50 Ornamental Shrubs. 



treatment the trees are virtually dwarfed, there being 

 no visible growth thereafter. Maples form one of the 

 best materials for the artistic fancies of the Japanese grafts- 

 man. Many times a great many diiTerent varieties are 

 grafted on one stem. Seedling maples are spliced and 

 tied together when growing. After they have formed 

 a union the desired shoot is cut off — this is kept up until 

 ten or twenty varieties are obtained. Maples thus grafted 

 form lovely features for lawns, their varying hues and 

 types of foliage enhancing each other's beauty. 



" The aesthetic idea shows itself in every line of Japa- 

 nese industry, and especially is it the case with our nursery 

 and landscape gardeners. The most inexperienced need 

 not fear any difficulty in our mode of gardening if he but 

 uses his mind and efforts in the right direction. The skil- 

 ful artist introduces into his miniature garden, not regular 

 geometrical forms, but anything odd, irregular, and artis- 

 tic. To us gardening is not mathematics, but an art ; 

 hills, dales, rivulets, waterfalls, bridges, etc., vie with each 

 other in presenting their quaintest forms and fancies and 

 harmonious symmetries. Dwarfed plants of all descrip- 

 tions deck the scene here and there in thousands of pecul- 

 iarly artistic shapes. We derive lessons from Nature, and 

 strive to imitate her as much as is practicable, although on 

 a smaller scale." 



The Japanese maples belong to the natural order 

 Sapindacecz, and, though differing so widely from most 

 of their congeners in general appearance, are genuine 

 members of the great maple family so widely known 

 throughout the world. And yet they occupy a field in 



