Chap. XIX. COLLECTION OF TEA-PLANTS, ETC. 



315 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Tea-plants, &c, taken to Hong-kong — Skipped for India — I sail 

 again for the north — Shanghae gardens in spring — " South Gar- 

 den" — Double-striped peach and other plants — Moutan gardens 

 — Fine new varieties of the tree-pasony — Chinese method of propa- 

 gating them — Mode of sending them to Canton — Value there — 

 Introduction to Europe — Size in England — Azalea gardens — 

 Skimmia Reevesiana — New Azaleas — The " Kwei-wha " — The 

 Glycine — Its native hills — Chinese mode of training it — The 

 yellow Camellia. 



In the month of August the weather was excessively 

 hot. As exposure to the sun at this time of the 

 year is attended with great danger, and as I had 

 some hard work before me in the autumn, I did not 

 wish to run the risk of being laid up with fever. I 

 therefore remained quietly under Mr. Beale's hos- 

 pitable roof until the end of September. 



In October and November I procured a large 

 supply of tea-seeds and young plants from Hwuy- 

 chow, and from various parts of the province of Che- 

 kiang. These were all brought to Shanghae in order 

 to be prepared and packed for the long voyage to 

 India. When they were all gathered together into 

 Mr. Beale's garden they formed a collection of great 

 interest. Here were tea-plants, not only from Silver 

 Island, Chusan, and the districts about Ning-po, 

 but also from the far-famed countries of Sung-lo- 

 shan and the Woo-e hills. A number of Ward's 

 glazed cases were now got ready for the reception of 



