94 MANDARINS’ GARDENS. [Cuar. VI. 
the owner of the plant presented himself, and asked 
me if I had made up my mind upon the subject. 
I told him that I would take the plants to Hong- 
kong, where I was going at the time; that they 
would soon flower there; and that, if they proved 
yellow, he should have his money. This, however, 
he would not consent to; and at last we compro- 
mised the matter, I agreeing to pay half the money 
down, and the other half when the plants flowered, 
providing they were “true.” On these conditions 
I got the camellias, and took them with me to 
Hong-kong. It is almost needless to say that when 
they flowered there was nothing yellow about.them 
but the stamens, for they were both semi-double 
worthless kinds. 
The gardens of the Mandarins in the city of 
Ning-po are very pretty and unique; they contain 
a choice selection of the ornamental trees and shrubs 
of China, and generally a considerable number of 
dwarf trees. Many of the latter are really curious, 
and afford another example of the patience and 
ingenuity of this people. Some of the specimens 
are only a few inches high, and yet seem hoary 
with age. Not only are they trained to represent 
old trees in miniature, but some are made to resem- 
ble the fashionable pagodas of the country, and 
others different kinds of animals, amongst which 
the deer seems to be the favourite. Junipers are 
generally chosen for the latter purpose, as they 
can be more readily bent into the desired form ; 
the eyes and tongue are added afterwards, and the 
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