Ornamentals. 67 



"Flowering cherries {Frimus Psendo-Cei'asus, Lindley. 

 Japanese, Sakura). Fruit bearing cherries in Japan are rare, 

 and those which may be found there have been imported from 

 America. They have, however, a large number of kinds from 

 the above species, which are extensively cultivated solely for 

 their flowers. They bloom during April and early May, at 

 which season the whole country is gay with the pink blossoms. 

 No garden is so small and poor as not to have its cherry trees. 

 The}^ may be dwarfed and gnarled specimens grown in six 

 inch pots, or they may be stately trees that overshadow the 

 premises, but cherries will not be wanting. We in this utili- 

 tarian age and land are apt to look askance at cherry trees 

 that produce nothing but flowers, yet were they known they 

 would surely be appreciated. From modest single pink or 

 white flowers they vary through all shades of red to magnifi- 

 cent double ones two inches in diameter. A few kinds are 

 sweet scented, and at least one kind has green flowers. There 

 must be in the neighborhood of a hundred varieties, or per- 

 haps more, most of which would be an ornament to any lawn. 

 When fully expanded the trees are a perfect cloud of bloom, 

 and some of the double ones remain intact for a month. 



"Flowering plums {Frinms Mume, Sieb. and Zucc. ; Jap., 

 Utne, Mwne). Although they bloom earlier, beginning in Tokio 

 in Januar}^ and continuing till April, I place these plums sec- 

 ond to the cherries, because less magnificent. But still they 

 are unique and greatly admired by the Japanese. They have 

 the advantage of being sweet-scented, and of blooming at a 

 time when they have but few rivals. Like the cherries, the 

 varieties are very numerous, the blooms shading from white to 

 dark red, single and double, large and small. They are grown 

 both as free standing trees and in pots, and being slow growers 

 and easily dwarfed, they are favorites for the latter purpose. 

 The blossoms, even the double ones, are followed by round 

 greenish-yellow plums of the size of the green gage, which, 

 however are not of a high quality. There are probably 50 va- 

 rieties, many of w^hich deserve to be generally planted for 

 ornament here. 



"The double-flowered peach is found in many varieties 

 which I believe to be unknown here. The varieties bloom 

 later than the plums, and more profusely. On some kinds the 

 branches are literally solid spikes of flowers. 



