216 TAXODINEA: 
it was ordained that a heavy penalty—that of burying 
alive—should be imposed upon its custodians should 
there be any dereliction on their part of their sacred 
obligation. 
We do not for one moment suggest that the in- 
fliction of any penalty, beyond the stings of conscience, 
should be imposed upon those who neglected the 
sacred duty of planting ornamental trees in meet 
places. The only moral that we would point and 
deferentially submit, is that here among us an ancient 
usage, the practice of planting Deciduous Cypresses 
in proper places, is in danger of extinction. 
As it was the sacred duty of these vestal virgins 
to keep up the fire dedicated to Venus—the goddess 
of beauty—who, among other tutelary avocations, 
undertook the guarding of the family hearth, so do 
we equally think that it is a sacred duty for those 
who own and occupy lands to maintain to the utmost 
the beauty of all scenes upon earth. And, finally, 
that they could not better act up to this idea, and 
upon the moral of this story, than by redirecting 
their attention to the planting of this most picturesque 
of trees, that goes by the name of the Deciduous 
Cypress. 
CRYPTOMERIA JAPONICA.— 
Some may perchance, with strange surprise, 
Have blundered into Paradise, 
In vasty dusk of lifé abroad. 
/ Francis THOMPSON, 
The Cryptomeria claims a Greek origin for the rather 
mysterious sounding but euphonious name conferred 
upon it. The Greek word xpvumros signifies hidden, 
and the word pépos share, and we are told that it 
was‘so christened on account of a hidden relationship 
with the Cedar. 
