1876.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



181 



exception of a few small oaks, struck me as very 

 remarkable. 



Among the herbaceous plants I must mention 

 Plaucidium palmatum, a beautiful Ranuncula- 

 ceous plant, also found in the mountains of 

 "Nikko," and never yet introduced into foreign 

 gardens. The Lily of the Valley, covering many 

 acres of meadows, was the most charming sight 

 i ever beheld. I also found in the hills several 

 varieties of Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum). In 

 some places where w^ater collects frequently, I 

 found a fine Arum, bearing flowers more than 

 12 inches long, resembling the Calla ^Ethiopica, 

 but of larger size, which would form a valuable 

 acquisition for our ponds ; as it will no doubt 

 prove hardy there, because I found it growing in 

 company with Caltha palustris, a plant which is 

 so very common in our northern latitudes. For 

 many of the spring plants, which make their 

 appearance soon after the snow leaves the 

 ground, I was too late, or else no doubt I should 

 have had a rich harvest. I remarked some 

 good looking grasses in the neighborhood of 

 Hakodate, but as they were not in tiower at that 

 time, I had no opportunity of ascertaining their 

 value for the purpose of feeding cattle, horses, 

 etc. The small white clover is seen growing in 

 many places, not, however, I think, indigenous, 

 but probably escaped from cultivation during 

 former attempts to introduce foreign forming 

 into the Island of Yeaso. 



Ferns are very abundant on the hills, and 

 amongst them I remarked as growing very luxu- 

 riantly the Adiantum pedatum, a kind of Maid- 

 enhair fern commonly grown with us in hot- 

 houses. It is seen in large patches under the 

 shade of shrubs, the effect when young and pro- 

 ducing pink fronds on black stalks is very pretty. 

 Aaplenium, Polypodium and Pteris are also 

 abundant. 



In sea-weeds, "the bay of Hakodate is very rich, 

 and I secured a great collection during my stay 

 there. They are now in course of preparation 

 by the students at the farm. 



Nanai, the farm of the Kaitakushi, within 

 ten miles of Hakodate, I visited for several days 

 on my journey to the west coast. Here I saw 

 the first good sized trees, although not frequent. 

 They consisted of Horse-chestnut, edible Chest- 

 nut, Walnut, Magnolias, beautifully leaved Ma- 

 ples (Acer palmatum), Alder, Birch, and an 

 Ash. There is no remarkable vegetation on the 

 road to Nanai. The farm itself presents no fea- 

 tures of any consequence beyond the fine range 



of buildings for the purpose of stock-breeding, 

 and I found very little to repay my researches 

 there. Tha few thousand fruit trees planted 

 there seemed to do better than those I had seen 

 growing in Hakodate, and are as yet free from the 

 attacks of the butterflies, which are so disastrous 

 to the trees in the latter locality. The orchard 

 and nursery are not planned as well as they 

 might be, but only a radical change in the laying 

 out could remedy this defect. 



On my way to Volcano Bay, going through the 

 mountains at an elevation of about 1000 feet above 

 the level of the sea, I found a beautiful climbing 

 shrub, called by the Japanese, Matatabi, which I 

 recognized as Actinidia polygama. At first sight 

 the points of the leaves appear to represent the 

 flowers ; and are often mistaken for them by 

 casual observers. On close inspection, however, 

 the flowers are under the branches, resembling 

 those of the Tea shrub. They are sweet scented, 

 and belong to the same family as Tea and Camel- 

 lia. (?Ed.) The appearance of the shrub is ele- 

 gant, and would well repay introduction into 

 our shrubberies. It is more frequently found 

 growing in company with and climbing on Mag- 

 nolia hypoleuca, which grows there to a size of 

 2 to 3 feet in diameter, and to the height of at 

 least 60 feet. A very remarkable tree, and 

 valued much for the skftke of the timber it yields, 

 is the Japanese katsura, the scientific name of 

 which is Cercidiphyllum Japonicum, only lately 

 classified under the family of Magnoliacese. 

 There are recorded two species in this country of 

 which I only found one. It grows to a large 

 size, and attains a height of over a 100 feet, with 

 a diameter measuring sometimes 6 to 8 feet. 

 The vegetation becomes more dense in the 

 mountains, presenting no new features, but de- 

 scending towards Volcano Bay, the growth of 

 the trees gradually diminished on account of the 

 pumice of the extinct volcano. 



My destination being Sappora, and the road 

 skirting the sea-shore, at first little of interest 

 occurred in the way of plants as far as Osha- 

 manbe, from whence, again entering the interior, 

 the vegetation was more profuse, caused by the 

 increase of the depth of the soil, and the neigh- 

 borhood of fresh water ponds, which counteracts 

 the fatal influence of sea-air. In the ponds a 

 diminutive water-lily (Nymphsea teragona) ia 

 found, the undeveloped leaf-buds of which are 

 considered a great delicacy by the Japanese, and 

 eaten by them with vinegar. The leaf-buds pre- 

 sent a peculiar appearance, being covered with a 



