping and 

 burning by the farmers, is nothing more than a 

 shrub, but when left alone it attains the size of a 

 small tree. The fruit of the wild plant is very 

 small, with a large stone, and has a pleasant sour 

 taste. The country people grind it up and make 

 it into a sort of cake, very dry and powdery. The 

 stem and branches of this plant are covered 

 with long spines, some of which are straight and 

 others hooked like an animal's claw. It is thus 

 extremely useful in hedge-making. Usually the 

 Wild Jujube grows in dense thickets over grave 

 patches, and as already stated, forms fine cover for 

 pheasants and other small game. Like the cul- 

 tivated variety, it comes into leaf very late in the 

 season. 



Neither the Wild nor Cultivated Jujubes will 

 grow at altitudes over 3,000 feet above sea level. 



There is a second subspecies of this plant recog- 

 nized, which, owing to its gnarled and twisted 

 branches and hooked spines, has been called the 

 Dragon's-claw Jujube (Z. s. tortuosa). This plant 

 is used as an ornamental shrub. 



Another fruit-bearing tree, characteristic of the 

 country, is the Persimmon (Diospyros). Though 

 the majority of species or varieties belonging to 

 this genus belong to Central China, yet a few 



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