IV TEMPERATE FOREST REGIONS 89 



on the leaves of which silkworms are fed, and which grows 

 with extreme rapidity ; the beautiful paulownia, with 

 flowers like those of a foxglove ; the handsome Soyhora 

 japonica ; and of smaller trees and shrubs, the winter- 

 flowering chimonanthus, the crimson-flow^ered japonica 

 which adorns our walls in early spring, the favourite 

 weigelia, the yellow-flowered forsythia, the red-berried 

 aucuba, and last, but not least important for our purpose, 

 the camellia. This glorious evergreen is really as hardy as 

 the common laurel, and will grow out of doors in perfect 

 health and vigour. Its beautiful flowers will, indeed, be 

 often destroyed by the wet and frosts of our springs, but 

 if a sunny bank in the midst of the protecting forest were 

 covered with these shrubs, they would blossom abundantly 

 whenever we had a mild spring, and would then, indeed, 

 be worth a journey to see ; while at all times their splendid 

 glossy green foliage would be a delightful spectacle. 



Even more varied and more beautiful than the conifers 

 of California are those of Japan and China, of which there 

 are no less than forty-five species belonging to nineteen 

 generic groups, many of which are altogether peculiar to 

 this region. Here are the elegant cryptomeria and retino- 

 sporas, the remarkable salisburia, or gingko-tree — a pine 

 with foliage like that of a gigantic maiden-hair fern, and 

 the hardly less curious sciadopitys, or umbrella-pine. To 

 these we may add the fine cunninghamia, the funereal 

 cypress, and some interesting species of arbor-vitse. 



The space required for this Asiatic forest would not at 

 first be large, as only the most distinct and interesting 

 species need be made use of, while many are not yet to be 

 obtained in this country. Some of the JajDanese trees 

 grow slowly, but it is not improbable that when planted 

 in greater quantities they might make more rapid pro- 

 gress. Anyhow, the plants themselves are usually so 

 peculiar and generally so beautiful, that in every stage of 

 their growth they would be sure to prove attractive to 

 the public. 



We might, however, increase the extent of our Asiatic 

 forest by adding to it another small piece of land in 

 order to cultivate several beautiful trees which characterize 



