Chap. XII. 
EXTRAORDINARY GLYCINE. 
formerly noticed. The large garden attached to 
this “Mansion of Plum-trees” was now in great 
beauty. The trees were in full leaf, forming shady 
walks and avenues where travellers or visitors 
could shelter themselves from the sun’s rays, which 
were now becoming more powerful every day. The 
pretty waiting-maids brought us sundry cups of 
tea with different kinds of cake. Pleasant, very 
pleasant, was that “ Mansion of Plum-trees,” but it 
was necessary to “ move on.” 
Leaving the Tokaido behind us, we took a bridle- 
path which led us more inland, and soon after- 
wards we struck a broad country road, by which 
we journeyed onwards in the direction of the 
capital. On our way we called at a place called 
Nanka-nobu to see a large specimen of Glycine 
sinensis , which was one of the lions in this part of 
the country. It was evidently a tree of great age. 
It measured, at three feet from the ground, seven 
feet in circumference, and covered a space of trellis- 
work sixty feet by one hundred and two feet. The 
trellis was about eight feet in height, and many 
thousands of the long racemes of the glycine hung 
down nearly half-way to the ground. One of them, 
which I measured, was three feet six inches in 
length. The thousands of long, drooping, lilac 
racemes had a most extraordinary and beautiful 
appearance. People came from far and near to see 
the tree during the time it remained in bloom ; 
and as it was in the garden of a public tea-house, 
it brought an extensive custom to the proprietor. 
