372 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 8, 1864. 



^ands were again to be visited with the blight which made 

 such havoc among them, the effect would now be much leas 

 serious than it was eighteen years ago. As it is, the blessing 

 of abundance will prove most advantageous this year, not 

 only to the people as food, but to the farmers as additions 

 to their material for the stall feeding of cattle. — (Banner of 

 Ulster.) 



^.JAPANESE PLANTS AND CULTURE. 



Kanagawa, June 21st, 1864. 



So much has been written by others about the natural 

 products of Japan, that little remains to be said, having 

 reference entirely to the limited range foreigners are per- 

 mitted access to. Mr. Fortune's book being especially de- 

 voted to such subjects, is, of course, the most complete. 

 Hodgson, in an appendix to his book, has a catalogue of 

 native plants which I have not had an opportunity of ex- 

 amining. Mr. Veitch contributes to Sir R. Alcock's work 

 valuable notes on the plants of Japan and its agriculture. 

 He has, however, fallen into some few errors, which it may 

 be as well to correct. 



Among the plants enumerated as growing wild are 

 Nerium oleander, Vinca rosea, Balsamina hortensis, Celosia 

 cristata, and others, which are undoubtedly all introduced ; 

 certainly they are not found growing in a wild state in this 

 neighbourhood. In another place he speaks of wild Straw- 

 berries, probably referring to a Potentilla bearing a profusion 

 of tasteless fruit, very much resembling a small Strawberry. 



In my last I gave the names of some exotic plants culti- 

 vated by the native gardeners. To these are to be added 

 the Chinese Hibiscus, Pomegranate, Eehinocactus Eyresii, 

 and Epiphyllum, Justicia carnea major, a Quisqualis, Myrtus 

 tomentosa, Tecoma jasminoides, Sago Palm, Oxalis Bowiei, 

 Ardisia crenulata, and another species of which there are a 

 dozen varieties, with variegated and curled foliage, with red 

 and white fruit. They are entirely unique, and, indeed, I have 

 seen no more valuable acquisitions in variegated plants, or 

 any possessing greater interest than these as most beautiful 

 additions to the already numerous list of hothouse plants of 

 that character. These exotics could only have been received 

 from the Dutch and Portuguese in early times ; and consider- 

 ing the limited intercourse allowed with foreigners, they are 

 evidence that the florists of Japan are not without enterprise 

 in their business, and ready to avail themselves of every 

 opportunity of adding rare and beautiful plants to their 

 collections. 



I was surprised one day, on showing a prominent Japanese 

 merchant a representation in stone of some foreign Pears, 

 to see that he recognised the fruit, and to hear from him 

 that a few trees were growing in the garden of a doctor at 

 Miaco. I felt inclined to doubt his statement, thinking he 

 was confounding them with the native varieties. He had, 

 however, another name for them, and insisted on the correct- 

 ness of his knowledge ; also stating that the M.D. used the 

 fruit for a medicine — an excellent way of disposing of his 

 crop at remunerative prices. If they are foreign Pears, it is 

 singular they have not been distributed. 



One cannot help feeling a regret, apart from commercial 

 interests, at the mutual consents given by other govern- 

 ments to the closing, for the present, of Kioto, the port of 

 Osaca, near Miaco. That city is the Paris of Japan, wherein 

 is collected all that is rare and beautiful. As many as are 

 the floral treasures obtained here, I have not the slightest 

 doubt many more could be added to the number, if we were 

 allowed to explore the gardens there. 



Not the least beautiful of Japanese plants is the Iris, of 

 which many varieties are cultivated, from the purest white 

 to the darkest blue, with all manner of intermediate shades 

 and pencillings. I shall have a collection to send home the 

 coming autumn ; and if they survive and bloom, when you 

 see them you will agree with me in saying their merits de- 

 serve that they should be classed as a florist's flower. 



An addition to the conservatory will be Magnolia parvi- 

 flora, a species after the style of M. pumila, only of a more 

 robust growth, with pure white flowers of a delicious fra- 

 grance. 



The Maple, in all its variety of variegated and dissected 

 leaves, will prove to be among our finest acquisitions of orna- 

 mental hardy trees. The golden-leaved Pines are also to be 



included in the list of decided novelties. I fear the difficulty 

 of transporting them safely so great a distance will prevent 

 their introduction for some time, or until some one can give 

 personal attention to them on the voyage. 



1 flattered myself this spring that I had obtained from 

 Yedo a collection of twenty varieties of Tree Pseonies, having 

 given a dealer here directions to obtain that number of the 

 most distinct and best from out of forty or fifty he said were 

 cultivated. I believe he performed his part to the best of his 

 knowledge ; but, unfortunately, he had to purchase them in 

 bud, and when they bloomed I found only six or eight sorts. 

 These, however, although not what I expected, will prove 

 valuable as a source from which new sorts may be obtained 

 by hybridisation. 



A fine addition to the greenhouse is an Orchid very similar 

 to, if not a species of, Bletia, in growth like the old B. Tan- 

 kervillne [Phaius grandifolius. — Ed.], only more beautiful 

 than that old favourite. 



In passing the other day a small garden in an obscure 

 situation, I saw growing a row of young plants of Indian 

 Corn, with leaves distinctly striped with white. Of course I 

 made a note of it, to procure seed at the proper season. 

 "Who knows but what, after a while, the vegetable gardener 

 may invite you to look at his gold-blotched Cabbage, his tori- 

 coloured Lettuce, silver-margined Squashes, or striped Cu- 

 cumbers ? 



The past winter has been exceedingly dry, and somewhat 

 colder than usual. The spring too, has been more backward, 

 but seasonable rains came on in time for the Wheat and 

 Barley crops. The harvesting of the last is nearly over, and 

 that of the Wheat will soon commence. Farmers are now 

 also busy transplanting Rice from the seed-beds to the paddy 

 fields. This work, although not laborious, would, to those 

 who perform it be exceedingly unpleasant, as those who 

 perform it have to wade all day long knee deep in water. It 

 is chiefly done by women and boys, the men performing the 

 severer, labour of preparing the fields for the reception of the 

 plant. Mr. Veitch says the transplanting is done in April. 

 He probably refers to sowing the seed in nursery-beds. 



Immediately after the grain crops are harvested, no time 

 is lost in sowing Cotton, Sesamum, Buckwheat, and Sweet 

 Potatoes. Their system of liquid manuring enables them 

 to plant at once, without any further preparation of the soil 

 than simply opening the drills for the reception of the seed. 

 They practise sowing seed very thickly — I should think 

 twice as much as is necessary, the surplus being just so 

 much grain lost. Millet and Maize are both transplanted, 

 but neither to the extent to entitle them to the name of a 

 field crop. Potatoes are in blossom, and are now looking 

 fine. The late rains will aid them very much in producing 

 a large crop, which will be wanted to help to feed the small 

 army of foreign soldiers now gathering here for the purpose 

 of reconciling the Japanese government to the inevitable 

 change that must take place in their policy towards other 

 nations, or, in other words, bayonet reconciliation. Not the 

 least consideration with myself is, that in the end freer 

 access will be permitted to other portions of the country. — 

 T. Hogg. — {American Gardeners' Monthly.) 



ENVILLE HALL. 



{Continued from page 356.) 



PLEASURE GROUNDS. 



As we return from the kitchen garden and cross the road- 

 way already referred to, we might enter the flower garden 

 and pleasure grounds of 70 acres by the post-office private 

 entrance (4), close to Mr. Craw's residence ; and having 

 passed the three lakes termed the conservatory pools (20), 

 we would obtain, as far as the inequality of the ground will 

 permit, a bird's-eye view of the whole up to the extreme south- 

 west point, where the pagoda is placed some 200 feet above 

 the level of these pools. With great undulations (one of the 

 chief charms of these gardens), the grounds as a whole rise 

 sometimes gradually and at other times abruptly from this 

 level to the boundary woods and sheep-walks beyond. A 

 line from the mansion on the south to beyond these pools 

 on the north, and not distant from the private road, might 

 be considered the base of an unequal-sided triangle, which 



