HAWS. 33 



are round-oblong, serrated, with very short petioles, glossy, dark 

 green above and light green underneath. The fruit looks like the 

 European quince. It is very woody and not edible, but it possesses 

 a pleasing, spicy odor. The writer noticed two other varieties, one 

 having round fruit and called "Hsau kua shu" (S. P. I. No. 21984), 

 the other with oblong fruit, the "iMfcftli shu." 



Here and there in central China, as in Hangchow and Soochow, the 

 Chinese cultivate in earthen vessels a very uncommon dwarf form of 

 Cydonia japonica var. maulei. It is called the " Lo hai tang," and 

 seems to be used for ornamental purposes only. (S. P. I. No. 22984.) 



HAWS. 



[Chinese names, "Hong kua," "Suan dzao," and "San li hong."] 



In northern China there are whole orchards of an edible haw (Cra- 

 taegus pinnatifida) . These trees have all been grafted. They are 

 carefully cultivated and the fruit is harvested and shipped all over the 

 land, very much, in fact, as apples are with us. (See fig. 10.) The 

 fruit is of a bright-red color, fairly hard, and of an agreeable sour 

 taste. There is considerable variation in the size of the fruit and its 

 acidity, but the best kinds are as large as good-sized crab apples and 

 are only slightly acid. 



Haw fruits are extensively used in the manufacture of sweetmeats 

 and preserves, and foreigners and natives are equally fond of them. 

 In the foreign embassies in Peking one is served with cake that has 

 preserved haw fruit as a filling. Foreign missionaries supply visitors 

 with a kind of haw jelly, and the Chinese give a jar of haw preserves 

 as a New Year's present. The fruit of a rather sour, dry-meated 

 variety is sliced and dried and kept for winter use. In this form 

 it is called "Suan dza." The Chinese make much use of it during 

 the winter months for brewing a tea which they claim acts as a 

 blood and system purifier. This dried fruit can also be stewed, and 

 by the^addition of sugar it makes a good compote, tasting not unlike 

 apple preserve. It is one of the fruits that can be safely introduced 

 into America and will not have to wait long to become popular. 



Aside from its fruit it is a very handsome, ornamental tree, making 

 a dense head of dark-green foliage, turning into gorgeous red and 

 yellow in the fall. The height rarely exceeds 30 feet, and some 

 varieties branch out almost at the ground, thus making them well 

 suited for ornamental trees on lawns. (S. P. I. Nos. 17171, 17739, 

 17882, 17883, and 19405.) 



The largest and best haw fruit comes from the Shantung Province. 

 It is especially in the neighborhood of Taianfu that one finds remark- 

 ably large-fruited varieties, the trees of which are very productive. 



204 



