Vv ETYMOLOGY—CLASSIFICATION, CHARACTERISTICS 43 
to be by no means the most vigorous growths of the year on 
the same plants. They were on specimens planted in the 
late autumn of 1891 (as I now know, the worst period that 
could have been chosen for open-air planting), and the growth 
showed itself far earlier than it had done in the two previous 
years. The last species of Phyllostachys to give signs of life 
in each year has been P. mitis, a very recalcitrant Bamboo so 
far as my observation goes. I have some plants of this 
species which, although showing no appearance of weakening, 
have not yet, in the third summer of their existence here, put 
forth a single new shoot. Others made good growth during 
their first summer, none during the second, and are now 
again pushing vigorously. Others, again, which grew in the 
second summer are idle this year; some have made growth 
each year. When the growth does come, patience is rewarded. 
It is sorapid that it has plenty of time to mature its stems, 
with the exception, indeed, of a few belated laggards which 
are foredoomed. The larger Arundinarias, especially Simoni 
as we shall see later on, lose many autumn shoots in this 
way. Still the great mass of the shoots of the spring-growing 
species may be relied upon, and seeing that by degrees, as 
the plants become established in their new home, they season 
by season put forth their young growth earlier, the complete 
acclimatisation even of such lazy colonists as Phyllostachys 
mitis would seem to be only a question of time and patience. 
It is to China and Japan, that inexhaustible source which 
for thirty years has been continuously pouring new treasures 
into our gardens and parks, that we owe most of our hardy 
Bamboos. So far India has only yielded us five species 
capable of cultivation in the open air in our country, and 
