The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-05-23
The Lananese FloMers-

1he japanese cultivate cherry, plum
and peach trees chiefly for their blossoms,
and force them to make them double.
the flowers OF the plum are often as large
and double as cabbage rose. They also
have cherry trees dwaried and twisted,
and the flowers double pink. There is
an avenue out of Toxic lined with thee
blossoming cherry trees, and in the
season of bloom every one goes out there
to see them and take refreshments in the
tea-houses, and it is a curious and fascin
ating sight, as Japs and foreigners are
there in crowds. The hydraDgea grows
wild in the mountains of Japan, and the
commOnest variety is a beautiful blue.
They have in June large yellow flower
called evening gleries," that liter
ally burst into bloom, as flower af-
ter flower springs suddenly open,
till the whole bush is a mass of yell
low, and the air perfumed with them.
The vaTiegated naples come out in the
spring almost as gorgeous as ours in Oc-
tober; my friend saw one where each
leaf was in two shades of red. Their
poets speak of the time when the maple
grows red in the spring"
But the chrysantbemums are cultivat-
ed to the most wonderful perfection,
and exhibited IN the most remarkable ar
engagements. They are often larger than
dahlias, and endless in variety and color.
It is favorite flower with the Japanese,
and the mikado's crest is one of these.
In the gardens where they are Guilt
waited, they have a series of little booths,
where are figures that have mask faces,
but the bodies and every detail of cos.
tune are made Of the flowers and leaves.
There were court ladies, and warriors in
fierce attitudes, little children and ami
mails.
Some of these have arrangements in the
the rear to move them in different ways,
In one place they had a young lady,
with a corresponding mask, and peeping
from her dress behind WAS a fox's tail.
/ By q sudden movement the mask would
be changed and a fox appear. The
transformation q fox can make to deceive
| the unwary is favorite subject with the
| japanese. In another place a GRANT was
flying a monster kite, and on the string
were all kinds of paper igures-dragons,
men, birds, etc, supposed to be messen-
gers to the kite.
Later on nv friends visited another
/ part of Toxic where these shows were
held. They describe it as one of the
busiest, noisiest places in Japan.
You 60 through an immense gateway,
man. On each side are gigantic statues
of gods and dragons, with mems faces. and
fastened to the gateway enclosing these
are quantities of straw sandals and
wooden clogs, and an immense foreign
shoe a sarcasm undoubtedly.
There was a temple here, and the
! grounds around it were full of everything
you can imagine. Archery and photo
graph galleries, tea houses and wax
shows, all had runners out 30 attract
you to their establishments, and a Jap
anese orchestra of flutes and drums the
former piercing and shrill, the latter
deep and loud.
They had here scenes from the late
war, and the principal rebels figured in
them, all dressed in chrysanthemum
flowers. Their swords, shoes and caps
were as usual, but everything else of the
| flowers. They had horses with men on
them almost life size.
My friends went into garden under
two arches made of these blossoms, and
inside was a lady riding on a white
elephant. This was very large and per-
fectly proportional, and made of the
different colored flowers in mosaic. They
saw also little children dressed as Chi
namen.
In this garden the flowers were grow
ing in all sorts of arrangements OF pots
and beds. There was also little pond,
with bridges across it, and rock work :;
also an artificial hill, where you could
take q view of the scenes around.
| It cost q cent and half to go in and
see any one of these shOws.-L Christian
| TTniOD