134 
JOCn.VAC  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  8,  IS98. 
under  an  excellent  inalrnctor  on  a  “  science  ”  subject,  not  dealing  with 
gardening  in  any  way,  but  still  most  interesting  to  one  living  in  a 
mining  district.  By  bis  “  coaching  ”  I  took  a  first  advanced  pass  at  my 
first  exam,  on  that  subject,  and  found  it  much  less  difficult  than  my 
R  U  S.  exam,  which  I  had  to  work  up  myself. 
By  the  way,  bow  is  it  that  horticulture  is  not  taken  up  as  one  of  the 
subjects  of  the  Science  and  Art  Department  ?  It  is  certainly  of  as  much 
importance  as  agriculture,  and  could  easily  be  taken  at  the  same  time  by 
students,  as  much  of  the  same  instruction  would  do  for  both  and  the 
exams,  are  about  the  same  time.  This  year  they  were  on  two  following 
eveniugs. 
I  strongly  advise  young  fellows  in  the  bothy  to  study  up  the 
“  elementary  principles.”  They  will  find  it  much  easier  to  learn  when 
young.  Practical  operations  must  of  course  be  learnt  with  advancing 
age, — J.  E.,  Swansea  Valley. 
A  'JRAVELLER’S  NOTES.* 
(Conelvded  from  page  111.) 
It  is  with  an  expression  of  regret  that  we  bring  to  a  conclusion 
our  extracts  from  the  book  of  Mr.  James  H.  Veitch  in  the  present 
number.  Though  not  the  first  European  visitant  of  Japan  by 
many  he  certainly  broke  new  ground  in  his  visit  to  Corea,  and  in 
both  cases  he  acquaints  us  with  much  which  the  ordinary  tourist 
never  pots  himself  into  a  position  to  see.  The  broken  glimpses  of 
bis  itinerary  read  not  unlike  passages  from  the  works  of  European 
travellers  during  the  Middle  Ages,  so  much  does  the  state  of 
primitive  society  in  the  East,  with  its  monasticism,  its  despotic 
government,  its  superstitious  practices,  its  dirt,  disease,  cruelty, 
and  tawdry  spectacle  seem  to  correspond  to  the  vaunted  days 
of  chivalry  in  Europe.  It  would  be  difficult  to  convince  our 
mediffivalist  dreamers  of  the  resemblance  of  this,  no  doubt,  but 
every  person  of  deep  reading  and  scientific  mind  will  not  fail  to 
see  here  evidence  of  the  survival  of  phases  of  society  in  which 
our  ancestors  once  played  the  only  part  they  knew  and  were 
content.  When  Anne  Boleyn  and  Catherine  Howard  bowed  their 
necks  submissively  to  their  husband’s  axe,  and  said  “  it  is  very 
good,”  when  English  monarchs  levied  “  benevolences  ”  on  their 
rich  subjects  without  the  aid  of  Parliament,  Europe  was  just  emerg¬ 
ing  from  the  present  Oriental  stage  of  civilisation.  Now-a-days 
Occidental  civilisation  is  begetting  its  despots,  to  wit,  “  the  new 
woman  ”  and  County  Councils,  but  we  still  continue  to  hug  the 
delusion  that  we  are  wiser  than  our  forefathers  and  the  Orientals. 
Certainly  we  are  cleaner,  and  j:  erbaps  in  time  we  may  become 
as  docile,  though  the  evidence  so  far  indicates  that  the  world  is 
growing  more  bellicose,  and  the  inventions  which  the  East  is  most 
ready  to  borrow  from  the  West  are  those  destructive  of  property 
and  life.  Mr.  Veitch’s  narrative  continues  as  follows  : — 
Fuji-yama  is.  as  everybody  knows,  the  most  beautiful,  the  highest 
and  the  most  famous  mountain  in  Japan,  rising  on  all  sides  in  an 
unbroken  sweep  from  a  somewhat  extensive  plain  to  a  height  which 
has  been  variously  estimated  from  12,234  feet  to  12,437  feet.  It  is 
scarcely  to  be  wondeied  at  that  such  an  impressive  and  exceptional 
e5ort  of  Nature  should  be  held  sacred  by  man,  especially  in  earlier  days, 
but  to  judge  by  the  hsndreds  of  pilgrims  who  weekly  make  the  ascent 
(except  for  the  young  and  active)  this  by  no  means  light  ascent,  the 
religions  awe  and  deep  reverence  with  which  the  volcano  is  regarded  is 
as  keenly  alive  within  the  breast  of  all  classes  as  ever  it  was.  The 
mountain  dominates  all  around  it.  From  its  summit  at  sunrise,  lakes, 
towns,  provinces,  mountain  ranges,  and  the  ocean  are  all  visible,  though 
in  a  few  hours  these  are  often  obscured  by  billowy  masses  of  dense 
white  vapour  of  indescribable  splendour.  Occasionally  a  break  occurs, 
and  a  glimpse  is  caught  of  the  plains  below,  but  it  is  rare.  The  mountain 
is  celebrated  for  these  cloud  effects — truly  a  most  impressive  sight  ; 
several  thousand  feet  below,  a  sea  of  cloud,  nothing  else  and  nothing 
more,  the  only  land  in  sight  the  peak  on  which  you  stand — “  the  only 
island  in  the  world,”  as  a  writer  has  well  put  it.  The  continuous  change 
of  form,  the  rapidity  of  motion,  the  calm  isolated  peak  rising  majesti¬ 
cally  above  the  constant  turmoil,  all  combine  to  give  splendour  to  the 
picture.  For  only  two  months  in  the  year,  in  the  height  of  summer,  is 
the  entire  ascent  possible.  Large  rifts  of  snow  are  present  all  the  year 
round,  and  the  temperature  at  night  is  often  but  little  above  freezing 
point,  although  in  the  plain  below  it  is  between  70°  and  80°  Fahrenheit. 
The  crater  of  the  volcano,  quiescent  for  many  years,  though  by  some 
not  considered  extinct,  has  been  variously  estimated  at  depths  varying 
from  416  feet  to  584  feet.  In  diameter  it  is  close  upon  2000  feet,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  complete  circle  of  sharp  peaks. 
I  may  mention  that  of  the  three  sides  I  ascended  or  descended  the 
mountain  that  from  Gotemba,  though  the  least  arduous  and  the  one 
most  usually  selected,  is  decidedly  for  me  the  least  interesting  from  a 
horticultural  point  of  view ;  the  path  is  composed  of  loose  ashes,  some¬ 
what  fatiguing  to  traverse.  Beyond  8500  feet  the  vegetation  only 
consists  of  scattered  plants  of  a  red  or  white-flowering  Polygonum  and 
a  very  handsome  Thistle  which  thrive  in  the  bare  ash,  to  within  some 
2000  feet  from  the  summit.  From  8000  feet  to  the  summit  a  smooth 
*  B31  Mr.  James  H.  Veitch,  F.L.S.,  F.R. II  S.,  and  published,  “  for  private 
circ'ilntion,  ’  by  Messrs.  J.  Yeitch  &  Sons,  Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea 
sharp  incline  of  ashes,  dull  purple  or  reddish  purple  in  colour,  relieved 
occasionally  by  the  Polygonum  or  Thistle,  is  all  that  is  to  be  seen  ;  the 
narrow  path,  trodden  firmly  by  the  feet  of  thousands  of  pilgrims,  is 
visib’e  nearly  all  the  way  as  it  ascends  almost  straight  or  with  but  slight 
deviations.  At  every  hut  it  is  usual  to  stop  and  rest  both  the  coolies 
and  oneself.  These  huts  are  of  wood  at  first,  but  near  the  summit  they 
are  composed  of  lumps  of  larva  lined  with  boards.  The  one  in  which 
we  passed  the  first  night  was  looked  after  by  a  woman.  In  size  it  is 
about  20  yards  by  10,  and  has  a  floor,  a  door,  a  fireplace,  and  no  chimney. 
Ten  men  beside  myself  lay  there  ;  the  men  presumably  slept,  but  insects 
engaged  the  major  portion  of  my  attention.  The  door  was  carefully 
shut  at  eight  o’cloci,  and  not  opened  till  three  o’clock  next  morning, 
owing  to  the  cold. 
After  breakfast  we  proceeded  over  the  waste  of  fine  ash,  a  monotonous 
wearisome  climb  to  the  summit.  As  we  neared  it  large  boulders  became 
frequent,  over  which  it  was  often  necessary  to  climb.  Early  in  the 
morning  my  interpreter  began  Vomiting,  and  at  last  got  so  weak  he 
could  not  go  50  yards  without  resting.  This  much  delayed  us,  and  we 
did  not  arrive  till  five  in  the  evening.  The  interpreter  ate  nothing  at 
all ;  on  reaching  the  hut  he  lay  down,  fell  into  a  heavy  sleep,  and  was 
delirious  through  the  night.  He  ascribed  it  subsequently  to  the  rarified 
air,  but  I  was  loth  to  believe  this,  and  thought  it  only  fever.  However, 
soon  after  reaching  the  summit  I  had  sharp  pains  in  the  back  of  the 
head,  which  continued  through  the  night,  and  did  not  vanish  till  I 
reached  the  plain  next  day.  I  also  noticed  the  lower  we  got  the  better 
the  interpreter  seemed  to  be,  and  half  way  down  he  was  again  able  to 
eat.  I  am  therefore  forced  to  think  the  change  from  the  heat  below  to 
the  cold  above  must  have  been  the  cause  of  his  sickness.  Another  man 
in  the  hut  that  night  was  in  the  same  condition  as  the  interpreter, 
and  I  am  informed  that  many  Japanese  suffer  in  that  way  on  making 
the  ascent.  My  companions  consisted  of  fifteen  men,  all  pilgrims  or 
coolies,  who  lay  in  rows,  head  to  feet— that  is,  as  you  looked  down  the 
row,  first  you  saw  a  head  and  then  feet,  and  so  on.  I  lay  in  one  corner, 
rather  apart,  on  thick  quilts,  rich  in  animal  life,  as  far  from  the  fire  as 
possible,  as  there  was  no  chimney.  On  the  summit  are  colonies  of 
priests,  and  numerous  huts  and  small  temples  for  worshippers  of  the 
Shinto  faith.  On  the  Gotemba  side  three  huts  and  a  small  temple  form 
a  square,  all  being  built  up  with  blocks  of  lava. 
On  the  other  side  the  huts  are  more  pretentious,  and  usually  have  a 
little  temple  attached,  at  which  we  sometimes  saw  one  or  other  of  the 
many  hundreds  of  pilgrims  we  met  muttering  prayers.  These  huts  are 
buried  in  the  Abies  Forest,  the  trees  rising  on  all  sides,  magnificent  in 
their  severe  and  silent  grandeur.  The  path  is  steep  and  often  rough,  and 
I  was  not  sorry  to  reach  the  bottom  station,  where  horses  are  obtainable 
to  carry  one  to  the  village  of  Yoshida,  seven  miles  distant.  Women  seem, 
rarely  to  make  the  ascent,  as  I  noticed  but  three.  Passing  first  over 
slightly  falling  ground,  hidden  by  long  grass  and  innumerable  flowering 
shrubby  and  herbaceous  plants,  Anthericums,  Hemerocallis,  Platycodons, 
Campanulas,  Pinks,  Scabious,  low  bushes  of  Lespedeza  Sieboldi,  Lychnis 
grandifiora,  and  Lycoris  radiata,  we  soon  reached  level  ground.  I  may 
here  mention  that  I  do  not  understand  how  it  was  my  father  did  not  meet 
with  Platycodon  Mariesi,  Rodgereia  podophylla,  or  Clerododendron 
trichototum.  Presumably,  as  regards  the  first  and  last-named,  he  did 
not  leave  Yokohama  during  their  flowering  season  ;  and  with  respect  to 
Rodgersia,  it  is  probable  that  he  ascended  and  descended  the  mountain 
at  the  Gotemba  or  south  side,  where  I  did  not  meet  with  it.  Platycodon 
round  the  base  of  Fuji  is  as  common  as  Dandelion  in  an  English  country 
lane.  As  1  have  said,  on  the  east  side  tons  of  Rodgersia  could  be 
collected  ,  and  as  to  Clerodendron,  flowering  bushes  in  the  shrubberies 
on  the  hillsides  are  not  uncommon,  although  I  did  not  meet  with  it  on 
Fuji  itself. 
Shortly  before  reaching  Yoshida  we  came  to  some  fine  groves  of 
Pinus  Thunbergi,  certainly  the  best  I  have  seen.  The  trees  were  not  too 
close,  nearly  all  of  them  from  70  to  80  feet  high,  with  a  fine  head.  Often 
the  stem  for  40  to  50  feet  had  no  branches  or  foliage,  and  in  every 
instance  at  a  few  yards  from  the  ground  it  assumed  the  well-known  red¬ 
brick  tinge.  These  groves  cover  a  large  area,  and  are  singularly  hand¬ 
some.  To  their  stems  cling  Ampelopsis  tricuspidataand  Aralia  japonica. 
Nearer  the  village  a  mound  is  surmounted  by  a  good  grove  of  Retinospora 
obtusa  50  to  70  feet  high,  and  some  Abies  brachyphylla.  Cryptomeria 
japonica  is  also  good.  Immediately  around  Yoshida  are  many  fields  of 
Mulberry  bushes,  cut  close  back  in  the  spring,  the  result  naturally  being 
strong  young  shoots.  Sometimes  rows  of  them  are  planted  between  Tea, 
'  Beans,  or  Potatoes.  The  Mulberry  is  cultivated  lor  the  silkworm — an 
immense  industry  around  the  whole  base  of  Fuji  and  in  the  Province  of 
Koshu  generally,  the  silk  produced  in  this  district  bearing  the  reputation 
of  being  heavier  than  any  other  in  the  country.  In  the  villages,  in 
house  after  house,  women  and  girls  may  be  seen  sitting  at  this  season, 
winding  the  silk  off  the  cocoons,  a  dozen  or  so  of  which  are  in  a  small 
metal  pan  of  water  close  by  each  worker.  Large  flat  round  baskets  of 
!  cocoons  are  spread  about  the  floor  as  further  supplies. 
j 
Soul  [the  capital  of  Corea]  lies  about  three  miles  from  the  river. 
I  entered  it  with  my  luggage  on  the  backs  of  coolies,  my.self  on  foot.  I 
lost  but  one  basket,  which  I  found  again  on  my  return  after  a  month’s 
travelling  through  the  country— an  illustration  of  what  is  sometimes 
heard  in  Corea,  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  foreigner  to  lose  anything. 
Foreign  articles  are  of  no  use  to  the  natives  ;  the  theft  is  sure  to  be 
discovered  and  the  man  easily  traced  when  once  the  district  Prefect  is 
i  on  his  traok.  Every  Corean  knows  batter  than  to  trust  his  neighbour. 
