OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1913. 



79 



36889 to 36896— Continued. 



36891. "No, 1. Another variety of the early mi pang tze, called the 

 ma ya, 'horse teeth,' on account of its shape and size." (Kin.) 



36892. "No. 2. Mi pang tze from the Shali ho district, which is not far 

 from Peking. Also from Chihli Province." {Kin.) 



36893. "No. 2. Mi pang tze of a late variety from the Yutien district, 

 Chihli Province." {Kin.) 



36894. "Loose corn from package No. 1. From Yutien district, Chihli 

 Province." 



36895. "Loose corn from package No. 2. From the Shali district." 

 36896. Sesamum orientale L. Sesame. 



"From Yutien district, Chihli Province. Seed of the best sesame of this 

 district, which is noted for its good sesame oil. 



"The sesame seed is very small and needs to be thinly sown in rows, so that 

 between the plants there will be a hand's span of space, and the rows should be 

 wide enough apart to permit an animal to pass, to draw the harrow, as they 

 say in China. It is what I should judge to be about 2 feet. It is important to 

 allow space enough, or it will not make a good strong growth. The little bagful 

 is sufficient for a mu [about one-sixth acre] of ground. It does not need much 

 moisture, doing best in such soil as is good for maize, and needs only about the 

 same amount of manure. It is particular in that it will not bear at all if any 

 other kind of plant is put in between the rows. You know the Chinese are 

 great on mixing a row of beans or something small between the kaoliang or 

 maize. 



"This sesame should grow to be about the height of a man, say 5 feet, more 

 or less, depending on the vigor of growth. When the leaves at the bottom of 

 the stalk begins to turn yellow it should be gathered and tied into bundles and 

 stood up straight till such time as the pods, as they say, 'open their mouths'; 

 then, picking the stalks up, shake them upside down into a fliat basket, when 

 the seeds will readily fall out. If it is desired to let the seed ripen fully on the 

 stalk before gathering, one must put a flat basket under the stalk and shake 

 the stalk, or else the seeds will largely be lost, as they fall out readily once the 

 pods dehisce. 



"In making the oil, the process is not by the ordinary method of pressure, 

 but as follows: First, the seed must be lightly roasted to a brown color, but not 

 burned, or else the oil will be bitter. The heat makes the oil give out a peculiar 

 nutty odor. It is lightly ground in a small mortar till it is like a coarse meal, 

 and then it is stirred in a bowl with a wooden stick, adding a little water when 

 it becomes a very sticky mass and the whole adheres together like a lump of 

 dough. Adding more water at this stage, while constantly stirring, drives out 

 the oil, which appears in the bowl separate from the sticky mass. The first 

 lot of water produces the best oil, and successive additions produce oil that is 

 thinner and thinner, and finally the mass falls apart, when there is no more 

 oil to be obtained. The residue is used for fertilizer. It is excellent for pot- 

 ted plants, being clean and quick in action, though it does not last as long as 

 some other kinds of fertilizer, according to my limited experience. I asked why 

 they did not press the oil as with peanuts, etc., and the reply was that it would 

 be wasting so much oil, for the Chinese have only the primitive stone mills, 

 and they would require a large amount of seed to begin with and much would 

 adhere to the stones, so that it would be lost. It is considered the finest oil for 

 cooking purposes, and what I have tried certainly has yielded good results. 

 But it requires to be fresh, and perch, doughnuts, etc., things that require to 



