﻿518 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  most 
  easily 
  accessible 
  of 
  these 
  hills, 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  native 
  vegeta- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  cultivated 
  land 
  are 
  on 
  every 
  side. 
  Bright 
  green 
  fields 
  

   of 
  barley 
  and 
  golden 
  fields 
  of 
  rape-plants 
  appear 
  as 
  if 
  planted 
  

   solely 
  for 
  decorative 
  purposes, 
  so 
  completely 
  do 
  they 
  adjust 
  

   themselves 
  to 
  the 
  tone 
  of 
  the 
  landscape. 
  The 
  angular 
  conifers 
  

   seem 
  far 
  more 
  irregular 
  and 
  picturesque 
  than 
  even 
  the 
  most 
  con- 
  

   torted 
  on 
  our 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  It 
  is 
  instructive 
  to 
  correct, 
  or 
  at 
  

   least 
  check, 
  this* 
  impression 
  by 
  a 
  strict 
  comparison 
  of 
  photographs 
  

   of 
  trees 
  having 
  somewhat 
  similar 
  port. 
  On 
  the 
  Maine 
  coast 
  one 
  

   can 
  find 
  specimens 
  of 
  Pinus 
  rigida 
  and 
  even 
  battered 
  examples 
  

   of 
  Pinus 
  Strobus 
  which 
  are 
  quite 
  as 
  grotesque 
  as 
  any 
  which 
  grow 
  

   naturally 
  in 
  Japan, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  to 
  find 
  in 
  

   America 
  miles 
  after 
  miles 
  of 
  trees 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  regard 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   prieties 
  of 
  growth. 
  And 
  further, 
  in 
  Japan, 
  when 
  by 
  the 
  skillful 
  

   lopping 
  off 
  of 
  a 
  branch 
  here 
  or 
  there, 
  the 
  grotesque 
  effect 
  can 
  be 
  

   heightened 
  in 
  a 
  tree 
  near 
  a 
  dwelling, 
  or 
  plainly 
  in 
  sight 
  of 
  one, 
  

   such 
  artistic 
  pruning 
  is 
  pretty 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  done. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  once 
  for 
  all 
  that 
  the 
  Japanese 
  give 
  a 
  naturalist 
  

   to 
  understand 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  heartily 
  welcome 
  to 
  examine 
  their 
  plants 
  

   to 
  any 
  extent, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  poorest 
  classes 
  take 
  pleasure 
  in 
  afford- 
  

   ing 
  such 
  information 
  regarding 
  their 
  plants 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  their 
  

   power. 
  All 
  are 
  very 
  lenient 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  what 
  might 
  strictly 
  be 
  

   called 
  trespassing 
  on 
  private 
  grounds. 
  Time 
  did 
  not 
  permit 
  me 
  

   to 
  visit 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  gardens 
  in 
  Kobe, 
  for 
  it 
  was 
  desirable 
  to 
  reach 
  

   Tokio 
  in 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  Cherry-blossom 
  season, 
  then 
  so 
  close 
  

   at 
  hand. 
  Reserving 
  the 
  railroad 
  ride 
  for 
  another 
  occasion, 
  we 
  

   went 
  by 
  steamer 
  to 
  Yokohama, 
  the 
  principal 
  port 
  of 
  Japan, 
  and 
  

   did 
  not 
  again 
  arrive 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Kobe 
  until 
  some 
  weeks 
  

   after. 
  By 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  spring 
  transformation 
  was 
  complete. 
  

   The 
  trees 
  then 
  had 
  much 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  ours 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   states, 
  in 
  June. 
  

  

  Yokohama 
  offers 
  to 
  the 
  botanist 
  some 
  profitable 
  excursions 
  

   within 
  the 
  treaty 
  limits, 
  where 
  one 
  can 
  travel 
  without 
  a 
  passport. 
  

   By 
  courtesy, 
  the 
  Japanese 
  government 
  permits 
  foreigners 
  to 
  

   pass 
  and 
  repass, 
  on 
  certain 
  definite 
  and 
  yet 
  very 
  generous 
  lines. 
  

   Obedience 
  to 
  local 
  laws, 
  and 
  strict 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  limitations 
  of 
  

   the 
  passport, 
  cover 
  all 
  the 
  requirements, 
  for 
  comfortable 
  botaniz- 
  

   ing 
  or 
  collecting. 
  There 
  are 
  nineteen 
  fixed 
  routes 
  which 
  cover 
  all 
  

   the 
  more 
  interesting 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  empire, 
  and 
  for 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  

   routes 
  one 
  passport 
  is 
  demanded. 
  It 
  is 
  obtained 
  on 
  application 
  

   to 
  the 
  American 
  Consul 
  at 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  treaty 
  ports, 
  who 
  transmits 
  

   the 
  request 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  Legation 
  at 
  the 
  capital, 
  Tokio, 
  where 
  

   the 
  American 
  Minister 
  procures 
  the 
  documents 
  from 
  the 
  foreign 
  

   office. 
  The 
  passport, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  made 
  use, 
  permitted 
  me 
  to 
  

   travel 
  from 
  Yokohama 
  to 
  Nikko 
  and 
  vicinity 
  by 
  rail 
  ; 
  thence 
  by 
  

   regular 
  routes 
  to 
  Kozuke, 
  Shinano, 
  Musashi, 
  Sagami, 
  Kai, 
  Su- 
  

   ruga, 
  and 
  Totomi 
  to 
  Nagoya, 
  Kioto, 
  and 
  Kobe, 
  with 
  permission 
  

   to 
  visit 
  Kara, 
  en 
  route. 
  This 
  passport 
  was 
  required 
  only 
  at 
  the 
  

   railway 
  stations 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  hotels 
  and 
  inns, 
  but 
  was 
  not 
  asked 
  for 
  

   on 
  any 
  walk 
  or 
  short 
  excursion. 
  These 
  facts 
  are 
  mentioned 
  here, 
  

  

  