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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The suitability of the soil is most important. In this, too, we have 

 had to deal with a good but rather heavy loam ; hence, by adding farm- 

 yard and stable manure, with peat where needed, the ground was brought 

 into condition without any removal of soil. Nor was it necessary for us 

 to add many drains to carry off any excess of water ; the surrounding 

 trees operated in this instance to assist us. Personally, I attach great 

 importance to the preparation of the soil by deep trenching, so that the 

 plants will have everything in their favour from this source. We did 

 the work of preparation in the winter of 1900-1, but could do very little 

 planting until late in the spring ; thus we had time to get the ground 

 into fairly good condition. All of it was broken up at least three feet 

 deep, and manure worked into every " spit." The stones for paths were 

 laid before much planting was done. No regular plan was adopted, the 

 most formal part of any being a bamboo avenue (fig. 1), which was a distinct 

 feature in the garden at Bellaggio ; all other parts are of informal and 

 irregular formation. We could not have our pools any lower because of 

 the depth of the entrance to the main overflow drain, hence the ground 

 is not so undulating as it would otherwise have been. The water is 

 supplied through bamboo poles with wrought-iron pipes put inside of 

 them so as to guard against leakage. 



Those who conduct gardening operations within a certain radius of 

 any large city or manufacturing centre know full well what has to be 

 contended with as regards the smoke-begrimed atmosphere and its 

 attendant fogs, heavily laden with sulphurous gases. This too has to be 

 considered ; hence in our case to attempt to cultivate any large quantity 

 of the coniferae that form such remarkable objects in the landscape of 

 Japan would only be to court failure. In a degree this has been un- 

 fortunate, as it prevented us from keeping so closely to what is considered 

 to be one of the chief characteristics of gardening art in Japan, viz. the 

 pigmy or dwarfed shrubs and trees, now so well known in England. Not 

 that all Japanese gardens are designed on these lines, for I have been 

 favoured with the sight of many photographs which did away somewhat 

 with this idea as to what constitutes a Japanese garden. This was 

 especially noticeable in the photographs brought home by the Hon. Miss 

 Eoche (now the Countess Hochberg), and likewise in the paintings 

 executed in Japan by Miss Ella Du Cane, which were exhibited in 

 London last year. In the former instance the photographs exemplified 

 the adaptation of the natural growth of the plants chosen to the 

 surroundings. I noted in these photographs also that shade-loving 

 plants were provided for more than one would be led to suppose. This 

 is, I think, as it should be. In another set of landscape views taken by 

 a gentleman whose name I cannot recall, it may be noted that both 

 phases of Japanese landscape design are illustrated. In some of these 

 the free woody growth and its attendant shade are clearly manifest, and 

 a most welcome retreat thereby provided during the hot weather. 



The chief season, or that which one sees most frequently depicted in 

 designs upon china or in paintings, is the spring. This is a subject 

 matter which has to be considered in the formation of a Japanese garden 

 in this country. The question must be asked, " In what season of the 

 year is the garden in question expected to be at its best ? " In our case 



