85 
trip from Kwangsui to Suichow. One takes the 
dried seeds of Ficus rep ens , together with a 
few tars of agar -agar, puts them in a muslin "bag 
and pours boiling water over them, then let them 
steep in the water until it "becomes cold; by this 
time one has a gelatinous mass, which is served 
as cold as one can keep it, with sugar and some 
peppermint flavoring sprinkled over it. It is a 
light and v/holesome dish, especially when one is 
tired and thirsty. The seeds can be used only 
once and are thrown away after use. 
Then I was informed by the Rev. J. U, Statts, 
an American missionary at Chikungshan, Honan, 
that the Chinese use the tea of sliced dried 
root-bark of the Pride of India tree ( Melia 
azedarach) as a remedy against intestinal worms 
and they say it is much better than Santonin. 
Please inform pharmacists about this. 
I also v/as shov/n in a village how the leaves 
of Eucommi a ulmoide s are used on open sores as a ■ 
cure for saine~I Whether it is very effective 
I cannot believe. 
In An lu Vie found in several shops a root- 
bark for sale, which is used sprinkled, when 
pulverized, as an insecticide on leaf-vegetables, 
like cabbage, beans, etc. The plant it is de- 
rived from is apparently Gelastrus orbiculatus , 
but in one place I was shovm Alanguim chinense 
as the source of supply. 
As regards Actinidia chinensi s, I have to 
say that this is decidedly a mountain plant ; it 
thrives to perfection in the Chikungshan range at 
elevations between 1500 to ?000 feet; it likes 
cool nights and rocky slopes with pockets of 
rich soil. In dry spring v/eather it sets fruit 
very much more than in rainy times. The fruits, 
when ripe, are skinned, placed in a bowl and 
sugar sprinkled over them an hour or so before 
they are served. They form then a delightful, 
sub-acid dish, tasting in between gooseberries, 
rhubarb, and pineapple. 
The plant ought to do well in the foothills 
of California and in hilly sections down South; 
exposure to v^inds tends to dwarf it and induces 
heavier fruiting'. 
T found the chestnut blight, Endothia para - 
sitica , on Castanea mollissima , but not on C. 
seguini , at Chikungshan near Sin tien, Honan, and 
in the Ta hung shan range, half way between Suichow 
and An lu, Hupeh. 
December 31, I917. 
