zakura. Those souvenir trees, planted along the tidal 
basin of the Potomac River, Washington, for a distance 
of six miles, have since attained full growth and de- 
veloped into a splendid cherry grove, due to the care and 
protection of the authorities concerned, and with their 
beautiful blooms year after year, they please the eyes 
of Washington’s admiring citizens. 
Since the enactment in 1919 of the Law for the 
Preservation of Places of Scenic Beauty and the Pro- 
tection of Historic and Natural Monuments, most of 
the noted flower resorts, and many giant or noted cherry 
trees in different parts of the country, have come to: 
receive special care and attention as ‘“ protected”’ under 
this measure. 
As stated above, the origin and history of the cul- 
ture of cherries in this country are very old and remote. 
The love of cherry blossoms has become interwoven in 
the national characteristics of the Japanese people, and 
the cherry flower has come to be fooked upon as the 
national flower of the country. Of the numerous kinds 
of cherries, the most common and most appealing to the 
taste of the majority of the nation, on account of its 
being adapted to its environment and manifesting nature’s 
beauty to the fullest advantage, is the species known as 
Yama-zakura (the mountain cherries) that is to be found 
in abundance in wooded districts everywhere throughout 
the land. Because of the simple and dignified beauty 
of their flowers, and also because of their elegance, the 
mountain cherries have enjoyed, and still continue to 
enjoy, beyond all others, the privilege of being the object 
of universal love and admiration. In consequence many 
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