File:A naturalist in Western China - with vasculum, camera, and gun, being some account of eleven year's travel, exploration, and observation in the more remote parts of the flowery kingdom; (1913) (14595970200).jpg

Identifier: naturalistinwes02wils (find matches)
Title: A naturalist in Western China : with vasculum, camera, and gun, being some account of eleven year's travel, exploration, and observation in the more remote parts of the flowery kingdom;
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Wilson, Ernest Henry, 1876-1930
Subjects: Botany
Publisher: London, Methuen
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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them. Thepropagation of these trees is effected by taking thick branches,slicing off a portion of the bark and a little of the wood, andsurrounding the incised area with a ball of mud and straw.Roots form in the ball of mud, and the branch is thensevered from the parent tree, and is planted at the side of afield, where it quickly develops into a tree. In the wax-producing area of the Kiating prefecturemyriads of these pollarded trees are cultivated by the farmersand peasants. Previous to the arrival of the insects in May,the branches on which it is intended to place insects aredenuded of their laterals along the basal half of their length.The cultivator, having purchased his insects, wraps loosely afew cones in a broad leaf and suspends these tiny bagsamong the branches of either Fraxinus or Ligustrum trees, orof both. The larvae quickly hatch out and crawl up into thetree and ascend to the leaves, where they remain for fourteendays until their mouths and limbs are strong. During this
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1X>KL1 W Iilii:-WAX AND TREE (LIGUSTRUM LUCIDUM) I INSECT WHITE-WAX 103 period they are said to moult, casting off a hairy garmentwhich forms in the earhest larval stage. After this periodthe insects descend to the naked branches, on the undersideof which they attach themselves and commence at onceto deposit wax. During this early stage heavy rains andwind are much dreaded, since they dislodge the insects,and consequently ruin the business for the season. Thedeposit of wax, which at first looks very like hoar-frost onthe branches, continues up to the latter end of August.(The Chinese reckon 100 days from the time of suspendingthe insects in the trees.) The deposit is always heaviest onthe underside of the branch, and seldom extends equally allround it. About the end of August the white coating is scraped fromthe branches (very often the branches are cut off) and throwninto boiling water. The wax is dissolved and floats on thesurface of the water. It is collected by being skimmed of

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