262 AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. 



They are whitewashed mud and stone walls, paHngs generally of 

 bamboo cane, and quickset hedges (Ike-gaki). There is abundance 

 of fine material for the last-named, but it is in many places not 

 used, and often only to a very limited extent. The different 

 conifers, particularly the Cryptomeria and Podocarpus, and many 

 varieties of bamboo-cane, serve well in evergreen hedges, but not 

 the beautiful Evonymus or Liguster, which are used so successfully 

 in the Mediterranean region. 



Quickset hedges are seen most often around the houses of 

 the Samurai. They are generally very carefully cultivated and 

 trimmed, and shut off a small garden from the street. Oftentimes 

 a pretty bamboo paling takes their place, but in this case an ever- 

 green thicket grows just behind it, so as to hide the modest dwell- 

 ing as much as possible from the passers-by. In the spring of 

 1875 I saw in the Samurai quarter of the little city of Nojiri 

 (province of Hiuga, in Southern Kiushiu), for example, a row of 

 stately camellia-trees behind such a fence, growing 9 to 10 m. high, 

 and some of them still blooming. Close beside them the light 

 beautiful crowns of the tall bamboo-canes rocked in the wind. The 

 yellowish green of the young leaves of the camphor-trees and 

 evergreen oaks contrasted finely against the shiny dark green of 

 the last year's foliage and the red blossoms of the camellias and 

 azaleas. In Akita, high in the north of Hondo, I saw at another 

 time the little front garden of the Samurai dwellings mostly sur- 

 rounded by Kome-no-ko, or Iwa-yanagi {Spircea Thiinbergi^ Sieb.). 

 Karatachi {Citrus trifoliata, L.) and Mukuge {Hibisais syriacus, L.) 

 are more often used for hedges. The violet-blue, rarely white, 

 blossoms of the latter appear in late summer and autumn. Kara- 

 tachi is used evidently because of its strong protection, for its 

 hedges are neither close nor have they a very beautiful foliage, as 

 the leaves are not as large and fine in appearance as those of the 

 other Aurantiacese. 



As has been stated several times in the first volume of this work, 

 Chinese civilization was introduced into Japan with Buddhism in 

 the sixth century A.D., and found its principal support and foster- 

 ing in the cloisters and temples of the land. It can hardly be 

 doubted that flower cultivation and the art of gardening among 

 the Japanese received their first impulse and encouragement from 

 Buddhist priests. For many centuries the Chinese had cultivated 

 the beautiful ornamental plants which were brought from thence 

 to adorn altars and graves, temple courts and holy pools, gardens 

 and parks ; also the plants which, like the peony and lotus, were 

 at the same time producers of valuable medicines. In the enjoy- 

 ment of the beautiful appearance and prosperity of the foreign 

 plants, interest in the indigenous flora increased also, and its finest 

 specimens were gradually brought into cultivation and carefully 

 reared. These indigenous plants were found to be numerous and 

 choice, for, as has been amply shown in vol. i. pp. 135-174, Japan 



