« candle?. W lien trees have been employed three years to feed the wax 

 " insect they must rest for three years." 



He says again : — "In the province of Ssu-chu'an, when the seeds are 

 " sown they are first steeped for ten days in water in which rice has 



" tion of the wax all the undergrowth near the trees must be carefully 

 " removed. Before the insects can be again raised tlie tree must rest one 

 " year. When the was is collected the wood must be all cut off and no 

 il old branches left." 



In the Nung ch'eng ch'uan shu (the celebrated Thesaurus of Agri- 

 culture compiled by Hsu kuang-ch'i, A.D. 156&4633, a native of 

 Shanghai, the learned patron of the early .Jesuit missionaries in China 

 often mentioned in Du Haidc's Description as Paul Sin, Colon, Premier 

 Miuistre d'Etat, his portrait being also given there: which Thesaurus 

 was published by imperial command after ins death, m K>10, insixtv 

 honks, illustrated" by mam woodcuts. Wylie. I.e. p. 76) we Unci :— 



"There are two kind- of wax collected from the Nnrhen tree, the one 

 growing spontaneously, the other after the application of eggs, when it 

 grows spontaneously it is not known whence the insects come, but all at 

 once the tree is covered with a growth of white 'flowers.' the wax 

 produced upon the branches like hoar frost or snow is known by the 

 natives as 'flowers,' which is gathered and boiled into wax; next" year 

 the insect eggs are again hatched ; and so or. afterwards in continuous 

 annual generation. If the method of raising the insects be unknown the 

 tree is soon killed, whereas if the eggs are collected and applied, the 

 process may be continued indefinitely. When the eggs are applied the* 

 are brought from another tree and put upon this tree. The process may 

 be repeated either each year or in alternate years, either on the same 

 tree or upon cuttings. Should the tree be very" \ igorous the insects may 



allowed to rest a year to reirain it- strem-rth. I . inv; manured till v. 



Tins i 







During tl 

 be cut ofl 



