19 
is made. d is not generally known that the Hong Kong preserving 
establishmen ts export largely to the United States. Of fresh ginger, 
junks alone carried from Canton to Hong Kong over 6,000 piculs (3 357 
The information on “Chinese ginger” furnished by t ue Kew 
Bulletin having reached China, and, as I understand, having been 
accepted, it will be useful to put on record M P information on 
the subject, and to stimulate further inquiries by those who may have 
ie re of affording authentic téforilation and finally disposing of 
the question 

Percy Groom, Esq. F.L.S. to ROYAL GARDENS, Kew. 
j Whampoa, ai 
Dear SIR Nox uM 19, 1891. 
I THOUGHT you would be interested in having an account of 
some work I have done in relation to the source of Chinese ginger 
I told Gardiner some time ago that I had proved by an anatomical 
examination tbat Chinese M aiam is not Alpinia Galanga, and he may 
have told you—but I deferred sending information direct to you till I 
could disprove or corroborate Ford's view that Chinese ginger is derived 
from. Zingiber officinale. There is no shadow of a doubt concerning the: 
correctness of his views, and he certainly explains the origin o 
error. All the ringiborecooyt s plants known to the Chinese are termed 
* Keung,” which I sh ould think would pr eferably be, translated M some 
such wo ord as “ Gingerwort.” Ordinary ginger is * Tai 
(large flesh ginger); ; canto gi nger is * T ong Ress" (sugar pepe ; 
dried ginger is * Kon Keun Galangal is “Leung Keung” (mild 
ginger) ; Curcuma is “ Won x jedes (yellow ginger). In addition I 
find in the dictionary the following phrases which I cannot personally 
guarantee: * erg eung. raw eua ginger; “ Tsz Keung,” 
“ Shan choca and “Tsz K ung ?. were sr same x but were 
varieties, one being cultivated in a dry and the other in a wet soil. 
This is a good example of the variety of information one can extract 
ues Chinese and nts a dictionary. The dictionary gives * Ko Leung 
Keung " as the zedoary. 
lieve me, &c. 
(Signed) Percy Groom. 
"P.S.— Please utilise the information concerning Chinese ginger as you 
may think fit. 
beoi | 
thus arriv 
To decide the question, I first obtained preserved ginger (dry, vats in 
syrup), and I bought the natural ginger from street ven 
mens thus procured all agreed in structure, but they differed fro tam een 
Galanga obtained from Mr. Ford (a cutting of the original plants sent. 
from Swatow). 
