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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  August, 
  1907 
  

  

  the 
  bamboo 
  shoots 
  (tasting 
  something 
  like 
  the 
  sweet 
  turnip, 
  

   minus 
  its 
  slight 
  sweetness) 
  ; 
  the 
  fresh, 
  also 
  the 
  dried 
  pieces 
  

   of 
  sorghum 
  sugar 
  cane, 
  used 
  as 
  dessert; 
  and 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  queer 
  

   fruits 
  and 
  vegetables. 
  Among 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  bitter 
  melons, 
  

   which 
  are 
  simply 
  Chinese 
  cucumbers, 
  run 
  to 
  seed, 
  and 
  pickled 
  

   with 
  the 
  bitter 
  rind 
  left 
  on 
  — 
  a 
  disgusting 
  tasting 
  legume; 
  the 
  

   China 
  gutow 
  — 
  whatever 
  that 
  may 
  mean 
  — 
  which 
  is 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  an 
  Oriental 
  brother 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  spring 
  onion 
  — 
  

   and 
  which 
  I 
  know 
  from 
  ample 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  celestial 
  

   article, 
  requires 
  the 
  "purifying" 
  of 
  one's 
  breath 
  after 
  partak- 
  

   ing 
  thereof. 
  Then, 
  again, 
  among 
  the 
  fruits, 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  acid- 
  

   sweet 
  carambola 
  — 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  an 
  estimable 
  fruit; 
  and 
  still 
  

   another 
  fruit 
  which 
  has 
  an 
  odor 
  resembling 
  a 
  decaying 
  egg. 
  

   This 
  commands 
  a 
  high 
  price. 
  

  

  The 
  yuenan 
  is 
  a 
  cherry-like 
  fruit 
  with 
  an 
  abnormal 
  stone; 
  

   the 
  ypyk 
  (pronounced 
  uruk) 
  is 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  choice 
  edible 
  plum, 
  

   containing 
  a 
  stone 
  and 
  sweet-almond-like 
  kernel 
  — 
  the 
  only 
  

   known 
  fruit 
  on 
  the 
  globe 
  the 
  outside 
  flesh 
  and 
  inside 
  kernel 
  

   of 
  which 
  are 
  both 
  perfectly 
  sweet 
  and 
  edible. 
  The 
  writer 
  

   is 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  person 
  to 
  have 
  brought 
  this 
  ypyk 
  

   fruit 
  to 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  civilization. 
  It 
  is 
  unobtainable 
  outside 
  

   of 
  Asia. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  all 
  these 
  illustrations 
  are 
  from 
  

   the 
  actual 
  specimens 
  selected 
  from 
  the 
  writer's 
  collection, 
  

   noted 
  and 
  procured 
  during 
  travels 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  and 
  brought 
  

   to 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  American 
  Homes 
  and 
  Gardens. 
  

  

  The 
  "ripened" 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Chinese 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  commerce 
  

   in 
  two 
  varieties 
  — 
  first, 
  coated 
  with 
  a 
  thickish 
  layer 
  of 
  solid 
  

   black 
  earth; 
  second, 
  encrusted 
  with 
  a 
  grayish-white 
  substance 
  

   evidently 
  produced 
  from 
  barnyard 
  refuse. 
  The 
  contents 
  of 
  

   the 
  black 
  covered 
  eggs 
  are 
  snow-white; 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  whitish- 
  

   gray 
  exterior 
  are 
  a 
  glossy 
  jet 
  black 
  inside. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  

   putrid 
  eggs, 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  putrid 
  eggs, 
  albeit 
  they 
  are 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  "ripe" 
  — 
  there's 
  no 
  doubt 
  about 
  that! 
  They 
  are 
  eaten 
  

  

  cold 
  or 
  warm, 
  with 
  tea-leaf 
  salad, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  preserved 
  half 
  

   a 
  century 
  or 
  longer. 
  

  

  The 
  water-chestnut 
  macaroni 
  (it 
  is 
  called 
  macaroni, 
  from 
  

   Italian 
  macaroni, 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  themselves, 
  who 
  spell 
  it 
  

   with 
  a 
  "k"), 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  nutritious 
  food. 
  It 
  is 
  usually 
  served 
  

   with 
  the 
  boiled 
  bow-wow 
  (doggie 
  flesh) 
  or 
  the 
  stewed 
  cat. 
  

   The 
  decayed, 
  mealy 
  macaroni 
  is 
  remade 
  into 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  pan- 
  

   cake 
  — 
  a 
  tolerably 
  disgusting 
  food, 
  with 
  a 
  taste 
  resembling 
  

   the 
  odor 
  of 
  sulphureted 
  hydrogen. 
  

  

  The 
  dried, 
  salted 
  rice-worms 
  — 
  more 
  euphoniously 
  but 
  er- 
  

   roneously 
  called 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  "rice-fish" 
  — 
  are 
  the 
  annoying 
  

   centipede-like 
  worms 
  which 
  infest 
  the 
  padi 
  fields; 
  but 
  John 
  

   utilizes 
  them, 
  as 
  he 
  does 
  almost 
  everything, 
  for 
  food. 
  A 
  

   bloating, 
  wind-creating, 
  unsatisfying 
  food, 
  yet 
  much 
  superior 
  

   to 
  Boston 
  pork 
  and 
  beans. 
  

  

  The 
  compressed 
  seaweed 
  mat 
  is 
  multiusable. 
  Intended 
  for 
  

   the 
  table, 
  in 
  soups 
  — 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  family 
  "barometer" 
  

   — 
  varying 
  its 
  moisture 
  as 
  the 
  temperature 
  rises 
  or 
  falls; 
  as 
  

   a 
  cure 
  for 
  insomnia, 
  if 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  face, 
  and 
  its 
  persistent 
  

   semiozonic 
  odor 
  inhaled 
  through 
  the 
  nose; 
  as 
  a 
  table 
  mat, 
  

   when 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  them 
  will 
  impart 
  a 
  seaside-like 
  odor 
  to 
  a 
  

   room 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  they 
  hold 
  together. 
  In 
  any 
  case, 
  in 
  China, 
  

   after 
  these 
  multifarious 
  uses, 
  they 
  always 
  wind 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  

   soup 
  pot. 
  

  

  The 
  "Bombay 
  duck" 
  is 
  simply 
  salted, 
  decayed 
  and 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  rotted 
  fish, 
  subsequently 
  sun-dried, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  crumbles 
  

   between 
  the 
  fingers. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  thoroughly 
  "ripened." 
  

  

  The 
  snow-white 
  rice 
  flour 
  biscuits 
  are 
  a 
  queer 
  contrast 
  to 
  

   the 
  jet 
  black 
  crackers. 
  The 
  former 
  are 
  intensely 
  sweet, 
  and 
  

   kneeded 
  with 
  rice 
  oil. 
  They 
  are 
  the 
  whitest 
  biscuits 
  known, 
  

   and 
  are 
  used 
  as 
  an 
  emblem 
  of 
  purity 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  Chinese 
  

   "babies, 
  ladies 
  and 
  hades"* 
  ceremonies. 
  

  

  *The 
  Celestial 
  equivalent 
  for 
  "cradle, 
  altar 
  and 
  tomb." 
  

  

  '<,. 
  

  

  Twigs 
  of 
  the 
  Edible 
  Chinese 
  

   Birds'. 
  nests 
  

  

  Chinese 
  " 
  Ripened 
  " 
  Eggs 
  a 
  Score 
  of 
  Years 
  Old 
  or 
  More, 
  

   Showing 
  the 
  Glossy 
  Jet-black 
  Interior 
  

  

  Effect 
  of 
  Bagging 
  Upon 
  the 
  Quality 
  of 
  Fruit 
  

  

  )OR 
  several 
  years 
  the 
  Ecole\iiationale 
  d' 
  agri- 
  

   culture 
  at 
  Versailles 
  has 
  recommended 
  in- 
  

   closing 
  pears 
  in 
  paper 
  bags 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   fruit 
  is 
  formed. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  thus 
  protected 
  

   from 
  the 
  worms 
  and 
  the 
  various 
  crypto- 
  

   gamic 
  diseases, 
  and 
  develops 
  more 
  regu- 
  

   larly. 
  It 
  is 
  uncovered 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   ripening, 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  become 
  colored 
  by 
  the 
  sun. 
  Mons. 
  

   Riviere, 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  agronomic 
  station 
  at 
  Versailles, 
  with 
  

   the 
  co-operation 
  of 
  Mons. 
  Baillache, 
  wished 
  to 
  determine 
  

   scientifically 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  course 
  of 
  procedure 
  upon 
  the 
  

   quality 
  of 
  the 
  fruit, 
  and 
  therefore 
  studies 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  

   the 
  Golden 
  Chasselas 
  and 
  several 
  varieties 
  of 
  table-pears. 
  

   On 
  comparing 
  bunches 
  of 
  grapes 
  picked 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  

   vine 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  height, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  bagged, 
  

  

  Acidity 
  

   of 
  Juice 
  

  

  grammes 
  3.08 
  

  

  2.86 
  

  

  grammes 
  

  

  while 
  the 
  rest 
  had 
  been 
  developed 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  air, 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  differences 
  were 
  found: 
  

  

  Sugar 
  

   per 
  Liter. 
  

  

  Unbagged 
  bunches 
  198.50 
  

  

  Bagged 
  bunches 
  205 
  

  

  "The 
  bagged 
  grape, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  sweeter 
  and 
  less 
  acid 
  

   than 
  the 
  unbagged 
  grape. 
  As 
  to 
  pears, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  the 
  

   bagging 
  increases 
  both 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  sugar 
  and 
  of 
  acid. 
  

   Thus, 
  for 
  1,000 
  parts 
  of 
  fresh 
  pulp 
  the 
  Beurre 
  Diet 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  82.20 
  grammes 
  of 
  sugar, 
  when 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  bagged, 
  

   and 
  but 
  78.10 
  grammes 
  when 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  been. 
  But 
  the 
  

   acidity 
  of 
  the 
  bagged 
  fruit 
  was 
  expressed 
  by 
  the 
  figures 
  2.40 
  

   as 
  against 
  1.60 
  for 
  the 
  unbagged. 
  It 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  epicures 
  to 
  

   decide 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  pear 
  had 
  the 
  better 
  taste." 
  — 
  From 
  

   U 
  Illustration. 
  

  

  