260 NATURAL PRODUCTIONS OF COUNTRY, Chap, XII. 



America. Tlie plant whicli is supposed to produce 

 this {Ui^tica nived) is also abundantly grown in 

 the western part of this province, and in the ad- 

 joining province of Kiangse. Fabrics of various 

 degrees of fineness are made from this fibre, and 

 sold in these provinces ; but I have not seen any 

 so fine as that made about Canton. It is also spun 

 into thread for sewing purposes, and. is found to 

 be very strong and durable. There are two very 

 distinct varieties of this plant common in Ohekiang 

 — one the cultivated, the other the wild. The culti- 

 vated variety has larger leaves than the other ; 

 on the upper side they are of a lighter green, 

 and on the under they are much more downy. 

 The stems also are lighter in colour, and the whole 

 plant has a silky feel about it which the wild one 

 wants. The wild variety grows plentifully on 

 sloping banks, on city walls, and other old and 

 ruinous buildings. It is not prized by the natives, 

 who say its fibre is not so fine, and more broken 

 and confused in its structure than the other kind. 

 The cultivated kind yields three crops a year. 



The last great crop which I observed was that of 

 a species of juncus, the stems of which are woven 

 into beautiful mats, used by the natives for sleeping 

 upon, for covering the floors of rooms, and for 

 many other useful purposes. This is cultivated in 

 water, somewhat like the rice-plant, and is there- 

 fore always planted in the lowest parts of these 

 valleys. At the time of my visit, in the beginning 

 of July, the harvest of this crop had just com- 



