12 



THE ECONOMIC PLANTS OE JAPAA. 



claim in which I am inclined to concur up to certain 

 limits. The regular and severe pruning keeps the form- 

 ation of superfluous wood in check and impels the ener- 

 gies of the tree toward the production of fruit. Again, 

 the fruit does not blow off, it is more easily thinned and 

 picked, and insect pests, which are numerous, are more 

 readily kept under control. 



A brief description of a visit to a pear grower in Kaw- 

 asaki may serve to give an idea of the condition of this 

 branch of the industry there, and it is, in the main, the 

 same elsewhere. In company with several students of 

 the college, we made our way to the village and inquired 

 for one of the most prominent pear growers. He and 

 his landlord (for we discovered that the cultivator bad 

 leased the orchard) were soon found, and, leading the 

 way to the orchard, they courteously answered all our 

 questions. The landlord owned an orchard of fifteen 

 tan (334 acres — a tan is nearly I4 acre), all of which was 

 rented by our host. It was a young orchard in full 

 bearing, comprising many varieties. The trees were 

 vigorous and healthy, and showed skill in their manage- 

 ment, and all were trained on the horizontal trellisi 

 which formed an uninterrupted network over the whole 

 area. The ground was bare, and broken only often 

 enough to suppress weeds, but nothing was cultivated 

 between the rows. The yearly items of expense per tan 



were given as follows : 



Rent *Yen 5.00 



40 tubs nightsoil applied about trees 3.00 



Bamboo poles to repair trellis 2.00 



Straw rope to tie with i.oo 



Cost of tying and pruning 2.50 



Picking insects, first time (trees in bloom) 7.50 



" " second time 3.00 



Weeding 2.50 



— Total cost Yi acre 26.50 



* The silver yen is of the same value as the Mexican dollar. 



To offset this the gross receipts varied with the season 

 from 40 to 60 yen per tan, or sometimes more, leaving 

 in round numbers a profit of from $55 to $135 per acre. 

 He paid the laborers 25 cents per day, and they boarded 

 themselves. 



The heaviest item of expense is for the destruction of 

 insects. Using no poisons, and having no spraying 

 pumps, the work is done by hand. A moth lays its eggs 

 in the flower at the base of the pistil, and the larva is 

 removed as soon as it hatches, before it has buried itself 

 in the young fruit. This is delicate work, and as I was 

 told, could not be trusted to women and children, who 

 could be had cheaper than men ; but the work richly 

 repays the outlay. It is to be regretted that so much 

 skill and patience should be expended on so poor a qual- 

 ity of fruit. The people, however, relish these pears, 

 which may be found on the fruit stands from July of 

 one year till June of the next, selling for one to three 

 cents each. 



Pyrus communis, L. Jap., Seiyit-nashi . — The common 

 pear. It has been introduced from the west, and is 

 grown here and there, chiefly around the open ports ; 



but the fruit is never seen in the market, and is practi- 

 cally unknown to the people. 



Pyrus Malus, L. Jap., Seiyni-Ringo. — The apple. It 

 is said that this species is indigenous to Japan, but if so, 

 it has never been improved. American varieties were 

 introduced some years ago, and for a while propagated 

 on an extensive scale by the Colonization Department, 

 a department of the government organized and conduct- 

 ed with a view to facilitate the settlement of the island 

 of Yezo with Japanese, and large numbers of trees thus 

 raised were planted at the centres of settlement. These 

 trees are doing well, and a large portion of their fruit is 

 shipped down to Tokio every fall, where it meets with a 

 ready market. 



Canadian and Californian apples were also shipped to 

 Japan, and could at times be had in Tokio. They sold 

 for the enormous price of from fifteen to eighteen cents 

 per pound, and were thus a costly luxury for the foreign- 

 ers living there. Apple trees, which also originated 

 from the source mentioned above, could be found now 

 and then in the neighborhood of Tokio, but they were 

 poor bearers and short-lived in the light, porous soil. 



Pyrus Malus, var. tomentosa, Koch (/■. prcecox, 

 Miq.). Jap,, Ringo. — This form, a kind of crab apple, is 

 indigenous and is sometimes cultivated. There are sev- 

 eral varieties, all with small long-stemmed fruit, with- 

 out much merit. One of the best, called Riukiu or Beni- 

 Ringo, is illustrated in fig. 4, page 10. It is grown some- 

 what in the province Aidzu, is bright red, with fine, crisp 

 flesh and fair flavor, but does not merit special attention. 



Pyrus ToRiNGO, Sieb. and Zucc. (/". Sieboldii, Kegel). 

 Jap., DzKini, Odziiini, Yalsic-momo. — This is an indige- 

 nous species with very small, long-stemmed apples, 

 which it bears in great abundance. Fig. 9, page 17, 

 gives an illustration of a bearing twig. They are not 

 edible till after frost, when they fall off. They are then 

 gathered and packed in salt for a season, after which 

 they are eaten. A tree of this kind may be seen now 

 and then in rambling through the country, but not often. 

 There are at least two varieties, one with red fruit and 

 one with yellow. The bark of both kinds is used as a 

 yellow dyestuff. These little apples are sometimes 

 grown for ornament in Europe, particularly the red va- 

 riety, which, when loaded with fruit, is a striking object 

 in an autumn landscape. 



Pyrus Cydonia, L. [Cydonia vulgaris). Jap., I\/arzi- 

 ?nero. — The Quince. The common quince of the west 

 has been introduced, and may occasionally be seen grow- 

 ing about Tokio, but it can scarcely be said to be known 

 outside of experimental and scientific collections, except 

 perhaps, in the northern island, where, as already men- 

 tioned, foreign fruits have been planted somewhat largely 

 under the auspices of the Kaitakushi (Colonization De- 

 partment), which is now abolished. 



Pyrus Japonica, Thunb., var. genuina, Maxim. {Cy- 

 donia Japoiiica, Persoon ; Chivnomeh's Japonica, Lindley.) 

 Jap., Boke. — A description of Japanese fruits would not 

 be complete without some mention of this shrub, or Jap- 

 anese quince, as it is sometimes called, though being 



