to the spirits of loved ones. With the 

 Japanese the word " garden " does not 

 always signify a place where plants 

 grow. It may be acres in extent or it 

 may be encompassed by the walls of 

 a tiny dish. It is always a product of 

 art and is nearly always beautiful. 



In the gardens of the well-to-do you 

 will generally find a pondlet where 

 there are beautiful water-lilies whose 

 bright green leaf-disks float peacefully 

 upon the surface, and many lotus 

 plants of two kinds, pink and white, 

 grow there also. It is a delight to 

 watch every phase of the marvellous 

 growth of these plants, from the first 

 unrolling of the leaf to the fall of the 

 last flower. On rainy days they are 

 particularly worth studying. Their 

 great cup-shaped leaves, swaying high 

 above the pond, catch and hold the 

 rain. After the water reaches a certain 

 height the stem bends, and the leaf, 

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