JUJUBES. 



37 



"Mu shing hong tsao," growing at Tsintze, Shansi. The fruit is 

 of a red-brown color, of medium size, oblong, tapering toward the 

 apex, and can be kept a long time. The trees grow to a large size 

 and become very old. (See PL IV, fig. 2.) When old they are very 

 little branched, have no spines, and sucker but little. (S. P. I. No. 

 22684.) 



"Hu ping tsao," meaning bottle jujube, growing in Tsintze, Shansi. 

 The fruit is large, oblong, and of a shining red color. It is usually 

 eaten after having been soaked a couple of months in weak Chinese 

 spirits. This variety is considered locally as the best grown. The 

 trees do not reach a large size, are planted close together, from 6 to 

 8 feet apart, are spineless, and sucker but little. (S. P. I. Xo. 22683.) 



"Tsui ling tsao," meaning fragile jujube, growing in Tsintz?, 

 Shansi. The fruit is 

 oblong, of red color, is 

 said to break easily on 

 falling, whence its 

 name, and is a poor 

 keeper. The trees 

 grow to medium size, 

 are spineless, and 

 sucker but little. (S. 

 P. I. Xo. 22685.) 



"Lang tsao," or 

 mellow jujube, grow- 

 ing in Tsintze, Shansi. 

 The fruit is small, ob- 

 long, red colored, and 

 of a mellow, sweet 

 flavor. It can not be 

 kept long. The trees 

 grow large and spread 

 out very much, be- 

 having quite differently in this respect from other varieties. 

 PL VI, fig. 1.) (S. P. I. Xo. 22686.) 



"Yuen ling tsao" or "Su hsin tsao," a round-fruited variety of 

 dark brown-red color, found near Hweigorr, Shantung. Its fruit 

 is smoked and exported in large quantities to southern China, where 

 there is a great demand for smoked jujubes (fig. 11). 



"Wuhu tsao," or seedless jujube, growing near Laoling, Shan- 

 tung. This variety is said to be the only seedless variety in the 

 whole Chinese Empire and is sent every year as a present to the 

 Emperor at Peking. It has made the Wuhu magistracy, where it 

 grows, famous all over China for its jujubes. The fruit is not abso- 

 lutely seedless, -but the kernel is so soft that it is practically imper- 



204 



Fig. 11.— Chinese smoked jujubes. The jujubes of this variety are 

 called "Yuen ling tsao" or "Su hsin tsao" when fresh, but go under 

 the name of " Ghae tsao" when smoked. They are largely shipped 

 to southern China, where they find a ready market. 



(See 



