In North China there is also a prejudice against all modern innovations not in vogue with the ancestors, whose lineage evidently begins with the original Chinese cave man, for the inns are even without stoves. The windows, which are made of paper, are usually broken, admitting icy breezes and creating an atmosphere even colder than the outdoors. Mr. Meyer was compelled to carry these frozen parcels of scions and cuttings around with him, sometimes for weeks before he reached the post-office that would forward them direct to the department at Washington, or to the consul-general at Sing-h-h.

Growing in the semiarid sections of China, generally neglected and in soil of alkaline substance, Mr. Meyer found the jujube tree. He immediately thought him of the semiarid regions of the American Southwest, and packed some jujubes off to the department, which planted them in California and Texas. The jujube, in its wild state, grows in the waste places and sprawls over ancient walls in Northern China, producing a small, hard, sour fruit which is not fit for use. By crossing the various species, of which there are nearly 600, the Chinese farmers have produced a fruit that is sweet and luscious, highly prized by the mandarin for New Year's presents and by the keepers of hotels catering to the European trade. The jujube tree is now bearing heavy crops in Fresno, Chico, Tndio and Bard.  Cal., and Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio. 