106 
NURSERY-GARDENS. 
Chap. VU. 
country-looking road, lined with neatly clipped 
hedges. Here I found a large number of nursery 
gardens, richly stocked with the ornamental plants 
of the country. Crowds of people followed us, and, 
although they were rather noisy, and anxious to 
see such a strange sight as a foreigner in these out- 
of-the-way places, they were, upon the whole, par- 
ticularly civil and easily managed and controlled. 
As I entered a nursery the gates were quietly 
closed upon the people, who waited patiently 
until I came out, and then they followed me on to 
the next. The yakoneens seemed to be greatly 
respected, or feared it may be, but, at all events, a 
look, a word, or a movement of the fan, was quite 
sufficient to preserve the most perfect order. 
I visited garden after garden in succession. 
Each was crowded with plants, some cultivated in 
pots and others in the open ground, many of which 
were entirely new to Europe, and of great interest 
and value. Every now and then my yakoneens 
informed me that the garden I happened to be in 
at the time was the last one in the lane, but I told 
them goodhumouredly I would go on a little 
further and satisfy myself. This they could not 
object to, and, as more gardens were found, they 
only smiled and said they had been misinformed. 
My old experience in China was of good service to 
me here. There is nothing like patience, polite- 
ness, and good humour, with these Orientals, 
whether they present themselves as noisy crowds 
or crafty officials. 
