114 VARIEGATED PLANTS. Chap. VII. 
in this way, they have little inclination to make 
vigorous growth. 
The most remarkable feature in the nurseries of 
Su-mae-yah and Dang-o-zaka is the large number 
of plants with variegated leaves. It is only a very 
few years since our taste in Europe led us to take 
an interest in and to admire those curious freaks 
of nature called variegated plants. For anything 
I know to the contrary, the Japanese have been 
cultivating this taste for a thousand years. The 
result is that they have in cultivation, in a varie- 
gated state, almost all the ornamental plants of the 
country, and many of these are strikingly hand- 
some. Here is a list of a few to give some idea 
of the extent and number of these extraordinary 
productions : — Pines, Junipers, Retinosporas, Podo- 
carpus, Illiciums, Andromeda japonica, Euryas, Ele- 
agnus, Pittosporum Tobira , Euonymus (yellow), 
Aralia, Laurus, Salisburia adiantifolia. I have 
already said we must look upon the Aucuba japonica 
of our gardens as only a variegated variety of that 
species. Then there is a variegated orchid! a 
variegated palm ! a variegated camellia ! and even 
the tea-plant is duly represented in this “happy 
family ! ” The beautiful Sciadopitys verticillata , 
which is no doubt “one of the finest conifers in 
Asia,” has produced a variety which has golden- 
striped leaves. 
It may readily be imagined that I was able to 
select a great number of new ornamental shrubs 
and trees which will one day, it is hoped, produce a 
