916 
NOTES PROM CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD. 
China, Canton. Mr. F. D. Cheshire, reports under date 
of July 8, 1915, on the lichee: The lichee, one of the 
most widely known fruits throughout China, Is produced In 
South China, chiefly In the provinces of Fuklen and Kwang- 
tung; It Is also produced in Szechuan. A small quantity 
Is grown in. other southern provinces, but none whatever in 
the north. It is said that lichees grown in other than 
the three : provinces named are Inferior in quality and al- 
most unfit for edible purposes. 
For the sake of accuracy, this report will be con- 
fined to the lichees grown only in Kwangtung Province. 
The principal lichee producing districts in Kwangtung 
Province are. Namhoi, Pun Yu, Tsang Shing, • and Tung Kun. 
Some lichees are grown in the Heungshari, Shuntak, and Sam- 
shul districts, and while they are produced in abundance 
In the Yeung Kong and Shui Tung districts, they are of a 
very inferior quality. 
The fruit of the lichee tree, when plucked, rapidly 
deteriorates, and can be kept in its original state for 
only three days at most. A plan has been adopted for pre- 
serving the fruit by storing it in bamboo after sprinkling 
with a weak salt solution and.sealing both end of the bam- 
boo with clay. In this manner the fruit remains fresh for 
a period of about two weeks, allowing of its being export- 
ed to Shanghai and Peking, and ports on the Yangtsze River. 
Dried lichees are very popular in foreign countries. 
The fruit is dried In two ways,- by sun and by fire. The 
sun-dried lichee, when under the drying process, is like- 
ly to deteriorate and, consequently, it commands a - better 
price; besides it has a finer flavor than the fire-dried 
fruit. There are but two or three species of the lichee 
which are suitable for drying purposes, viz., the no-maichi, 
the kwai-mi, and the wai-chi. 
The purchase of lichees by the wholesale dealers from 
the producers Is largely one of speculation, the former 
bargaining with the latter for the fruit during the months 
of April and May, while the trees are yet In blossom, a 
certain amount being agreed upon for each tree. In the 
event of the tree being unfruitful, the purchaser must 
suffer the consequences, and vice versa. 
The actual quantity of fruit produced annually is a 
difficult matter to ascertain accurately, but from infor- 
mation received from the lichee producers, the total amount 
Of lichees annually produced in the Kwangtung Province is 
estimated at 1,500,000 pounds. 
