BOTANY AND THE ZOOLOGY OF CHINA 149 



tion, change their colour into black and the flesh becomes 

 soft and juicy, and some think, sweet to the taste. 



Besides the wild pears growing in North Manchuria, 

 some varieties of the wild Chinese pears are found in Far 

 East Kussia. As it is reported by Mr. K. W. Abaza, 1 the 

 wild Chinese pear in the Ussuri Province is found in four 

 varieties. One has big green fruits of the type of the culti- 

 vated Chinese pears ; the second has oblong fruits of medium 

 size with a reddish side; the third variety bears greenish 

 fruit of medium size ; and the fifth had small fruits like the 

 "Kiev-muskat pear" — a Russian variety of Pyrus communis 

 L. 



The Chinese wild pear is one of the interesting fruit trees 

 of the Far East. Their fruits can be improved, as has been 

 proved in North America. 



XXXVIII. — The Gourds, Melons, Cucumbers and their 

 Cultivation by the Chinese in North Manchuria. 



In an earlier note, mention has already been made of the 

 wild Manchurian vegetables. Let us now pay attention to the 

 cultivated kinds. 



Gardening in North Manchuria is not so widely done 

 as in some other places of China, but here also gardening 

 has a big importance to the local population. The climatic 

 conditions here with five months of a vegetating period are 

 quite favourable to give to the farmers a rich crop ; and 

 gardening in Manchuria now yearly increases and its pro- 

 ductions are exported; specially to Eussian and Chinese 

 markets. 



In the present note we will pay attention to the culti- 

 vation of vegetables of the gourd family. These vegetables 

 are represented in Manchuria by many varieties of the large 

 gourd (Cucurbita maxima Buchesne), by several kinds of the 

 Cucurbita Pepo L. usually called, "vegetable marrow"; by 

 the Japanese gourd, wdiich as it seems belongs to a variety of 

 Cucurbita Pepo L. ; by the white gourd of India (Benincasa 

 cerifera Sav.); by the cucumbers (Cucumis Satirus L.); by 

 the water-melon (Cucumis citrullus L.); and by two species 

 of melons, — the sw T eet melon (Cucumis melo L.) and the 

 vegetable melon (Cucumis conomon Thunb.). 



The large gourd (Cucurbita maxima Buch.) ( 3£ JBL ). 

 Several varieties, most of which were introduced into 

 Manchuria by the Russians. In Chinese gardens we find the 

 large yellow gourd, a kind of "Ohio squash," a variety 



1 Abaza, K. W. A sketch on the present conditions of gardening 

 in South Ussuri district (The report on Maritime Provinces). 



