Sport and science on the Sino-Mongolian frontier . The Ordos isknown to the Chinese asTsao-ti (grass land), andthe only information we could glean concerningit was that it was an immense wilderness of sandand coarse scrub, in which wild Tartars lived,and where hardy races of small ponies and cattlewere bred. This sounded interesting, though hardly favour-able to our purpose of making a large our instructions were definite on thesubject, so we set about attaining the end in viewas best we could. We found that by travelling due west we couldhave reached Yii-lin Fu on the
Sport and science on the Sino-Mongolian frontier . The Ordos isknown to the Chinese asTsao-ti (grass land), andthe only information we could glean concerningit was that it was an immense wilderness of sandand coarse scrub, in which wild Tartars lived,and where hardy races of small ponies and cattlewere bred. This sounded interesting, though hardly favour-able to our purpose of making a large our instructions were definite on thesubject, so we set about attaining the end in viewas best we could. We found that by travelling due west we couldhave reached Yii-lin Fu on the border of the desertin fourteen days, but this would have broughtus to the country at a time of year when theweather would have been most unsuitable for thecollecting of small mammals, and much valuabletime would have been wasted. We therefore decided to travel south-west toYen-an Fu in North Central Shensi, and fromthere work north-west, to the southernmost point 6 PLATE I. ? -A ^ ,\f.\ mii. -f Ijt. \ ?-?A ?^^^t-C^-K . 1,5- ^ ?:-j:_^. Ot^positc p. 6.] SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER of the Ordos. By stopping and collecting at afew places along this route, we would gauge ourarrival on the frontiers of the desert to sometimein spring, the best season for our work. After leaving Tai-yiian Fu, and crossing thelow mudflats of the Fen River, our road lay in asouth-westerly direction through well cultivatedcountry. Round the villages we noticed innumer-able jujube trees (Zizyphus sativa), which growextensively in all the low lying valleys and plainsof Shansi, Chihli and Shensi. The fruit of thesetrees resembles nothing so much as a date, andwhen treated with honey makes an excellentpreserve. It is largely used in the manufactureof sweetmeats, especially of the cheaper qualities,while bread-steamers ^ use it instead of currantsin the manufacture of a kind of bun loaf. Our first stopping place was the small town ofChin-ssu, famous for its temple and spring. Thelatter gushes out of the base of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectscientificexpedition
