386 THE FLORIST AND 



Leaves from my Chinese Note Book. — The wealthy amonst the Chi- 

 nese generally select very beautiful spots on the hill sides for their tombs. 

 Near Tse-kee, a walled town of considerable size, some fifteen miles to the 

 northward of Ningpo, there are some pretty spots of this description. These 

 tombs, apparently, are very ancient, for the trees which had been planted 

 when they were first formed are now fully grown, and the tombs themselves 

 in many instances, are overgrown with weeds and going fast to decay. 

 Happening one day in June last to be wandering on one of these hill sides, 

 a tree in the distance caught my eye, which appeared very curious and 

 and striking. It was one of those Junipers (J. sphaerica) which grow tp a 

 considerable size in the north of China, and which the Chinese are fond of 

 planting round their graves. But although a Juniper at the top and bottom, 

 an evergreen tree with large glossy leaves (Photinia serrulata), formed the 

 centre. On reaching the spot where it grew, the appearance presented was, 

 if possible, more curious and interesting. The Photinia came out from the 

 trunk of the Juniper about fifteen feet from the ground, and appeared as if 

 it had been grafted upon it; indeed, some Chinese in a neighboring village, 

 to whom the tree was well known, did not hesitate to express their belief that 

 such had been the case, but I need scarcely say this was out of the question. 

 Upon a close examination of the point of apparent union, I found that al- 

 though the part between stock and graft, if I may use the expression ? was 

 completely filled up, yet there was no union such as we see in grafted trees. 

 There could then be only one way of accounting for the appearance which 

 these two trees presented, and which is pretty well shown in a drawing which 

 I send, taken by a Chinese artist. The Photinia was no doubt rooted in the 

 ground, and had twelve feet of its stem cased in the trunk of the Juniper. 

 The apparent union of the trees was so complete, that nothing could be seen 

 of this arrangement \ but upon tapping the lower part of the trunk it sound- 

 ed hollow, and was no doubt decayed in the centre, although healthy enough 

 outside. 



Upon showing the sketch alluded to above to a learned Chinese at Ning 7 

 po, he, like the villagers, fully believed the Photinia had been grafted upon 

 the Juniper; and further, he informed me it was a common thing in the 

 country to graft the Yang-mae ( Myrica sp., a fine Chinese fruit tree) upon, 

 Pinus sinensis, and that by so doing the fruit of the Yang-mae became much 

 larger and finer in flavour. Having been engaged in procuring some Yang^ 

 mae trees, which the Government of India is anxious to introduce to the 

 Himalaya, I was somewhat better informed upon the subjept than the learned 

 Chinaman. I told him the fine variety of Yang-mae was grafted upon the 

 wild kind, which the Chinese call the San or hill variety (Myrica sapida) ; 

 and further, I showed him some plan** >.hich I had just purchased, but all 



