FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF JAPAN 19 



These historical facts are necessary to show that Japanese plants 

 were independently introduced to this country and to Europe 

 during the same period. The pioneer work briefly sketched above 

 was supplemented in a remarkable manner by Professor Charles S. 

 Sargent, Director of Arnold Arboretum, who visited Japan in 1892. 

 His predecessors in Japan had enjoyed a virgin field but as an offset 

 to this Sargent had the advantage which full knowledge of a sub- 

 ject gives. He knew not only the Japanese plants already in cul- 

 tivation in the Occident but was also fully acquainted with the 

 whole forest flora of Japan, and the result was that a great number 

 of beautiful and hardy trees and shrubs were added to our gardens. 

 He introduced among other plants, all the Japanese deciduous Oaks, 

 certain Hornbeams, Birches, Alders, Picea Glehnii, Abies sachali- 

 nensis, Mains zumi, M. Tschonoshii, M. Sargentii, Kalopanax rici- 

 nifolhim, Enkianthus campanidatus, Acer nikoense, A. Miyahei, 

 Rhododendron Kaempferi, one of the most beautiful of all shrubs 

 hardy in New England, and many other valuable plants. In fact, 

 this journey was the most fruitful in results of any undertaken in 

 Japan. 



I have not the time at my disposal to enter further into this 

 interesting aspect of my subject, but I cannot let pass this oppor- 

 tunity to put on record the names of those to whom all lovers 

 of hardy Japanese plants are under lasting obligations. 



Japan proper consists of four large and man}^ hundreds of small 

 islands and the country is much larger than many suppose. Its 

 total length is about the same as this Atlantic seaboard from Nova 

 Scotia to the southern end of the Florida Keys. Furthermore, 

 the range of climate is much the same in both regions. A warm 

 current sweeps up the east coast of Japan to near Yokohama 

 where it is deflected out to sea and the result is that northward of 

 this point the climate rapidly becomes colder. Geologically, Japan 

 is made up of a broad backbone of volcanic mountains (many of 

 the peaks of which are still active) narrowly flanked by sedimentary 

 rocks, and here and there occur massive outcroppings of granite. 

 There is very little limestone in Japan and this accounts for the 

 wealth of Ericaceous plants which are a pronounced feature of the 

 flora and occur in quantity from sea-level to the tops of many of 

 the highest mountains. The whole face of the country is moun- 



