100 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. VI. 
sold to foreigners to be sent home to friends in Europe 
and America. I had been accustomed to believe, with 
all good charitable people, that these seeds were boiled 
or poisoned in some way by the Chinese before they 
were sold to our merchants, in order that the floral 
beauties of China should not find their way into other 
countries, and the trade in seeds be injured. 
The Chinese are certainly bad enough, but, like other 
rogues, they are sometimes painted worse than they really 
are. " Come, Aching," said I to the old man who 
generally supplied these seeds, and in whose good graces 
I stood pretty high, from having made him a present of 
a rare and curious plant, " I want to see your method 
of packing seeds for foreigners. Take me to your seed- 
room, and show me the whole process from beginning 
to end.'' The old man led me up to the middle of his 
garden, where he had an ornamental shed or seed-room. 
It was nicely fitted up with shelves, on which were 
arranged a great number of small porcelain bottles, such 
as I had often seen in London with seeds from China. 
" Sit down," said he, " and I will explain the business 
to you. I first gather the seeds from the plants. I 
then put each kind, separately, into one of these small 
bottles, and then pack the whole into a little box, ready 
for being shipped to Europe or America." I under- 
stand that part of the business," said I ; " but what is 
the substance which you put into the bottles along with 
the seeds?" This was a white ashy-looking matter, 
which we supposed in England might be burnt bones, 
and some conjectured that it was mixed with the seeds 
for the purpose of manure. " Burnt lice,'' said Aching. 
