SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 
important to the natives of the country districts 
and out-of-the-way small towns, where a supply 
of good wood is wanting. When treated in the 
same way as the young Pine, this tree grows tall 
and fairly straight. It is then used for beams 
and uprights in building operations. 
The Elm (Ulmus sp.) is valued for its wood, 
usually being allowed to grow to a great size before 
it is cut down. It is grown extensively along 
the main roads on the plains of Shansi, Chihli 
and in the valleys of Kansu. The wood being 
very tough, is used in the manufacture of carts 
and wheelbarrows, and the better class of furniture. 
The Common Willow (Salix sp.) is found all 
over North China. It was the only tree we saw 
in the Ordos Desert. All along the banks of the 
Yellow River and throughout Northern Shensi 
this tree forms almost the only wood supply, 
and is usually used in a very unseasoned state. 
All the barges and ferries on the upper reaches 
of the Yellow River are made from willow boards, 
which usually being narrow and crooked, require 
great ingenuity in being fitted together. 
The Weeping Willow (Salyz babylonica) is a tree 
that pertains more to the towns and well populated 
districts of North China. 
In and round the towns also occur such trees 
as the Acacia (Robinia sp.) and what the Chinese 
call Ch’un Hsu. The former is particularly abun- 
dant in the cities of Shansi, where it attains an 
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