Evening star., 1921-03-27

| (snow-white) and the 100 trees of
Ariake (dawn). whose rosy white
flowers have tiny brown leaves as ac-
compartments.
X +
pY mid-April there bloom the pre-"
- cious twenty-three of Mikuruma-
gayeshi Choking backward from the
carriage"), whose solid balls OF double
pink flowers and deep pink buds have
| coQuettish leaf tips posed above them
| in contrast. There is a beautiful tree
| of this variety in the park around the
Kioto palace, descendant of the very
tree for which, to have another last
look at it's beauty, an emperor turned
and looked backward as he rode away
Near one city on the west coast Oh
Japan there is a road across rice
plain that makes a deliberate loop in
that level, all in order that one gong
away from the city. might have an
other look at the long row OF cherry
trees crowning the castle walls above
the moat
Also, in mid-April, bloom the eighty
trees of joke, q variety of pale PINK
and very fragrant flowers, and the
fifty trees of Fukorokujin Cgod OF
luck and longevity"O, with crimson
outer petals to the large pink MOVERS.
all compacted in solid balls OF blos-
SONS. Each separate flower Is littie
rose by itself, with fifteen and twenty
ethereal petals, one on top Of another.
and a spread Of two inches. in faVor-
able conditions in Japan. Close upon
it bloom the 100 Hito-ha variety OF
russet brown leaf tips onsetting the
pink buds that spread out into double
white rosettes of blossoms OF twenty
and thirty petals each. Then, aiso'
bloom the $50 Kwanzan trees. with
deep pink flowers, unfolding from
darker and deeper pink buds. TO the
largest flower of all the cherry flow
ers and the 40 Taki-ko c1ittle water
falTo trees produce small white sing
gle flowers of exquisite fragrance
In the third week OF April comes
the Pearl, the treasure OF all coilec-
tions of sakura (sometimes called the
Gyoi-ko), the really pale, lemon-yel-
low cherry blossom. once tho petteo
rarity of the palace gardens only. but
now to be bought from skillful florists.
It bears a double blossom of fifteen
to twenty petals Of fruity fragrance,
and there are three varieties grown
in Japan-the pale greenish yellow
flowers. the green-striped and the
pink-striped flowers. There were
twenty Ukkon sakuras sent. but their
planting was not mapped or marked
and they should be singled out at
this seasons blooming and placarded.
In the last week of April blooms
the Fugen-zo (F,ugen, the speclai pa
tron of meditation. who sits on the
right of Shaka in the usual Buddhist
trinity, and the 120 Fugen-zo trees
in Potomac Park bear very large and
very double pale pink and pure white
flowers, accompanied by few tender
brown leaves.
VARYING with the seasons these
thousands Of gift trees may be earlier
or later in their blooming than these
approximate dates. but they were
chosen and so apportioned that we
may enjoy continuous snow Oh
cherry blossoms for a month. If one
searches at all ne may find persist
ent and diliatory cherry blossoms
somewhere along the river drives even
far in May. In Japanese hands. the
sakuras are closely watched and fed
and pruned and trained to grow in
graceful lines. All these in Potomac
Park are grated on good strong.
long-lived. wild cherry stocks. and
certain varieties are good for hun
dred years. The dropping. the thread
and willow-branched trees are the
most graceful, and the Thousand
fold" and "hundred-leaf" blossoms the
most beautiful, but unfortunately
these double and double-double flow
ers are borne by short-lived trees and.
in thirty years or so. the branches
begin to decay and must be removed.
and soon the whole tree has to go.
However. thanks to the energy and
interest of Mrs. Taft and the gen.
erosity Of DR.. Takamine. we have the
trees at last, and they are just now
in youthful perfection and will re-
main a feature of wonderful beauty
for one generation at least.