JAPANESE II ORTI CULTURE. 



21 



-Shiro-Niiiji7i (Pastinaca sativa). — The parsnip is not a native of 

 Japan and is very rarely eaten. 



Daikon (Raphanus sativus). — The radish has been very widely culti- 

 vated throughout the country since time immemorial, and the quantity 

 produced exceeds that of any other vegetable ; there are very many 

 varieties. The crops of ordinary kinds are taken in the autumn, but others 

 in the spring or the summer, and some are biennial. Of the ordinary 

 kinds the largest are produced in Sakurajima Island, south cf Kyushu ; 

 they are about two feet in diameter and weigh five stones ; some are more 

 than four feet in length. This vegetable is chiefly eaten pickled or boiled. 

 The imported radish is not much cultivated. 



Yugobou (Arctium Lappa). — The burdock has long been cultivated, 

 and there are many varieties ; it is eaten boiled. 



Satswnaimo (Ipomcea Batatas) has been long used as the potato is 

 in the West, and is most popular with the female sex ; there are some 

 fifty or sixty varieties, some red-skinned, and some white or yellow. It is 

 eaten boiled, and widely used as an ingredient for cakes. 



Oniyuri (Lilium tigrinum), the Tiger lily. — The bulb of this 

 vegetable is used in Japan in cookery in various ways, and is sometimes 

 made into flour ; it is produced more or less throughout the country. In 

 England it seems to me that it is cultivated simply for producing 

 decorative flowers ; similarly in Japan cherry trees are cultivated with 

 little regard for the edible properties cf the fruit, but with the view cf 

 obtaining large quantities cf blossom. 



Hasu (Nelumbium speciosum), the Lotus or Sacred lily. — This 

 subaqueous root is eaten in Japan and constitutes one of the most 

 important vegetables. In the West it appears to be another example cf 

 an edible plant being cultivated solely for decorative purposes. 



Chyrogi (Stachys Sieboldi). — The hedge nettle is cultivated in Japan 

 merely for making pickles. 



Kmcai (Sagittaria sagitta^folia). — The arrowhead is much eaten, and 

 is grown in marshy ground. There are many varieties. 



Kikuimo (Helianthus tuberosus). — The Jerusalem artichoke has been 

 recently imported and is not much cultivated. 



Yamaimo (Dioscorea Batatas). — The yam grows wild, and is cultivated 

 in gardens as well. There are many varieties. 



Haramonshin (Tragopogon porrifolius), the vegetable oyster, and 

 Kikugobo (Scorzonera hispanica) are cf recent import and not used in 

 Japanese cookery. 



Satoimo (Colocasia antiquorum). — The cccoa root has long been 

 cultivated in Japan, and the leaves cf some species can .be eaten. In this 

 country the genus is represented by stove herbaceous plants, but I do not 

 think its root is used in cookery. 



Bakkyo (Allium Bakeri). — Garlic is cultivated for pickles in the same 

 way as young onions in this country. 



2. Vegetables with Edible Leaves, Stalks, or Flowees. 



Oranda kijikakushi (Asparagus officinalis;. — Asparagus has been 

 imported since the Reformation and is gradually becoming more popular. 



