238 AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. 



tree. I saw in Northern Hondo, a beautiful avenue lined with 

 it near the castle of Morioka (p. 94). The dirty, yellowish red 

 wood has broad year-rings, and is used in much the same way as 

 the before-mentioned pines. 



30. Pinus paroiflore, S. and Z., Jap. Goyo-no-matsu and Hime-ko- 

 matsu. This variety forms the underwood of the upper portion of 

 the high mountains in Hondo and Yezo, and is occasionally an 

 ornamental tree in gardens and parks. Its yellow wood is far 

 behind all the other kinds in value. 



31. Larix leptolepis, Gord. (Pimcs Larix, Thunb.), Jap. Kara- 

 matsu. The Japanese larch is found from the 34th parallel north- 

 wards. In Middle Honshiu it belongs, as a rule, to the mountain 

 region between the levels of 1,500 and 2,000 m., and forms few settle- 

 ments by itself, but is more often mixed with Tsuga and other sorts 

 of Abies. Farther north its growth is limited to lower elevations, 

 more and more, and with this the frequency of its appearance 

 and even its development increase. It is especially adapted to a 

 soil of crumbled volcanic lava, and in high altitudes measures ij m. 

 around the trunk, and 20 to 24 m. in height. In peculiarly 

 favourable lower-lying points it reaches a diameter of 4 m. and a 

 height of 30 m. Its reddish brown core shows small year-rings, is 

 fine grained, tough and durable ; it withstands damp remarkably, 

 and for these reasons is highly valued, though, on account of the 

 difficulty of procuring it, is employed but little in building, but 

 in preference in mining, as well as for small wares. 



32. Sciadopitys vei^ticillata, S. and Z., Jap. Koya-maki. The 

 Japanese umbrella pine is a fine conifer, unique in its bearing, and 

 without question one of the most beautiful species for which we 

 are indebted to E^astern Asia. Its proper name is Kane-matsu, or 

 gold pine. Its name Koya-maki, reminds us of Maki {Podocarpits 

 macrophylld) which its leaves somewhat resemble, and of the 

 monastery-town Koya in Kiushiu, where the umbrella trees form a 

 magnificent grove, and in the neighbourhood are found in several 

 dense woods, at an elevation of 400 to 800 m. Here the tree is 

 in all cases only artificially propagated, as has been proved. It 

 grows straight and tall, with thick branches, as is the case with 

 Pinus Strobus, to a height of 20 to 24 m., and a circumference of 2 

 to 4 m.^ The cones remind one of pines, as do the fissured bark of 

 old trees, and the outspread branches. But the crown is regularly 

 cone-shaped, like most kinds of Abies, and that which lends a 

 particularly distinctive character is its leaves, which are verticillate 

 like the branches and twigs of pines, and long, like their needles. 

 They are broad, thick, shiny and green like those of Podocarpus. 

 The yellowish white, hght, fine-grained and broad-ringed wood 



^ The incorrect statement of Siebold, that the umbrella tree grows in bushes 

 only a few meters high, has been preserved and repeated in many of our books, 

 although it was long since shown by Veitch that its development is that of a 

 stately tree. 



