334 



APPLES AND MELONS. 



Chap. XVL 



justly admired by foreigners of every nation. 

 Although I had not met with the safflower in 

 cultivation in any other part of the country, my 

 servants informed me that large quantities were 

 annually produced in the Chekiang province near 

 Ningpo. At this season (June 10th) the crop of 

 flowers had been gathered, and all the plants 

 removed from the land, except some few here and 

 there on the different farms which had been left 

 for seed. The seed was not yet ripe, so that I 

 could not get a supply, but I determined to return 

 that way and secure a portion to send to the Agri- 

 cultural and Horticultural Society of India, in 

 order to compare the Chinese with the Indian 

 safflower. I believe they have turned out to be 

 alike, or nearly so. Large quantities of fruit and 

 vegetables are also produced in the vicinity of the 

 city. I observed orchards of apple-trees, which is 

 rather a rare sight in this district. The variety 

 of apple was a small one, about as big as our 

 golden pippin, but excellent in flavour ; indeed, 

 the only kind worth eating in this part of China. 

 Melons of several different kinds were also ex- 

 tensively cultivated : when they are ripe the 

 markets are literally crowded to overflowing with 

 them, and they are eaten by the natives much in 

 the same way as apples are with us ; in fact 

 thej seem to be, so to speak, the apples of the 

 country. 



In the canals near the city there were large 

 quantities of bamboos partially covered with mud. 



