Shi-ki Chap. I. In later times the Chinese 
commentators agreed that here the following 
corns were meant: — 
1 H Shu, 2 Tsi, 3 Jg Shu, 4 ^ 
Mai, 5 Tao. The Chou-li (Ritual of the 
Chou v. s.) states, Book V p. 5 (see also the 
French translation of Biot I p. 94), that 
vegetable and animal food must be combined 
© 
m the following manner, enumerating 6 
kinds of corn. The T'u (the same as 
Tao), rice suits with beef, the Shu 
AVI 
i tli 
mutton, the Tsi with pork, the ^ 
Liang with canine fles h, the Mai Avith 
the duck, the Ku with fish. 
These cereals mentioned in the most an- 
cient works, are up to this day cultivated in 
China. ^ 
Shu (P. XXIII 3, Ch. W. I.) accord- 
ing to Dr. Williams, (Bridgman's Chrestom- 
athy p. 449) this character denotes Sorgho. 
But at Peking Panicum miliaceum is called 
Shu and the description of this plant in the 
Pen-ts‘ao suits more with Panicum. When 
hulled it is a roundish little corn of a pale 
yellow colour; when boiled it becomes very 
glutinous. The hulled corn is called ^ 
Iiuang -mi, (yellow corn) at Peking. From 
the Iluang-mi the Huang-tsiu , yel- 
16 w whisky is distilled. 
Tsi (P. XXIII I Ch. W. I.) The 
popular name in Peking is T Mei-t.su. 
The Shu and the Mei-tsu are very similar 
in appearance, the plants as well as the corn. 
The difference consists in the Mei-tsu when 
boiled giving no gluten. This difference is 
also stated in the Pen-ts‘ao. In addition to 
this the corn of the Mei-tsu is of a dark yel- 
low colour. Prepared by boiling it is large- 
ly used as food fan) by the lower 
class. The Tsi or Mei-tsu is also a species 
of Panicum, allied to P. miliaceum. As I 
possess no specimens of our European P. 
miliaceum I am not sure whether the Shu or 
the Tsi agrees with the European plant. 
Bunge in his enumeration of Peking plants 
quotes the P. miliaceum. 
Liang (P. XXIII 7 Ch. W. I.) The 
popular name of the plant in Peking is 
fill K-U-tsu the hulled corn is called 
A * Siao-mi (little corn.) It is of a 
yellow colour and much smaller than Shu- 
ts u and Mei-tsu. This cereal is the Setaria 
italica. In Northern China, where the rice 
is dear it is largely cultivated and forms the 
principal food of the lower classes. The 
Pen-ts‘ao explains, that this corn came first 
from Liang-chou (an ancient coun- 
try comprising a part of Shen-si and Ssu- 
chuan), hence the name. Other authors 
state, that the name is derived from the char- 
acter Liang, of like sound and meaning 
excellent. Therefore the Rh-ya writes 
Liang. 
Mai. Regarding the mai the Pen- 
t‘sao relates after the ancient dictionary 
Sliuo-wen (published A. D. 100), 
that this corn is an excellent present, which 
came from heaven, therefore the character 
mai includes the character Lai, (to 
come.) The Shuo-wen states, that there 
are two kinds of mai, the Lai and the 
Mou, which characters often occur in 
the Chinese ancient books. The first de- 
notes, as the Chinese authors explain, the 
/jy Siao-mai , or Wheat (P. XXLI 17. 
Ch. W. I.), the second A # Ta-mai or 
Barley (P. XXII 23. Ch. W. I.) Decan- 
dolle (1. c. p. 935) is therefore not right in 
assuming, that barley was not known by the 
ancient Chinese. The Pen-t‘sao states fur- 
ther, that the Sanscrit name of wheat is 
frfi la Kia-shi-tsu. Wheat and Bar- 
ley are mucii cultivated in the neighbour- 
hood of Peking. The common Chinese 
bread is made from wheaten meal, |^J p}|}J 
Pai-mien. 
Tao is a general name for rice. The 
hulled corn is called Mi, (P. XXII 29 
Ch. W. I.) The l?en-ts‘ao distinguishes the 
'I'mi -No or glutinous rice, which when boiled 
becomes glutinous and the H King, (P. 
XXII 34) which yields no gluten, the 
7jC Shui-tao or water rice, and the 
Jpk Han- tao or dry rice , which does 
not require irrigation. In the neighbour- 
hood of Peking, there is very little rice 
cultivated (on the banks of the river Ilun); 
most of it comes from the southern provin- 
ces- The best rice in Peking is considered 
the King-mi. It is very white. 
