LONGANS. 47 



canned. The litclii has the same reputation that the pineapple 

 has, that is, it is thought by some to be improved by being canned. 

 There are a great many varieties of litchis as to size, color, flavor, 

 and size of kernel. They are strictly semitropical plants and in 

 China they occur along the coast only as far north as Foochow, on 

 the twenty-sixth parallel of latitude. They require a rich, loamy 

 soil and should not be allowed to suffer from lack of moisture. The 

 trees are propagated by marching upon seedling stock, but the 

 Chinese admit that the plants are hard to propagate. The dried 

 fruits of the litclii are the so-called Chinese nuts which have become 

 quite common in our American markets. 



LONGANS. 

 [Chinese name, "Long an."] 



The longan (Euphoria longan^ is a near relative of the litchi. 

 The fruit is much smaller and not nearly so well flavored when raw. 

 When canned, however, the longan is improved considerably and is 

 perhaps even of a more delicate flavor than the ordinary litchi. It 

 is also a strictly semitropical tree, but can stand more hardships than 

 the litchi. The fruit, which is naturally brown, is generally arti- 

 ficially changed to a chrome yellow. It is eaten fresh, canned, or 

 dried. In the last condition one can obtain it at the Chinese New 

 Year time even in the most northern cities of the Empire. There 

 are several varieties of longans, differing in size of fruit, productivity, 

 and size of kernel. Their northern limit of growing seems to be, 

 like that of the litclii, the region around Foochow. 



FIGS. 



The fig (Ficus carica) is grown in northern China only as an exotic, 

 mostly in pots and tubs. In the milder parts of China, however, one 

 finds here and there big specimens out in the open. The writer 

 noticed black and white varieties, but the fruits are not great favor- 

 ites with the Chinese, apparently, and figs are but sparingly grown. 



GTTAVAS. 



Guavas (Psidium cattleyanum) are never seen in northern China 

 and are but sparingly met with in central China, and then only as 

 pot plants. Farther south, however, they seem to be grown in regular 

 plantations, as has been reported by various writers. 



BANANAS, PINEAPPLES, ETC. 



Bananas, pineapples, carambolas, and various other strictly trop- 

 ical fruits are grown in the extreme south of China; but although the 

 writer observed the fruits in northern markets he was never able to 

 see the plants growing in their various districts. 



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