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The seeds ripen at the beginning of November, and are gathered by cutting off all the branches, which are subsequently utilized as firewood. The tree is therefore quite naked in the winter. The seeds are gathered in alternate years, a year's rest being apparently required for the tree to recover. The trees grow all over the lower hills, and are also planted round the fields. The natives say that the tree is only propagated through the agency of birds which swallow the seeds, the exterior coating of tallow being removed in this way. The tallow is certainly not easily removed except under the influence of heat, and it is conceivable that the seed would not germinate with it on.
From the above it will be seen that the tallow tree is a most useful member of the vegetable kingdom. It produces two kinds of tallow for making candles of a fine and coarse quality, an oil for illuminating purposes, a fertilizer in the shape of cake from the refuse of its seeds, and fuel from its branches and seed husks. The total value to the farmer of the produce of one tree in a good year would be nearly 1 dollar (say 2s.), while the finished products would be worth nearly three times as much.
Quantity Exported.
The tallow tree grows in some other parts of China, but this is by far the most important district. The total quantity of vegetable tallow passing through the Imperial Maritime Customs at the various ports in 1906 was about 260,000 cwt., nearly the whole of which is exported through Hankow and Ichang (including Shasi), but the large amount of 240,000 cwt. credited to Hankow is, I am told, really produced in the region extending 150 or 200 miles around Ichang. At this port there are nine mills, which are said to handle some 50,000 cwt. of tallow seeds, but there are many more mills scattered about the country. The mill which I visited employed over 100 men and a dozen mules and oxen, using 12,000 to 13,000 cwt. of seed a-year. The cost of fitting it was stated to be about 500l.
Varnish Tree.
Another valuable vegetable product of the district is the varnish tree, which, however, only grows at an altitude of from about 3,000 to 8,000 feet. At this height it is found in large numbers all over the mountains, and is also planted around the fields. One farmer at whose house we stayed (four days from Ichang) told me he had some 3,000 trees, the yield per tree being from 5 to 15 oz. The local price for the unadulterated article was 600 cash (a little over 1s.) per catty (1¼ lb.). This tree is remarkable for the curious way in which the number seven is associated with it. First tapped at the age of seven, it is said to be tapped seven times at intervals of seven years, and at each tapping seven incisions are made at intervals of seven days. Many trees are, however, killed at an early age by over-tapping or by being tapped before the proper time. The pure varnish, which is very difficult to procure, it being nearly always adulterated with wood and other cheaper oils, is of a whitish colour, which generally turns a deep black when used, but some districts produce a paler shade. It is the chief ingredient in the so-called Ningpo varnish, which is not produced but merely prepared at that place, the dealers there having apparently acquired a special skill in the art of mixing the ingredients. When used in the pure state a much smaller quantity is required than when adulterated.
Varnish Oil.
From the seeds of the tree an oil is obtained and made up into solid cakes in much the same way as tallow, with which, as stated above, it is mixed for making candles. The leaves fall in the early autumn, and the trees then look black and gaunt; when numerous they give a rather weird and desolate appearance to the landscape.
The total export of varnish through the Imperial Maritime Customs in 1906 was just over 21,000 cwt., nearly the whole of which came from Hankow and Ichang. As in the case of tallow, by far the greater part is credited to Hankow, but is, I am informed, produced in the district extending for 200 miles or so around Ichang. According to the Customs valuation the price was nearly 6l. per cwt.
Wood Oil Tree.
The wood oil tree grows well up to about 3,000 feet, but I refrain from giving any account of it, as it is now well known on the foreign market. I am informed the oil was first imported into the United States a few years ago owing to an attempt there to corner linseed oil, for which it is a good substitute. There are mills for extracting the oil in the country, but none at Ichang.
The height of the mountains in this district may be pretty correctly gauged by the presence of these three trees. At the 2,000 feet line the tallow disappears; the wood oil tree continues to flourish up to 3,000 feet, where it is replaced by the varnish tree, whose range extends to about 8,000 feet.
Bamboo Paper.
Within a day's journey of Ichang there are numerous plantations of small bamboo, which is extensively used for making a coarse wrapping paper. During the journey we came across three or four mills, one of which has been established for over 100 years. In the one I visited the methods appeared to be very simple. The bamboos are split, soaked in water and lime, and pounded to a pulp by means of a water-wheel working two heavy pieces of timber cut from the trunk of a tree. The pulp is then soaked in fresh water and taken out on a very fine bamboo tray, or rather sieve, divided into sections to regulate the size of the paper, placed in layers on the frame of a press, which when full is screwed down to press out the moisture. The paper is then cut along the lines of impression left on it by the sections of the tray and laid out on the hill-side to dry. With the pulp ready one man can make a little over 1 cwt. of paper a day. The paper is sold mostly at Ichang at about jd. per lb.
Wheat straw is also used for paper making.
Small quantities of joss paper are made, for which the leaf of the Lonicera fragrans is used.
Paper Mulberry.
The paper mulberry tree is found in the district, but does not appear to be utilized.
Caoutchouc.
We saw a few caoutchouc trees, the bark of which is used for making medicine, but the gum is not extracted.
Persimmon Oil.
Both the small and large varieties of persimmon were occasionally seen, but not in large quantities. The former kind yields an oil which is used for glazing umbrellas and making bean curd. The peel is dried and eaten as a vegetable.
Soap Tree.
The soap tree grows well, but is not very common. The pods are used as a substitute for soap, a lather being quickly formed by rubbing them in water.
Hemp.
At about the 4,000 feet line we frequently saw a kind of hemp called locally "t'eng ma," the fibre of which is used by the natives for making sandals. From the seeds an oil is extracted which is used for illuminating and culinary purposes. This oil is said not to congeal in the coldest weather. The plant grows to a height of 6 feet or more and is cultivated. The ordinary ramie is also found in a wild state, but is not utilized. At an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet European cabbage was occasionally seen in the cottage gardens and appears to have been cultivated for many years. The potato also grows well. Both were probably introduced by Catholic missionaries. In one district the potato had become the chief food of the inhabitants until a disease destroyed the crops and led to a local famine.