69 



The talk was mainly an account of a visit to Japan during 

 the summer of last year. After a brief account of some of the 

 outstanding geographical features of the country, various trips 

 were described. 



During the summer months the most conspicuous feature is 

 the rice culture. The rice fields cover a very large part of the 

 narrow valley and coastal plain and also of all the hills which 

 can be terraced. Prac'tically all of the rice of Japan is of the 

 irrigated type and as the fields are small they are still cultivated 

 by hand labor. The area of rice cultivation has been consider- 

 ably extended in the last twenty years and it seems now as if 

 almost all the available land has been utilized. Other summer 

 crops are the lotus, Colocasia, various beans and the minor 

 garden crops. Besides these, tea plantations are characteristic 

 of certain parts of Japan, especially near Uji, not far from Kioto. 

 The mulberry, grown for the silkworm industry is also seen in 

 great quantity, and during the summer is largely stripped of its 

 leaves, which have been removed for the food of the silk worms. 



The bamboo, another plant associated with Japan, though 

 largely introduced, has become fully established. The larger 

 forms are almost all originally from other lands, at least that is 

 the common statement. There are many introduced plants in 

 the country, but the history of their introduction goes so far 

 back and is so vague, and the plants themselves are so common, 

 that they are now practically a part of the native flora. An 

 example of the kind is probably Crypiomeria japonica, the 

 most stately of the Japanese conifers. 



Motoring out from Yokohama towards the foot hills of Fuji- 

 san, the road passes through a country characterized by small 

 abrupt hills with narrow valleys between. It is well watered 

 and there are many small rice fields, while the hills are covered 

 with a mixed deciduous growth. As the sea shore is approached, 

 the typical strand forms are to be seen, with the most conspicu- 

 ous tree, Pinus Thunbergii, in either isolated specimens or in 

 copses of some extent. The road is the old Tokaido and the 

 pines which border it were planted many years ago. As the 

 road ascends into the hills the country is more heavily wooded. 

 These woods are naturally of a mixed growth, but owing to the 

 extensive reforestation in the last two decades much of the 

 forest is artificial. 



