1030 
lacquer is perfectly hardy and grows 
freely in the Arnold Arboretum. Why 
should not the United States of America 
grow lacquer and develop the industry 
on modern lines? (see page 1025). 
Another species of Rhus (ft. succe- 
danea) produces a fatty tallow-like sub- 
stance from its seeds, which is largely 
used for candle-making in Japan. ‘The 
seeds of R. vernicifera, too, contain an 
oil which when expressed is used in 
China as an illuminant and for candle- 
making. The gall nuts, from Rhus semia- 
lata, furnish the finest material in the 
world for tanning purposes. The only 
hardy rubber tree known is a Chinese 
tree called Eucommia ulmoides. ‘The 
leaves and bark of this tree are full of a 
substance akin to caoutchouc. This rub- 
ber, though it needs to be separated me- 
chanically and is of low-grade quality, 
yet from the ease with which the tree 
can be grown, even in northern Massa- 
chusetts, might prove a paying venture. 
Rubber is a substance to conjure with 
even in these days, and the future will 
demand more and more. Synthetic rub- 
ber will never be a commercial product, 
and every living tree yielding rubber 
should be carefully experimented with. 
Para rubber will always lead, but this 
tree requires equatorial regions and con- 
ditions, and the area suited to its culture 
is limited and circumscribed. 
Experts from time to time warn the 
world of an approaching timber famine. 
Nearly every civilized nation is doing 
something in the matter of preserving 
its natural woods and forests and ex- 
tending them by careful planting and re- 
afforestation. Both hard and soft woods 
are in increasing demand, and the world’s 
timber bill annually increases enor- 
mously. 
In addition to many other fine timber 
trees, there exists throughout the Chino- 
Thibetan borderland many kinds of valu- 
able pine and spruce trees. Indeed, more 
species of spruce are to be found in this 
region than in the rest of the world put 
together. The majority of these are now 
in cultivation at the Arnold Arboretum, 
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 
and their hardiness and suitability to the 
climate will be thoroughly tested. If 
they win out, who can appraise their pos- 
sible value for afforestation purposes in 
this country? When we realize what a 
valuable tree the Japanese larch is in 
Scotland, where it is much more resistant 
to the canker than European larch, it be- 
hooves us to take good stock of these 
new spruce from China. We cannot have 
too many valuable timber-producing trees. 
Turpentine gets more expensive every 
year, and the supply falls short of the 
demand; perhaps one of these new Chi- 
nese pines may be useful as an additional 
source of supply. 
Constant efforts are being made to im- 
prove and increase our supply of berry- 
producing plants. In China over 109 
species of Rubi are known to exist, and 
many of these are now in this country. 
Among these brambles and raspberries 
are several which, even in a wild state, 
produce first-class fruits of good flavor. 
By cultivation they may be much im- 
proved, and by cross-breeding may yield 
berries far in advance of the best today. 
In the regions we write of a black cur- 
rant is found, with berries of good size 
and flavor borne on racemes a foot and a 
half long! If it can be crossed with the 
finer cultivated forms a new race of cur- 
rants yielding fruits after the manner of 
grapes may arise. Two or three goose- 
berries are wild in the woods of China; 
maybe they will resist the dreaded goose- 
berry mildew and enable us to cultivate 
this desirable fruit. The Arnold Ar- 
boretum has these berries and many 
other plants. Who will prove their eco- 
nomic value? 
CHINA IS THE ORIGINAL HOME OF THE 
TEA PLANT 
Our work is with woody plants only, 
but one has merely to mention the soya- 
bean and its recent development to prove 
that the world is only just beginning to 
appreciate China as a source of economic 
plants and plant products. 
All the world knows that China is the 
original home of the tea-plant industry. 
