54 AGRICULTURAL EXPLORATIONS IN THE ORCHARDS OF CHINA. 



and to make the so-called Chinese almond soup. In preparing the 

 latter, rice is cooked until it is quite soft, then pounded and mixed 

 with water until it closely resembles milk, then a few bitter i ' almonds " 

 are ground up and mixed with this rice milk, some sugar is added, and 

 it is served hot. It makes a delicious, stimulating soup of which the 

 Chinese are very fond of partaking in the evening just before retiring. 

 The sweet apricot kernels are often served with true nuts and 

 raisins. Sometimes they are salted. They look and taste exactly 

 like small salted almonds, so that it really is no wonder that for- 

 eigners have come to consider them as a particular kind of Chinese 

 almond. (S. P. I. Nos. 17153, 17845, 18260, and 18261.) 



GINGKO NUTS. 



[Chinese name, " Pai kua," meaning white nut.] 



The gingko {Gingko biloba) is grown in China as a much appre- 

 ciated tree in the courtyards of Buddhist temples and near shrines. 

 The white nuts are eagerly collected, cleaned of the ill-smelling pulp 

 that surrounds them, and sold as a delicacy, especially in central 

 and southern China. They are always slightly roasted before being 

 eaten, but their flavor does not appeal to the palate of the Caucasian 

 race. 



CASTANOPSIS SEEDS. 



The castanopsis {Castanopsis tibetana) is a stately evergreen tree, 

 bearing edible, chestnut-like seeds. The tree grows 100 feet tall 

 and has a trunk several feet in diameter. It bears glossy dentate 

 leaves, dark green above and rusty brown beneath, which some- 

 times reach a length of 1 \ feet and a breadth of 9 inches. The tree 

 is found sparingly in protected mountain valleys in the Chekiang 

 Province. It was discovered in the vicinity of Hangchow by Bishop 

 G. E. Moule, of the Church of England Missionary Society, through 

 whose efforts we were able to obtain a small quantity of the seeds, 

 which are not easy to obtain. The nuts being edible, the priests of 

 the various temples are very fond of them, and the many rodents 

 abounding there also get their share as soon as they ripen, so that 

 one has to be on the spot at the right season to secure a supply. 



This castanopsis will probably grow in those sections of the United 

 States where oranges and loquats thrive, where the soil is rich and 

 deep and where some shelter can be afforded to the plants, at least 

 while they are young. (S. P. I. No. 22915.) 



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