Ove of the chestest and most elegant ornaments provided by Chinese in-"genuity for the library or study consists wot bamboo boards, the ground being Glaboratély carved in fretwork and nsoribed with characters, generally quotations from the classics, out from the wood of the same plant. They are'to be obtained from the Chinese in Shanghai, and are valuable by ranson of the peculiar character of the material from which they are made, Bumboos are divided into a large namber of species, and well repay the study of those who take an interest in botanical researches. There is one sort of a xomarkably unique character, called the equate" bamboo, specimens of which have, we understand, been forwarded by Dr. Macgowan at Wénchon to the United States Consul-General at this port, together with a sample of the ornament above described, the device in this instance, however, consisting of a representation of the bamboo itself. Some of the plants received from the Doctor are destined for the Park at San Fran isco, while others of the same nature are intended for the Public Garden at Shanghai. The following description of this novel-shaped product of the vegetable kingdom will, we think, be found of interest by our renders.
There is no plant except cereals proper which has received so much attention as this graceful grass, Enrly Chinese botanists enumerate seventy varieties of the bamboo, but if quest were now made in local gazetteers that nam. bor would be found greatly augmented. They describe the bamboo as diccious. Pre-eminence is assigned to the square variety of this most useful as well as ornamental plant, which has been a favourite in Imperinl gardens whenever its acclimitisation has been effected in the North. The Emperor Kao feu once inquired of his attendants who were planting bamboos, concerning the various kinds. In reply he was informed respecting several remarkable species, Chekiang in particular furnish. od one that was an extraordinary curio.
that it was square, and for that quality and its perfect uprightness was much esteemed by officers and goholars. They also told him "that it was used for many purposes of decoration.and utility, including, among others, that of being made into inkslabs. Sab. sequently specimens were obtained, polished, and sent to His Mujesty, who thereon signified his respect for the article by rabbing ink with his own hand on the inkstand, and inditing an essay on the curiosity. In 650, A.D., the reigning Emperor sent a eunuch to Chekiang to obtain specimens for the Imperial Park, Besides bei furnished from scuttered portions of thie province, it is found in Honan, Szechuen, Yunnan and Hunan; in the latter province it appears to present its peculiar characteristic in a marked degree, being as square, with corners, and as well defined, as if cut with a knife. The Chekiang species have slightly rounded corners, and moreover they are more slender, being used only as pipe-stems, whereas the western kind is large enough to serve as ateves for the aged. In-its early stage of growth the square bamboo is nearly round, assuming the anomalous figure it afterwards presents as it advances toward maturity. Like several other kinds of bamboo it is thorny, abound. ing in small spines, If we may credit accounts which have reached China from Western Turkestan (Ta-yuen) there is or was produced in that region a square bamboo which is a carivsity of a curiosity. The Prince of that country possessed and highly prized a square bamboo, on the faces of which were eyes, beard and teeth, Art no doubt contributed to the produeti There are considerable varieties i the colour of bambvo,—white, yellow, reddish, purple and black. Besides being ornamental it is useful, very pretty chairs being made of it. A native writer says of this plant that it ijores its mother," which means that its shoots rest not be planted near the parent clamp. In mentioning these carious bamboos we must not forget the usefal description of all. We refer to what is generally known as the "hair" bamboo, the shoots of which constitute an excellent escalent which is largely exported from the neighbourhood of Wénchion; the bearded appearance of the shoots giving it the ate designation, It is not like square bamboo, which is adapted to limited areas only, but it will flourish almost wherever there is a dae amount of heat, moisture, and a fertile soil, The uses of this kind of bamboo have been often described, but there is one purpose to which it is applied, and at Wenchon only, and therefore but little known, It is rendered plastic by being boiled half a day in potash and lime; the alkalies having done their work, a slit is made in the cylinder, (which is of any required length, usually @ foot) and it is then pressed out into a sheet form by heavy stones, These sheets of bamboo, which are sometimes a foot in width, are then carved, cutting them through, and in this way are formed representa. tions of flowers, birds, various forms of characters in verse, and the like, which, glued to delicate filigree work of baraboo, and framed, make the unique and elegant pictures to which we have referred abov
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.