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The manufactory of the fans is carried on chiefly in the town of San Ui, but there are also some establishments in the country where this is done.
The dried leaves are subjected to a process of blanching by means of sulphur. They are then straightened and rendered shapely by being held and manipulated over a charcoal fire. The operator as he finishes the fans places them one by one on each other making a heap on the floor; the heap is firmly pressed down by the weight of the operator who stands on a board placed on the top of the heap while he is working at succeeding fans. When a heap of twenty or thirty fans have been thus treated they are removed and another series is begun.
The next process is sewing on the bindings at the edge of the fans, this is done by women and children, chiefly at their own homes, and the fans returned when finished to the manufacturer. The more expensive fitting on of horn and bamboo handles is done at Canton.
The portion of the leaf stalk which is not required as a handle for the fan is not wasted. It is composed of a fibrous material that is utilized in making short lengths of rope used as slings to suspend baskets from carrying poles.
Around the stem and bases of the leaf stalks there is a quantity of fibrous substance somewhat resembling coir fibre. This is carefully collected and also used for making ropes.
GINGER.
Some doubt has existed as to whether the Chinese have not one or more kinds of plants in use as ginger that are unknown elsewhere. I have taken steps for collecting together and cultivating all the kinds of plants generally included by the Chinese as ginger with the hope that when in cùltivation they can be studied and observed in such a manner as to secure all possible information in connection with this subject.
While at San Ui I was fortunate in being able to obtain from cultivated plants good flowering specimens. These I dried, and together with specimens of the roots (properly rhizomes) forwarded to the Director of Kew Gardens for a study of them to be made there, where they can be compared with other kinds, or with specimens of the same kind from other places.
The specimens which I procured were, without doubt, Zingiber officinale, the species commonly in cultivation in other parts of the world.
It is, however, possible that some other plant, which is not a true ginger, may be used in making the celebrated Canton preserved ginger, but all the information which I have yet obtained points to the species Zingiber officinale as the only kind which the Chinese use for this purpose.
The ginger cultivated on the Lo-Fau mountains has a wide reputation amongst the Chinese as being of unusual efficacy in medicine, this superior quality may however be derived merely from pecu- liarity of soil or climate which communicate to the plant exceptional properties.
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GLYCOSMIS CITRIFOLIA.
Near the town Kom Chuk I observed growing rather abundantly amongst the mulberry planta- tions as shrub which had been cut down (coppiced) a good deal. On approaching nearer I found it to be Glycosmis citrifolia, a shrub indigenous in Hongkong. An inquiry as to the purpose for which it was used elicited the information that the leaves are pounded, made into cakes, and then used for making a strong kind of wine known as Chow-peng-sze. I regretted not being able to successfully pursue inquiries, and gather further information on a subject of some interest. Possibly some traveller will be able to supplement the knowledge with further particulars.
The shrub is a species of the natural order Aurantiacic to which the orange belongs. It bears a small, sweet, jelly-like, edible fruit about the size of a large pea.
ORANGES.
I inspected plantations of the orange which Mr. HENRY mentions in "Ling-Nam." It is known by the name Tim Kom. No orange which I have tasted in China equals it for sweetness, it is also very juicy and of a fine flavours Amongst the Foreign community I believe this orange is not so well known as it deserves to be. It has a high market value, the price in Hongkong being thirteen cents per pound.
While alluding to oranges I may mention that I was recently favoured with an opportunity of tasting an orange from the North, known as the Quinine Orange. This has a distinct bitter taste resembling quinine.
Mr. WM. COOPER, Her Majesty's Consul at Ningpo also kindly forwarded me a Chinese lemon of large size, but of shape nearly round, quite unlike the European lemon.
CHARLES FORD, Superintendent,
Botanical & Afforestation Department.
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