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A start was made on May 2nd up the Min River, and by the 7th Shui Kau, the highest point navigable for houseboats, was reached. The flora of the banks and neighbouring hills though very beautiful presented little that was new. Tea-oil cultivation was seen for the first time covering the dry hills at Shui Kau. As an experiment is being made with a view to introducing this industry into the New Territory, the conditions were carefully noted.
A transfer had now to be made to a rapid-boat and interesting though slow progress was made up the almost continuous series of rapids to Yenping. About 200 species from the banks of the Min were added to the 500 collected on the Yuen Fu, and the opportunity was taken of sorting and writing a key to the species as a guide to further collecting.
Yenping lies at the junction of the Kienning River with the Min nearly in the centre of the Province and is cut off from the north by a high range of mountains. These mountains are intersected by numerous forest-clad valleys, and it was determined to make a thorough exploration of one of these and of the summits with one collector, sending two further up the Min and leaving one at Yenping to dry the collections. The important work of drying the plants already collected and of those now constantly sent down from the mountains was greatly facilitated by the kindness of some Missionaries in Yenping who lent a room for the purpose. The Superintendent with one collector stayed at the small Chinese village of Buong Kang, about 12 miles from the town, and made an exhaustive collection of the flora of the romantic gorge in which it was situated as well as of the grassy downs at the summit. Both wood-oil and paper are made at this village and the excellent opportunity of obtaining full details of their manufacture was not neglected. Several points which had been obscure or misunderstood in these industries were fortunately able to be cleared up. A full des- cription of these and other interesting results of the expedition are given below. Buong Kang was left and a return made to Yenping after a stay of three weeks. The number of additional species collected there was about 600.
A few days were spent in collecting at Yenping while waiting for the return of the two collectors from the Upper Min. Upon their return a rapid-boat was secured and the collec- tions taken back with all possible speed to Foochow and Hongkong which was reached on the 24th of June.
Wood-vil.-Wood-oil is abundantly produced in the Province of Fokien and is one of the chief products brought down the Min from the western part of the Province.
At Buong Kang, near Yenping, there is a large plantation of wood-oil trees, and as three weeks were spent there during the recent investigation of the flora of Fokien, the opportunity was taken to ascertain as much as possible as to the industry. The trees were of two kinds locally known as Hwa Tung and Guong Tang. The names refer to the distin- guishing character of the fruit which is sculptured in the first, smooth in the second. The trees were in flower and were easily recognised as Aleurites cordata and another species of the same genus which has been in cultivation in the Hongkong Botanic Gardens for many years but has not yet received a name. I understand from Mr. HEMSLEY, Keeper of the Kew Herbarium, that it is undescribed and that he has it in hand at Kew. The Hwa Tung (Aleurites cordata) is the most valued because all the flowers of the majority of trees produce fruits, from which the oil is made, while in the second kind a few flowers only in each cluster are perfect, quite 80 per cent. being male flowers. Why this kind is planted at all I was unable to discover. The trees are raised from seed and planted out when about three years old. They arrive at bearing in 5 or 6 years. The nuts are gathered when ripe, pounded up and placed in the usual Chinese oil presses. The pressure is applied by wedges, and the oil is collected and taken to market in a crude state.
It does not appear to have been suspected before that wood-oil was a mixture of the products of two species. A sample of seeds of the new Guong Tung have been secured for trial at the Imperial Institute, and if they yield oil superior in quality to the wood-oil of commerce the tree will be tried in the New Territory.
Bamboo Paper. This is the usual paper used by the Chinese for wrapping up parcels and is produced and sold in very large quantities in many parts of Southern China. The ma- nufacture was investigated at Buong Kang where a flourishing paper mill exists. The bam- boo called Ma Deuk () is the variety used. This is a bamboo (Phyllostachys, sp.) 20-50 ft. high, having a downy stem when young. is cut into convenient lengths and laid in concrete tanks of water for about 4 months. After that period the material is care- fully removed by hand as it becomes ready and is pulped in a water mill. These mills,
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