II. IMPROVEMENT OF FLOWER 
CHARACTER IN CHERRIES 
Cherry trees possess innate mutability. If we seek 
traces of this natural mutability in Yama-zakura, or 
mountain cherries that grow in mountains or forests, 
we find that they are not uniform in the colour of 
their young foliage, the size of their flowers, the shape 
of their petals, and in other respects, but they are 
different in various individuals although the trees be- 
long to one and the same species. When the wild 
cherry trees are cultivated, the degree of this natural 
mutability in the offsprings of the trees becomes more 
remarkable. The trees with single flowers will some- 
times bear double flowers. Some trees will even pro- 
duce fragrant flowers. 
In Sato-zakura, or domestic. cherries, the tendency 
of this innate mutability is much more pronounced. 
“he flowers of the seed-plants are larger in size and 
richer in colour than those of the parent trees, with a 
greater number of petals. In some instances, the 
flowers have a stronger fragrance. The traces of 
mutability are very frequently found in Higan-zakura 
(equinox cherries), Shidare-zakura (weeping cherries) 
and Fuji-zakura (Fuji cherries) mentioned elsewhere. 
Somei-Yoshino (Somei cherries). have a lower degree 
of mutability. The richness of mutability accounts for 
the abundance of the natural and garden varieties of 
Japanese cherry trees. 
~33 
