A General Description of China (Volume 1); Containing the Topography of the Fifteen Provinces Which Compose This Vast Empire, That of Tartary, the ... Its Cities, the State of Its Population, Th - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1788. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... in a pond or rivulet, the seed is thrown into the shallowest part of the water, about the end of autumn; but that place is always chosen where the water is clear and exposed to the south. The more heat the lin-kio receives, the more wholesome, savoury and fruitful it is, ,:- CHAP. VI. TREES, SHRUBS AND PLANTS OF CHINA, CHINA, in its vast extent,contains almost every species of trees that are known to us ; but we shall only describe those peculiar to the country, or, at least, such as are not to be found, in our western climates. THE TALLOW-TREE. AMONG these extraordinary trees,we must distinguish that which produces tallow. This tree is oflhe size of our cherry-tree; its branches are crooked; its leaves, which are shaped like a heart, are of a bright red colour; it has a smooth bark, a short trunk, and its top is round and bushy. The fruit is contained in a husk 1 divided into three spherical segments, which open often when it is ripe, and discover three white grains, of the size of a small walnut. It is the pulp with which these stones are covered, that has all the properties of tallow 5 its colour, smell and consistence are exactly the fame. The Chinese melt it, and make candles of it, mixing only a little linseed-oil with it, to render it foster and sweeter. Had they the art of purifying it as we purify tallow in Europe, their candles would not be inferior to ours; but, as they neglect to take this precaution, they have a more disagreeable smell, produce a thicker sinoke, and afford a much fainter light. WAX-TREE. THE Chinese procure also from certain trees a kind of wax which is almost equal in quality to that made by bees. They call it pe-la, or white-wax, because it is so by nature. This wax is deposited by small insects, on two kinds of trees; fo...

Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.