258 



All of these gardens are primarily disjilay ])laces where many 

 Iris ])laiits are grown with a view to attracting visitors during the 

 flowering season. ']'eni|)orary tea lionses are erected and various 

 facilities provided for the visitors. Hundreds of peojjle come to 

 these gardens when the flowers are in hloom. 



I made se\'eral trips at different times during the spring" and 

 early summer to these ])]aces, and ol)served tlie methods of culture. 

 A great deal of useful information from the owners was also se- 

 cured regarding the history of the gardens and the names and 

 origin of the varieties which are grown there. 



In Tokyo there is a fine dis])lay of Japanese Iris in the Meiji- 

 jingu. This Shrine, with its l)eautiful grounds, was erected in 

 commemoration of the late Emperor Aleiji. In one ]\art of the 

 large area there is a Secluded Garden which is o])en to the public 

 only two or three times a }-car. A\'ithin this Secluded Garden there 

 is a narrow winding valley ])lanted with ^•arieties of the Japanese 

 Iris. It is a very iniusual setting for these i)lants in Jajian, 



At the ])otanic (iarden of the luiperial LJni\ersity of Tokyo, a 

 number of cultivated varieties are grown. Alanv different sjiccies 

 of Iris are also to he found there. Several visits were made to 

 this garden, especially for the ])ur]iose of considting with Dr. M. 

 Miyoshi, who has contri])Uted more in a scientific way to the Jap- 

 anese Iris than anyone else. There are many private gardens in 

 Tokyo, most (^f which are the t\iiica] Japanese landscape type. In 

 com])any with Mr. lvi}-oshi Inoshita, Director of the Bureau of 

 Parks and Cemeteries, l\lunici]\alit\- of Tokvo, and Air. If. Ku- 

 washima, many of these were visited and the interesting features 

 ohser\-ed. Relatively few of these gardens contained Iris; in a 

 lew cases, however, excellent jjlantings were observed. 



A good deal of time was s])ent in the lni])erial Library in Ueno 

 Park. Within this lil)rary arc found many old Japanese books. 

 Some of those which contained references to the Tris were con- 

 sulted, with the aid of Mr. Bunkdo Alatsuki, who made translations, 

 and thus was obtained a great deal of \Qvy valuable information. 

 Dr. M. Shirai, Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo Imperial Univer- 

 sity, has a splendid collection of old Ja])anese books on natm'al 

 historv. and I was privileged to consult his collection, lie also 

 very kindly made translations of certain ])arts of these books which 

 dealt with the Iris. 



