Lessons from Japan 



223 



A Well-kept Forest of Timber Bamboo (Phyllostachys qirilioi) 



A bamboo stem, or culm, attains its full height — 40, 60, or 100 feet — in a single season. 

 It is allowed to stand for 3 or 4 years before cutting in order that it may harden. The 

 shining stem is hollow and is divided into joints or knots by the crossing of the vascular 

 bundles of fibers. There are many varieties of the bamboo plant, from the species which 

 is woven into mats to the tall bamboo tree which the Chinaman uses for the mast of his 

 large boat. One variety is cultivated as a vegetable, and the young shoots eaten like 

 asparagus, or they may be salted, pickled, or preserved. 



