66 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



POTS OF SOY SAUCE) IN TH£ MAKING, COVERED WITH BAMBOO HOODS 



The manufacture and consumption of this salty sauce in China and in Japan is com- 

 parable to the making and consumption of butter in Occidental countries. It is as universal 

 in the Chinese dietary as butter in ours. The photograph shows a courtyard filled with jars 

 in which a mixture of soy-beans, wheat, and salt is fermenting, and this mixture is protected 

 from the sun and rain by cleverly woven hoods of split bamboo stems. Mr. Meyer made a 

 careful study of this great soy-bean sauce industry and introduced a large number of varieties 

 of the bean. 



"The last day of the year found us on 

 the road in search of the famous Peking 

 pear, for which I have been looking ever 

 since I came to China and for which 

 fruit I made quite a few trips in vain. 



"I didn't strike it until New Year's 

 Day, but then my joy was great to start 

 the year in such a nice way. I procured 

 a whole lot of scions from this pear and 

 from other varieties, and I would strongly 

 recommend the Department to distribute 

 every scion or bud not needed, and to 

 give them to practical, successful growers 

 only ; for these pears will probably give 

 us an entirely new strain of this fruit. 



A HAZARDOUS MOUNTAIN JOURNEY 



"The soil is rather sandy where these 

 pears grow, and a short distance from the 

 orchards it seems to be entirely sand. 

 To prevent this sand from being blown 

 away, the Chinese have planted long rows 



of small poplars. I send some cuttings of 

 them ; they may be of use in the United 

 States for the same purpose. 



"On January 2 we proceeded on donkey 

 back to the mountains near Fang-shan. 

 We had to proceed dismounted most of 

 the time on account of the passes be- 

 tween the rocks, which were very steep. 



"I had heard there were some nice 

 specimens on an old imperial tomb in 

 these mountains, but to my great disgust 

 I found that the trees in question had all 

 been cut down some years previously. 

 Yet the trip wasn't in vain, for I found 

 in these mountains the genuine wild 

 peaches and apricots growing between the 

 rocks. It seems that there are several 

 varieties of these peaches. I send you 

 herewith cuttings of three kinds, but 

 doubtless there are more. 



"Besides outdoor plants, the natives 

 have hothouses constructed of sorghum 



