704
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 26TH AUGUST, 1882.
Hongkong is an insular station, no doubt the climate very much assimilates to that of the cassia districts, and, therefore, these tables will afford some approximate information as to the climate in which the cassia trees are grown.
Appendix B., gives observations made during a portion of the time when I was on the West
River.
VII. PEELING OF BARK, AND GATHERING OF "BUDS" AND LEAVES.
Bark. When the trees are about six years old, the first crop of bark is obtained. The season for barking commences in March and continues until the end of May, after which the natives say the bark looses its aroma and is therefore not removed from the trees. The branches, which are about an inch thick, being cut to within a few inches of the ground, are carried to houses or sheds in the vicinity of the plantations. All the small twigs and leaves being cleared off, a large bladed knife, with the cutting edge something like the end of a budding knife, is used to make two longitudinal slits, and three or four incisions, at sixteen inches apart, round the circumference through the bark; the bark is then loosened by passing underneath it a kind of slightly curved horn knife with the two edges slightly sharpened. Picces of bark sixteen inches long and half the circumference are thus obtained.
The bark, after its removal and while it is still moist with sap, is then laid with the concave side downwards and a small plane passed over it and the epidermis removed. After this operation the bark is left to dry for about twenty-four hours and then tied up in bundles about eighteen inches in diameter and sent in to the merchants' houses in the market towns.
Leaves. The leaves, which are cleared from the branches that are barked, are carefully preserved and dried, and afford by distillation cassia oil. A large quantity of leaves are sent to Canton, where, I was told, the operation of distilling is performed.
Twigs. These are removed from the cut branches at the same time as when the leaves are obtained. They are a marketable commodity for native uses.
Buds. Cassia buds are the immature fruits. They are gathered when about one eighth grown. Buds, and the seeds which are annually required for sowing, are obtained from trees ten years and upwards of age that are left standing at about fifty and a hundred feet apart amongst the trees which are cut down every six years for their bark. These seed-bearing trees are not cut, unless there is a demand for the very thick bark on their trunks, when some of the trees which can be conveniently spared are sacrificed.
VIII. YIELD.
The information elicited on this subject was somewhat conflicting, but probably something near the mark is that the yield of the Loting district for 1882 would be 50,000 piculs (one picul = 133}πbs.), and that for the Taiwu district 32,000 piculs, which shows that, contrary to what was previously supposed, the Loting district furnishes the largest quantity, or which is perhaps more likely, the latter district is out-stripping the Taiwu district since, as before mentioned, the industry has at a compara- tively recent date been transferred to that place, and at the time when the last estimate was given, twelve years ago, the industry had not had time to develop to its full capabilities. The yield per acre is probably about 11 piculs, which is sold by producers for about $1.70 per picul, i. e., $18.70 per acre, which, as the bark is only obtained once in six years, gives but $3.11 per annum per acre for the bark, but in addition to this a little must be added for the income from the sale of leaves and "buds;" the former, however, would be very small as they only realize about 20 cents per picul when dry, the latter fetch $15 per picul and are a yearly income; but no satisfactory information could be obtained as to the production per acre.
IX. EXPORT AND COMMERCIAL VALUE OF CASSIA.
It has been thought that the "yield is gradually decreasing" in consequence of the "prices of late years shewing no profit to producers.' From the following table of the quantities and values of cassia exported from Canton the above assertion is scarcely borne out, as although the yield in 1881 was much less than in 1879, yet it compares favourably with the past ten years, being higher than in 1871–73–74–75–76–77, and 80, and not much less than in 1872; 1879 seems to have been the best year on record, over 100,000 piculs having been exported. Although the yield does not thus seem