(30) 



broideries from Japan. To the Japanese it is known as Kuro- 

 matsu and has become so endeared to them that with the excep- 

 tion of the Cryptomeria, which we shall meet later, it has been 

 more widely planted than any other tree. The great highways of 

 old Japan were lined with great numbers of these trees. 



As a potted or dwarfed and contorted tree, the Black Pine is 

 very frequently seen in the Japanese miniature gardens. It is 

 also trimmed into fancy hedges and other expressions of clever 

 topiary work. Moreover, it is the species used in Japan as stock 

 for grafting all the other pines and their varieties as, for instance, 

 the Japanese Umbrella-Pines, which we have alreadv encountered. 



In addition to its horticultural value, the Japanese Black-Pine 

 is one of the important forest trees of Japan, where, in the wild, it 

 grows to a height of 130 feet. Its wood, though similar in appear- 

 ance to that of the Japanese Red-Pine, is coarser-grained, more 

 brittle, more resinous, and except for fuel is of considerably less 

 value. It is a species, however, which thrives on both good and 

 bad soils and consequently is much used for reclamation work on 

 sandy sites. Furthermore, it is suited for seaside planting. 



The clumps of needles of this pine form a most distinguishing 

 feature, particularly from a little distance. They appear in groups 

 of twos that seem to have been cut off evenly into nicely rounded 

 tufts. The branchlets are orange-yellow, and the winter buds 

 frequently are conspicuously large and silvery. 



Three more of these trees stand directly opposite on the right- 

 hand side of the path. 



We now ascend the slight incline ahead of us, following the 

 path, pass the rocky formation on our left, and soon come to a 

 small pine near the path. It is 



Pinus sinensis, the China Pine 



This is a relatively unimportant tree from the cold-temperate 

 and subalpine levels of the mountains of central and western China 

 and from Korea. The leaves vary in number but generally occur 

 in twos. The wood of this species has been used in China for 

 general construction purposes and shipbuilding. 



