lio 
JOrrnKAL  of  nOUTrcULTUkE  and  cottage  OARDENEk. 
Jtlly  s5,  1M8. 
each  node  one  aide  was  compressed  and  the  other  elongated.  At  first 
sight  one  might  naturally  suppose  that  this  was  caused  artificially,  but 
subsequent  specimens  which  I  saw  conclusively  proved  this  mode  of 
growth  to  be  but  a  peculiarity  of  the  variety.  Locally  it  is  known  as 
the  “  Tortoiseshell  ’’  Bamboo,  certainly  a  most  applicable  name  ;  the 
stem,  quite  straight,  was  about  8  feet  high,  with  a  smalhgrowing  head. 
The  garden  was  very  pretty,  and  contained  some  little  boats  with  sail 
set,  made  of  Cherries  and  trained  evergreens.  Much  Rice  is  cultivated 
around  Yokohama,  and  I  fancy  in  no  very  different  way  from  what  is 
usual  in  the  Far  East.  All  one  sees  at  this  season  are  bunches  of  black 
stumps,  the  remains  of  last  year’s  crop.  The  private  residences  are 
prettiiy  surrounded  with  Conifer  hedges,  and  occasionally  possess  small 
gardens.  The  hedges  are  chiefly  Retinosporas,  and  sometimes  Crypto- 
meria  japonica,  though  I  have  seen  several  good  ones  of  Citrus  trifoliata. 
A  Pinus,  which  1  think  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  is  P.  densiflora,  is 
also  largely  represented,  both  wild  and  cultivated,  frequently  in  porcelain 
jars,  trained  into  curious  shapes. 
*#**•■* 
April,  1892. — Whilst  at  Tokio  1  was  able  to  visit  some  private  gardens, 
two  of  which  belonged  to  the  Emperor  ;  they  were  both  pretty,  though 
not  large.  The  first  contains  a  large  pond,  spanned  by  a  wooden  bridge 
shaded  by  flat-trained  Wistarias.  The  Oaks,  Pines,  Maples,  Podocarpus, 
Sciadopitys,  and  Camellias  formed  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  vegeta¬ 
tion.  One  of  the  prettiest  gardens  I  saw  at  Tokio  belonged  to  a  friend 
of  Mr.  Yoshida,  a  young  lawyer.  The  whole  of  the  centre  was  occupied 
by  a  pond  surrounded  by  uneven  sloping  banks,  on  which  were  trained 
Pines,  clipped  Red  Maples  and  Retinosporas,  whilst  on  the  highest 
points  are  stone  lanterns ;  the  whole  arrangement  is  very  effective. 
These  lanterns,  corresponding  to  the  mandarin’s  umbrella  still  in  use  in 
China,  were  once  a  sign  of  nobility,  and  were  borne  in  front  of  the 
Daimios  in  former  times.  Each  bears  the  crest  of  its  owner,  and  it  was 
customary  for  wealthy  men  to  present  stone  rejiliques  of  their  family 
lanterns  to  temples  and  shrines.  The  temples  in  Shiba  have  many 
hundred  such  about  7  feet  high,  standing  in  rows. 
I  visited  an  interesting  horticultural  exhibition  in  Uyeno  Park. 
Amongst  the  most  noteworthy  objects  was  the  cultivation  of  the  Acorns 
gramineus.  In  low  flat  trays,  from  6  to  24  inches  long,  are  small  atones 
covered  with  water  to  represent  a  lake  and  rocks  ;  in  this  is  a  larger 
stone,  often  red  or  white,  though  more  usually  of  a  greyish  tinge,  and 
on  this  stone  are  one  or  two  elumps  of  Acorus  of  the  brightest  pea 
green,  living  and  growing  thick  and  straight  in  the  barest  film  of  soil. 
The  stone  chosen  is  often  of  varied  and  curious  shape,  to  heighten  the 
effect.  Another  curiosity  which  promises  to  be  pretty  later  in  the 
season  is  Davallia  bullata.  The  rhizomes  of  this  Fern  are  bound  together 
by  wire  into  all  sorts  of  shapes — balls,  anchors,  ships,  birds,  &c.  These 
shapes  are  strong  solid  masses  of  living  rhizome  and  moss,  tightly  and 
firmly  held  by  wire,  and  I  was  told  that  when  in  leaf  nothing  is  seen  but 
the  image  in  Davallia  foliage. 
Tokio  is  a  huge  place,  the  distances  are  great,  and  the  means  of 
locomotion  slow  but  certainly  cheap.  For  long  distances  one  must  have 
two  men  to  a  jinricksha,  costiag  nearly  fis.  a  day.  As  a  rule,  however, 
one  can  manage  with  one  man,  though  if  the  day  be  hot  and  the  journey 
long  the  pace  is  very  slow.  Around  the  Imperial  Palace,  Legations,  the 
hotel,  and  one  or  two  of  the  principal  streets  it  is  fairly  easy  to  find 
one’s  way  ;  but  once  in  the  side  streets  one  soon  gets  lost,  so  strikingly 
similar  is  the  one  to  the  other,  and  there  is  in  reality  but  very  little 
difference  between  them.  One  curious  thing  is  that  to  a  European  all 
the  individuals  in  Eastern  nationalities  resemble  each  other  very  closely. 
One  has  to  meet  a  Jap  at  least  two  or  three  times  before  one  would 
recognise  him  again  amongst  others  ;  with  Chinamen  it  is  still  worse, 
and  the  same  is  noticeable  in  India.  White  men,  on  the  other  hand, 
equally  resemble  each  other  to  Easterns,  and  they  rarely  recognise  a 
European  until  they  have  seen  him  several  times.  The  other  day  a  Jap 
told  mo  I  was  in  his  grounds  only  on  the  day  before — a  startling  asser¬ 
tion.  as  1  had  never  been  near  the  place.  All  Englishmen  find  the  same 
tning,  unless  they  have  resided  some  time  in  a  country,  and  have  learned 
to  notice  more  trifling  details  about  persons  than  casual  visitors  are  able 
to  do.  One  cause  of  the  difficulty  is  that  all  young  Chinese  and  most 
young  Japs  are  clean  shaven,  only  elderly  men,  especially  in  China, 
wearing  even  a  moustache. 
^ 
My  first  halting  place  was  Kamakura,  chiefly  celebrated  for  its  great 
bronze  figure  of  Buddha,  known  as  the  Daibutsu,  the  interior  of  which 
is  used  as  a  temple.  The  figure  is  49 J  feet  high  and  97  feet  in  circum¬ 
ference  ;  but  perhaps  a  better  idea  of  its  size  may  be  formed  from  the 
following  dimensions  (the  whole  being,  of  course,  in  proportion)  : — 
Circumference  of  thumb  3  feet,  length  of  eye  4  feet  (these  are  said  t-  be 
of  pare  gold).  The  figure  is  formed  of  sheets  of  bronze,  cast  separately, 
and  welded  together.  The  temple  of  Hachiman  is  also  prettily  situated 
near  the  same  village,  and  approached  through  a  fine  avenue  of  Pines, 
which  merges  into  two  yoang  groves  of  Cryptomeria.  In  front  of  the 
temple  is  a  grand  and  historically  famous  Ginkgo  nearly  20  feet  in 
circumference,  and  not  far  distant,  on  the  banks  of  a  Lotas  pond,  are 
three  Willows,  stated  to  be  nearly  700  years  old.  Ilex  integrifolia  was 
flowering  well  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  so  freely  as  to  make  it 
really  pretty — large  close  bashes  some  20  feet  high.  1  clambered  up 
the  hill  behind  the  temple,  and  found  Iris  japonica  growing  and  flower¬ 
ing  freely.  I  have  since  seen  it  in  other  places  in  still  greater  quantity. 
Aroand  this  village  and  in  the  temples,  Rohdeas,  Dendropanax  japonicam. 
Cherries,  and  Maple  (Acer  palmatum)  are  not  uncommon.  The  temples 
alone  have  a  few  Red  Maples,  In  the  surrounding  country  Barley  and 
Beans,  as  in  the  whole  of  the  Hakone  district,  are  largely  cultivated  ; 
the  former  looks  magnificent.  Rice  is  still  backward. 
*  .1«  jS  #  if. 
I  made  an  excursion  to  Ibori,  a  village  fifteen  miles  out  of  Nagoya, 
reached  by  jinricksha  over  a  very  bad  road — the  asnal  condition  of  all 
country  roads  in  Japan.  This  mode  of  travelling  long  distances  is 
most  trying,  and  after  several  hoars’  riding  every  bone  in  one’s  body 
seems  to  ache.  No  wonder  Europeans  rarely  leave  the  beaten  track, 
but  confine  their  attention  to  a  few  of  the  principal  towns.  In  the 
village  are  several  small  nurseries,  chiefly  containing  neat  rows  of 
Variegated  Maples,  Sciadopitys,  Cryptomerias,  Retinosporas,  Podo¬ 
carpus,  &c.  Azalea  mollis,  in  large  bashes,  was  flowering  well.  In  this 
part  of  the  country  the  sides  of  the  hills  are  often  covered  with  low- 
growing  Azaleas,  a  brick-red  small-flowered  species  predominating,  and 
when  thus  massed  they  produce  a  most  charming  effect ;  it  may  with 
truth  be  said  that  the  Azaleas  arc  to  Japan  what  the  He'aths  are  to 
Europe.  A  very  pretty  plant  I  saw  flowering  in  one  of  these  nurseries 
was  Rehmannia  glutinosa,  of  which  there  were  several  clumps  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  Cycas.  Though  only  growing  a  few  inches  high,  it 
produces  tubular  flowers  of  a  pleasing  purp'e  colour,  and  about  2  inches 
long,  somewhat  like  those  of  our  common  Foxglove,  to  which  the  plant 
is  closely  allied,  and  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  it  distinctly 
decorative.  In  the  village  is  nothing  remarkable,  except  an  old  Pine 
with  a  straight  stem  about  6  feet  high,  and  a  flat-trained  head  covering 
many  square  yards  ;  it  is  neatly  and  cleverly  trained. 
From  Otsu  beyond  Nagoya  I  came  to  Kyoto,  vid  the  Temple  of 
Miidera,  the  village  of  Karasaki,  and  the  mountain  Hiei-zan.  The 
Temple,  not  far  from  Otsu,  along  the  shores  of  the  lake,  covers  with  its 
adjacent  buildings  a  considerable  area.  Many  of  these  are  hidden  by 
the  fine  groves  of  Cryptomerias  and  Oaks  surrounding  the  Temple,  The 
Maples,  chiefly  the  typical  Acer  palmatum  (polymorphum),  are  also 
justly  famous.  The  village  of  Karasaki,  about  three  miles  further  along 
the  shore,  is  nothing  but  a  fishing  hamlet,  yet  celebrated  all  over  Japan 
for  the  most  curious  Pine  known.  Its  height  is  not  great,  about  60  feet ; 
the  circumference  of  the  trunk  at  the  base  is  about  20  feet,  though  at  a 
few  feet  from  the  ground,  owing  to  its  dividing  into  three  main  forks,  it 
is  37  feet ;  but  the  following  dimensions  are  also  extraordinary ; — Length 
of  branches  from  east  to  west,  240  feet ;  length  of  branches  from  north 
to  south,  288  feet ;  number  of  branches,  380.  It  is  impossible  to  step 
out  these  distances  to  see  if  they  are  even  approximately  correct  owing 
to  the  numerous  supports  both  of  stone  and  of  wood  on  which  the  great 
main  branches  rest.  There  are  many  dozens,  forming  a  whole  scaffolding 
of  wooden  legs  and  stone  cushions  ;  but  nevertheless  I  see  no  reason  to 
doubt  the  approximate  accuracy  of  the  dimensions  given.  Old  wounds 
caused  by  time  and  decay  have  been  stopped  by  plaster,  and  in  one 
instance  a  small  roof  has  been  erected  over  a  particularly  bad  spot.  A 
small  Shinto  shrine  stands  in  front  of  this  tree,  which  from  its  great  age 
has  obtained  the  reputation  of  sanctity. 
*  ***** 
The  garden  in  Kyoto  known  as  the  Old  Imperial  Garden,  which  the 
Mikado  used  during  the  Shoguns’  power,  is  an  interesting  old  place,  but 
no  longer  carefully  kept  up.  It  is  not  large,  the  main  portion  being 
occupied  by  a  lake,  so  narrowed  in  the  centre  that  a  small  8ton6  bridge 
crosses  it.  In  shape  it  is  not  altogether  unlike  an  irregular  figure  8. 
In  the  centre  of  one  portion  a  small  island,  on  which  are  many  young 
Maples,  is  connected  with  the  shores  by  two  quaint  stone  bridges,  each 
beneath  a  thick  arbour  of  Wistaria,  now  flowering,  its  long  racemes  and 
still  longer  shoots  trailing  over  the  sides  and  parapets  of  the  bridges, 
reaching  almost  to  the  water.  The  Wisteria  is  flat-trained  on  a  Bamboo 
roof ;  of  such  there  are  many  specimens,  that  at  Kameido,  near  Tokio, 
being  probably  the  finest.  It  is  impossible  to  convey  an  idea  of  the 
beauty  of  this  plant  thus  grown,  the  many  dozens  of  spotless  clear  blue 
racemes  hanging  down  through  the  Bamboo  support  producing  a  charm¬ 
ing  effect,  totally  different  from  that  which  it  does  in  England.  Around 
this  lake,  on  the  undulating  ground,  are  some  fine  specimens  of  trees, 
often  overhanging  and  I'eaching  to  the  water’s  edge,  and  evidently  of 
considerable  age.  Ilex  latifolia,  50  feet  high,  is  larger  than  I  have  ever 
seen  it,  and  was  flowering  freely.  Judging  from  the  size  of  the  speci¬ 
mens  usually  met  with,  I  conclude  this  tree  is  of  slow  growth.  Photinia 
serrulata,  a  common  plant  and  one  much  used  for  hedges  everywhere  I 
have  been,  is  also  well  represented,  as  are  Podocarpus  and  Saliaburia 
(Ginkgo  biloba),  the  young  green  leaves  of  which  are  very  pretty. 
Camellia  japonica,  Briobotryas,  Ilex  Integra,  Cherries  (Prunus  Mume), 
and  some  lovely  flowering  bushes  of  double  Kerria  are  all  to  be  seen  on 
the  shores  of  the  lake.  The  finest  specimens  in  the  garden  are  those  of 
a  deciduous  tree  which  I  bebeve  to  be  Aphananthe  aspera  allied  to 
Celtis  and  Zelkova,  My  guide  examined  the  people  in  the  garden  about 
it,  and  elicited  this  satisfactory  information  :  “  It  fruits  after  the 
summer.”  I  suggested  that  this  was  not  unknown,  when  the  equally 
surprising  statement,  ”  It  fruits  before  the  winter,”  was  made,  with 
such  a  touching  politeness  and  with  an  air  of  such  profound  conviction, 
that  I  really  had  to  give  it  up.  It  is  a  tree  of  the  noblest  proportions 
in  every  way,  though  the  individual  leaves  are  small, 
*  *  *  *  * 
I  The  gardens  of  the  monasteries  Kinkaknji,  Ginkakuji,  and  Nishi 
I  Hongwanji  are  highly  interesting  ;  the  latter  is  the  largest  monastery 
and  temple  in  Japan,  as  well  as  being  one  of  the  wealthiest.  Its 
