THE STORY OF THE GINKGO 



trees had been grafted together. Of course no or- 

 ganic union between two trees representing almost 

 the poles of the vegetable kingdom is possible, but 

 they thrive together harmoniously. 



On the massive lower branches of old Ginkgo-trees 

 thick, peg-like structures develop which grow down- 

 ward and on reaching the ground develop true roots 

 from their apex and give off branches above. The 

 growths are often very numerous and are sometimes 

 as much as from 12 to 16 feet long and one foot in di- 

 ameter. This phenomenon is rare in China and 

 Korea, but is common in Japan where the growths 

 are styled "chi-chi": that is, teats or nipples. Their 

 truecharacter is not properly understood but evidently 

 they serve to prolong the life of the tree by developing 

 new stems and branches. 



From the trunks of old trees many sprouts develop 

 which sometimes form a veritable thicket of ascending 

 stems. If the top of the tree be broken, as fre- 

 quently happens in the long life of the tree, new shoots 

 arise, grow upward, and make a new crown. The 

 vitality of the tree is marvellous and Mother Nature 

 seems to have endowed it with a thousand and one 

 means of maintaining its existence. I never saw a 

 dead Ginkgo during the twenty years I have trav- 

 elled in the Far East. 



Japanese gardeners raise many seedlings in a pot 

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