SB 
 
 517 
 
 r. S. DRPAT^tMENT ()! AGRICULTURE., 
 BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY— BULLETIN No. 43. 
 
 I . r > ■ ALLOWA V, Ohiel pt Buroim. 
 
 \PANESE BAMBOOS 
 
 VNJ) TIIKIR INTUODUCTION I^TO AMERICA. 
 
 l)A\ll> (i FAIRCTTILI), AGRTCTTT-Tri.Ai, Kxpi.(1uf,r. 
 
 SEE ■ ANI. lUANl INTRODUCTION >v^•V. [ 1 1 :,TR I BU TION 
 
 Iss'-TTP .Tfi.v :;, I'.ut:, 
 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 UOVEKNMBNT PRINTING UFFIt E. 
 
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Bui 43, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S Dept of Agriculture. 
 
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 A Commercial Grove of Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra), Near Kyoto, 
 
 Japan. 
 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
 
 I- 
 
 BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY- BULLETIN No. 43. 
 
 B T, CALLOWAY, riiiL^liif liiimin. 
 
 JAJ^ANESE BAMBOOS 
 
 AND TlIKIlt INTRODUCTION INTO AMKlllCyV. 
 
 DAVID G: FATRCHILD, A(iKicui/ruRAi, Explorer. 
 
 SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 Issued .Jily :1, 1!IU3. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 
 1908. 
 
 tx^ 
 
 ■v^ 
 

 BUKKAU OF PLiANT INDUSTRY. 
 
 Beveki.v T. (iai.i.owav, i'liiif iif Hiireim. 
 
 SEED AND PLANT INTKoDrCTloN AND DISTKIBUTIUN. 
 
 SCIKNTII'U' S'l'AFF. 
 
 A. J. l'[ETEiis, llijIniiiM ill I'liariji'. 
 
 'W . W. Tkacy, sr., Special Agent. 
 
 S. A. Knapp, Special Agent. 
 
 David (i. Fairchild, Ai/riciiUnni/ lit plunr. 
 
 John E. W. Tkapy, Ex/icrl. 
 
 George W. Oliver, Ejcperi. 
 
 MAR 31 19C.3 
 
 D. or D. 
 
L1-;TTHR ()!■ TRAXSMITTAL 
 
 U. 8. l)i:rAKTMENT OF AcKICULTUKK, 
 
 Bureau of Plant Industkv, 
 
 Office of the Chief, 
 Washington, D. 0., May 16, 1903. 
 Siu: I li;i\o tlio honor to transmit liennvith a iwppr entitled ''Jap- 
 anese IJaiiihoos and Their Introduction into America," and respectfully 
 recommend that it be published as Bulletin No. 43 of the series of this 
 Bureau. 
 
 This paper was pi-epared l)v Mr. I)avid (1. Fairchild, Agricultural 
 Explorer, who has been detailed ))y you to accompany Mr. l>arl)our 
 Lathrop on his expeilitions in search of vahiable seeds and plants, and 
 it has been submitted by the Botanist in Charge of Seed and Plant 
 Introduction and Distribution with a view to publication. 
 
 The illustrations which accompany this paper, consisting of eiglit 
 half-tone plates, are considered essential to a full understanding of the 
 text. 
 
 Respectfully, B. T. Galloway, 
 
 i 'hitj'' (if Biinmi. 
 Hon. James Wilson, 
 
 Secretary o/' Ai/rlcidtiire. 
 
 3 
 
PKl'l-ACE. 
 
 The bamboo has h)ng' ))ocn known as one of the best of ornamentals 
 wherever the elimate is sufBeiontly mild to permit of its cultivation, 
 but besides its value as an ornamental tiie bamboo lias in its native 
 homea multitude of uses whic-h make it one of the nidst important 
 plants in the economy of Japanese life. 
 
 Both Mr. Barbour Latlirop and Mr. Fairchild ar(> convinced that 
 the bamboo ma}' be adapted to many uses in America, and th(^ present 
 Indletin is intended to call attention to the possibilities in this direction 
 and to describe some of the most important species. 
 
 A. J. PlETKKS, 
 
 Tlii1((iiixt ill ('Ji<(r<ii'. 
 
 Office of Botanist in Charce of 
 
 Seed and Plant Intuoduction and Di.stuihution. 
 
 W(tsh!v</fi>i,, I). C.. 2/tii/ s. Will. 
 
 5 
 
CONTHNTS. 
 
 I'agi<. 
 
 IntnxUictidn i) 
 
 General cuUHideraticjiis 10 
 
 tJeneral characters of the Japanese liarii)ici(iM 14 
 
 Propagation of Japanese bamboos l(i 
 
 Snitable Incation ami soil conditions for l)aMib(ios ■. . . 19 
 
 Japanese management of lianiboo groves 21 
 
 Profits of bamboo cnlture in Japan 2.'! 
 
 Cnltnre of the eilible bamboo , 24 
 
 Different species of bamboos 2.'r 
 
 Phyllostachys mitis 27 
 
 Phyllostaohys quilioi 27 
 
 Phyllostachys henonis 28 
 
 "Madaradake" or " Ummon-cbiku" 2S 
 
 Phyllostachys nigra 29 
 
 Phyllostachys castillonis 29 
 
 Phyllostachys anrea 30 
 
 Phyllostacliys bamlinsoides 30 
 
 Piiyllostacliys marliacea 31 
 
 Ariniilinaria japonica 31 
 
 Arnndinaria simoni _ . . . _ 32 
 
 Arundinaria hindsii 32 
 
 Arnndinaria Iiindsii, var. graminea 33 
 
 Bambnsa veitchii 33 
 
 I'ambiisa pahnata 33 
 
 Piandinsa ((nadrangnlaris 33 
 
 Bambnsa vnlgaris 34 
 
 "Shakntun " 34 
 
 Description of plates 36 
 
1LI,I1STRATI0NS. 
 
 Pl.A'iK 1. ( '(Unincrcinl ^rovri)!' hlarli li;ijiilnni( /'hi/llnsl'trliif^ nitfra), ut'nv Kyoto, 
 
 Japan Knintispiccc. 
 
 II. A well-kept I'urest of tiinliev bamlMni (J'liiillo.iljirliiis (jiiilloi) on good 
 
 ■ fioil , Sf> 
 
 III. Fig. 1. — A well-kept fore.'jt of timber l)aml)oo {Phiilhislfn-ln/x (inilidi) 
 
 on poor soil. Fij;. 2. — \ baiUy ke]it forest of tinilirr banihoo ( I'lii/I- 
 liixlticlnin iiiiiliiii) on good soil iW 
 
 IV. Bamboo fjruve.s in Japan. Fig. 1. — .\ hillside forest of edible bam- 
 
 boo, 20 years old. Fig. 2. — A grove of edible bamboo more than 
 100 years old. Fig. IS. — Twclve-day-old shoot of Pluilloatiirliiixfjnllidi 
 
 in forest of same timber speeies M(i 
 
 V. Bamboo groves in Japan. Fig. 1. — C'Inmp of AnnicVnuirid ninioni, 
 showing ])ersistent sheaths. Fig. 2. — Grove of Plii/Uoxturlnii: (jidlini, 
 age nnknown. Fig. ?>. — I'lat of a sjiecies of bamboo ealU'd " llan- 
 
 ihikn " M(l 
 
 VI. Fig. 1.— Black bamboo phinl, showing tlie effect of tbe di'ath of the 
 rhizome. Fig. '-'. — Properly dng yonng plant of black bamboo. 
 Fig. 3. — Kliiznme of bandioo, with yonng .shoots and roots spring- 
 ing from nodes 'Ai> 
 
 VII. Kig. 1. — A few dwarf bamboos. Fig. 2. — Endiankment of Hiniilni.tu 
 irllrliii ill Tokyo. Fig. '■'<. — Sawdust on snrface of shoot, iiidieatiiig 
 [>resence of cnlm-boring lar\a. Fig. 4. — Longitudinal .section of 
 
 shoot, showing cnlm-boring larva S<> 
 
 VIII. Bamboos in ('alifornia. Figs. 1 and .">. — PliiiUosldchiix (/iiilidi (?) f)n 
 the grounds of a nursery company at Niles. Fig. 2 — Clnniji of 
 Pliillhixtid-liiix iiiiilidi, tlu' second year after transplanting at Niles . S(i 
 
 8 
 
B. r. I.— sfi. s, p. I, n.— 33. 
 
 .lAI'ANESE I5AMH00S AND THEIR INTRODUCTION 
 
 INTO AMERICA. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 This Imlletin ropresents :i siiiiill part of the work uccoiuplislied by 
 Mr. Biirl)oui- Lathrop's tliiid cxix'flitioTi in search of vaiiialile seeds 
 and plants, and comprises niatei'ial j^atheivd durini;' a four niontlis' 
 stay in .Tapan. 
 
 Its object is to call the attention of American cultivators to a group 
 of the most beautiful and useful of all ijlants which has hitiierto been 
 neglected by them, either l)ecause they believe it adapted only to a 
 tropical climate or to be of oidy ornamental \alu(\ and to point out 
 how far both of these views are fallacious. 
 
 Anyone wlio has attemj)te(l to collect data in an ()i-iental country 
 will appreciate the difliculties whicii are encountered in workino- 
 throutfii an interpreter, and will understand that some of the state- 
 ments in this Imlh^tin must depend ui)on the accuracy of the trans- 
 lations. Mr. K. Yendo, of the botanic oai'dens in Tokyo, was, 
 however, particularly well lifted to intei-])i-et on l)ot:uiical matters, 
 and it is hopcnl few ei'rors ha\(> been made. 
 
 The writer wishes to express his indetitedness and gratitude for 
 assistance to Mr. T. Makino, of the Tokyo Botanic (Jardens, who is 
 the .lapanese authority on bamboos; Mr. Isuke Tsul>oi, of Kusafuka, 
 near Ogaki, who is one of the best amateur cultivators of these 
 plants; and especially to Mr. II. Suzuki, of Yokohama, for most 
 valuable advice and assistance regai'ding trans])lantmg and shipping. 
 
 The valuable work of Sir Ernest Satow on " The Cultivation of 
 Bamboos in Japan," in Volume XXVII of the Transactions of the 
 Asiatic Society of Japan (18!t!»), and above all, ''The Bamboo Gar- 
 den," by Mr. Freeman Mitford (1896), which is the most attractive and 
 useful book ever written on this group of plants, have been drawn 
 upon largely, especially in the preparation of the descriptions of the 
 various species. 
 
 9 
 
10 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 GENEE.AL CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 The bamboo groves of eJupMu are not only one of the most striking 
 features of its hindseapes but one of its most profitable plant cultures. 
 
 The largest well-kept groves in the world, except perhaps those of 
 Burma, are growing in the central provinces, and some of these are 
 several .square miles in area. In the Tropics generally the bamboo is 
 cultivated in small clumps, but in Japan it is grown with almost the 
 same care that is given to the field crops. 
 
 No other nation has found so many artistic uses for the plant as 
 the .Ti'panese. and in no other <'ountry, except it Ix' China, is such a 
 vari(^ty of forms employed by the conuuon people. 
 
 The plant is a nece,ssity to the Japanese peasant; it forms one of the 
 favorite themes of the Japanese artist, and out of it are manufactured 
 •some of the moi-t delicate works of Japanese art. The bamboo is in 
 fact one of the greatest cultivated plants of this jilant-loving race. 
 
 It is a popular misconception that bamboos giow only in (hci Tropics. 
 Japan is a land of bamboos, and yet where these plants grow it is not 
 so warm in winter as it is in California. In legions where the snows 
 are so heavy that they often break down th(> young stems and where 
 the thermometer drops to 15 (F.) l)elow the freezing point, the largest 
 of the Japanese species grows and forms large groves. 
 
 For many years the gai'dens of France and England have been 
 beautified liy clumps t)f these Japan(\se band)Oos, and even in America 
 occasional plants can be found growing in the open air. which prove 
 the possibility of acclimatizing these i-cpr('s(>ntatives of this most use- 
 ful family of plants. A temperature of tl F. has not proved fatal to 
 a large number of the hardy kinds in England. 
 
 Although nearly every d(>scription of those regions where bamboos 
 grow gives sonu> account of their uses, there is still in the minds of 
 many Americans a doubt as to the value of these ])lants foi' growtli in 
 the United States. 
 
 Bamboos are not like new grains or fodders which will yi(>ld prompt 
 returns in money, but they are essentially wood-producing jjlants, 
 whose timber is unlike that of any temperate-zone forest trees, and is 
 suitable for the manufacture of a multitude of articles for which our 
 own woods are not well adajjted. They are the most convenient plants 
 in the world for cultivation about a farmhouse, and in those regions 
 where they can grow would, if introduced, prove themselves in time 
 one of the greatest additions imaginaltle to the plants of the conuuon 
 people. 
 
 The Japanese and Chinese, who are the most jiractical agriculturists 
 in the world, have for centuries depended upon the bamboo as one of 
 their most useful cultures, and the natives of tropical India and the 
 Malay Archipelago would be much more at a loss without it than the 
 
OKNERAL CONSIUEKATIONS. 1 1 
 
 Aniorican t'armoi' without the whito pine, for th(\v :ii'o not 011)3' dcpend- 
 ont upon it for their huildini;- niiiterial, hut inaiie their ropes, mats, 
 kitchen utensils, and innumerable other articles out of it, and at the 
 same time consider it among the most nutritious of their vegetables. 
 To eiuaueifite the uses of such a family of plants as this would lie like 
 giving a list of the articles made from American pine, and it would 
 not serve the purpose of this bulletin so well as to simply point out 
 the fact that the wood of this bamboo is suited to the manufacture of 
 a different class of articles and tills a different want from that of any 
 of our American woods. Every country schoolboy is aware of the 
 sup(n"iority of a bamboo fishing pole over an\' other. Its flexibility, 
 lightness, and stnMigth distinguisii it sharply from any American poles, 
 and make it better suited for a fishing rod than one made from any 
 wood grown in this country. It is liecause the American .schoolboys 
 are so firmly convinced that tlu^ bamboo fishing poles are the best that 
 the importers are warranted in shii)ping into the United States from 
 ..Tallin every year sevei-al millions of them." 
 
 The thin, flexible ribs of the imported Japanese fan are made fi'om 
 the wood of the same plant, and no one can fail to recognize the pecul- 
 iar fitness of the material for this particular use. 
 
 These are two uses of bamlioo wood which illustrate its character, 
 and must be familiar to nearly everyone. When one realizes, how- 
 ever, that they are .selected from over a ]iund)-(»d, which would be just 
 as familiar to the Cliinese or Japanese, it seems highly pr()t)able that 
 this wood nuist ))e applicable to many other needs among Americans, 
 which a closer ac(juaintance with it would reveal. Santos Dumont 
 has einployiMl bamboo extensively in the framework of his dirigible 
 balloons, and Edison once used it in his incandescent lamps. 
 
 Americans sec in America onlj' the imported poles or manufactured 
 articles as a rule, and from these it is very diflicult to imagine the 
 nudtitude of uses to wliicii the green, uncured stems are put. It is 
 for just such things as can be made quickly from the green shoots that 
 the plant is peculiarly fitted, and this suitaliility for making all sorts 
 of handy contrivances is one of the principal reasons why it shoidd be 
 made a common plant among the farmers of those parts of our coun- 
 try where it will grow. 
 
 The bam})oos l)elong to the familj- of the gra.sses, and if this fact is 
 kept in mind many peculiarities of their habits and characters will be 
 easily understood. They should be distinguished, however, from the 
 reeds, of which we have a number in America, especially such as are 
 called "bamboo reed" or " Arundo" {Arundo dimax), a rank-growing 
 grass, with stems Viearing long broad leaves to their very bases. 
 
 "The writer was informed l)y a lar};e grower near Kyoto that 10,000,000 are 
 exported from Japan every year, and tliat the largest share of them goes to America. 
 
12 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 These reeds, although useful, have very soft stems, which are entirely 
 different in texture from those of the true bamboo. The caneluakes 
 of the South arc made up of a species of bamboo, l)ut unfortunatel}' 
 the wood of this species is of very little value. The tall, plume-like 
 stem of the bamljoo, which sonietimes reaches a height of 100 feet, has 
 many of the characteristics of a giant grass (PI. I). It is composed 
 of joints, is hollow (PI. VIII, hg. 1), and grows to its full licight from 
 a t'reeping underground stem in a few days, quite as does a shoot of 
 (juack grass. The rapidity with which a new culm grows is one of the 
 most remarkable facts about it, and often hewildei's the layman, who 
 is accustomed to judge tiie age of a tree by its size (PI. VII). Over 
 a foot a day is not an unusual rate during the most rapid growth — a 
 I'ate of 3 feet per day has been recorded — and a shoot moi-e than 20 
 feet high may be h'ss than Hfty days above the ground. Its develop- 
 ment may be compared in a rough way to tliatof a siioot of asparagus, 
 and anyone wIid has seen how easily a yoiuig stem of baml)oo can be 
 snapped off by merely shaking it will ap])reciate this comparison. 
 
 In common with the stems of grasses, those of the bamboo have a 
 hard, .siliceous exterior, which makes them more impervious to mois- 
 ture and more durable than ordinary wood of the same weight. The 
 presence of partitions at short intervals, which cut up tlie hollow stem 
 into natural i-eceptacles, is another valuable characteristic. These 
 partitions can, however, be easily removed, and the hollow stem used 
 as a pijje, or (he l)ipe can be sjilit open from end to end to form two 
 semicylindi'ical troughs. The ease with wliicli th<^ green stems can be 
 split into slender pieces, winch range in size from half that of the 
 stem itself to the fineness of a horsehair, is one of the most remarkable 
 (|ualities oi the wood, and makes it adapted to iiuumierable kinds of 
 basket, sieve, screen, and mat making. Th(^ fact that no long ])rocess 
 of curing is necessary before stems which have been cut fresh from 
 tiie forest can Im' used is one of tiie qualities that makes tlu^ plant of 
 such great con\('nience in the peasant homes of tlie Orient. Many of 
 the articles of liamboo manufactui-e could be replaced l)y metal ones, 
 but it is the convenience of having always at liand a stock of material 
 which can be easily made into a host of improvised things that makes 
 the plant so \aluabl(>. This latter is a point which slioidd appeal espe- 
 cially to Americans, who are called the handiest people in the world. 
 
 The employment of the young sprt)uts as a vegetable is alone worthy 
 of the serious iittention of oui- cultivators, for the fondness which 
 many American residents show for liamboo shoots indicates the possi- 
 ))ility of creating a demand foi- them in America. 
 
 But in addition to the uses of the liamboos as timber and food plants 
 their value from an aesthetic standpoint is incontestal)le. They are 
 among the most graceful forms of vegetalile life that exist, and add 
 an indescribable charm to an}' landscape (PI. I). No one who has 
 
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 13 
 
 ever .seen tlioiii iti Cliiiui or -hipuii can fail to have been impressed 
 with their beauty or convinced of the great charm whit'h they lend to 
 the otherwise often monotonous character of the sccnerj'. Thev are 
 waving plumes of d(>licate g'reen foliage, which, whether seen against 
 the sky line or backed b}' a darker mass of forest, always give a pecul- 
 iar softness to the scene. 
 
 Nearh^ ever}' farmhouse has growing near it a ( lunii) of some one 
 of the useful species, and tln^ graceful mass of culms transforms what 
 would be an uninteresting plaster and tih» house into a pretty. ])irtur- 
 es(jue home. 
 
 It is, however, the introduction of the hardy ri'presentatives of this 
 remarkable family of plants into the United St^ites that should attract 
 the attention of Americans, and the object of this bulletin is to show 
 how the various kinds of bam))oo are cultivated in .Japan, and to 
 suggest how these methods of cultivation can be applied to American 
 conditions. 
 
 As might be expected, in a group of plants containing hundretls of 
 species, there is a great range of hai'diness auiong them. Some of the 
 Japanese forms are able to thrive in the coldest regions of Hokkaido, 
 the North Island, while others are too tender to l)e grown successfully 
 even in the comparatively mild climate of the central provinces. 
 
 There is also a great range in the size of the didereiit species. Some 
 are so small that tiiey creep over the ground, forming a reeddike, rank- 
 growing greensward (PI. VII, tig. 2), while others grow to a height 
 of 4<i feet or more and jn'oduce stems which are (! and 7 inciies in 
 iliameter (PI. IV). C'ertain forms are suited only for potting purposes 
 and are chosen by the .Japanese gardeners as objects ui)on which to 
 practice their dwarfing art (PI. VII, fig. 1), whlli^ otiiers arc grown in 
 forests wiiich are many acres in extent. 
 
 While the introduction into America of some of tlie smaller forms 
 is a desirable matter, the main interest attaches to securmg and estab- 
 lishing the hardy forest species. 
 
 As previously remai'ked, there are many i)lants of .Japanese bam- 
 l)oos already growing in America. Clumi)s of the \ cry hardy kinds 
 may be seen occasionally m prnate gardens or pul)lic parks m the 
 South, even as far north as Washuigton; but owing either to the tlilfi- 
 culty of getting the plants or a failure to undei'stand their manage- 
 ment these liave never l)ecome populai' farm plants. Potted specimens 
 of the small species are to be met with in many florists' collections, and 
 some are used as lawn plants, but the employment of even these is 
 very limited. 
 
 In California, where the .lapanese and Chinese species thrive very 
 well, there are many large specimens, and even one small forest, while 
 a number of Californians are enthusiastic baml)oo fanciers. Dr. H. 
 Tevis, of San Francisco, has probably the largest collection on the 
 
14 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 I'iioitic coast, and his liiothcr Ims u yrovc ;it Bakerstield in which 
 stems over -id feet high uic said to tie growing. Tiie (iolden (Tate 
 Park has several ehinips which are very proniisino-, and Mr. McLaren, 
 the .superintendent, was most enthusiastic over an offer l)}^ Mr. Lathrop 
 to present several thoii.sand to the paric, with whidi to start a yroveor 
 two of nioic tlum a half acr(^ in extent. In the grounds of a nursery' 
 company at Niles, dal., there are several rows (PI. VIII) of the tim- 
 ber bamboo, individuals of which are certainly 25 feet in height; and 
 a beautiful little gi'ove, probably vi J'/ii/I/ontdc/ii/s quiUoi, in the town 
 of Herkeley, was destroyed a few years ago to make way for a street. 
 In Florida tlie W('ll-kn(iwn niiisery firms have already impoi-ted many 
 different species. 
 
 Mr. Lathrop is assisting the l)epartmentof Agriculture in an attempt 
 to introduce on a large scale the best of the Japanese timber sorts 
 and arouse the interest of a large class of cultivators in those r(>gions 
 where the plants are likeh^ to succeed, and it is to be hoped that the 
 time is not far off' when many thou.sands of young plants will be set 
 out through these .sections of the ITnited States. 
 
 GENERAL CHARACTERS OF THE JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 Hand>oos are not trees, although their .stems or culms are sometimes 
 as large as tree trunks, and it is essential that their character as grasses 
 be kept in mind. 
 
 They have the power of producing seeds, whicli resemble (in .lapa- 
 nese species, at least) kernels of I'ice or l)arley, but they flower as a 
 rule only at intervals of niany years, and very few of the flowers ever 
 form seed. The formation of nr.iturc seed is so uncommon in Japan 
 that Mr. Makino, of the Tokyo Botanic Gardens, who is writing a 
 monograph on the fanuly, sa\s he has never seen the seed of certain 
 of the common species. 
 
 In the almost total absences of the method of reproduction' by seed 
 the l)aml)oos have developed their rhizomes, or underground stems, 
 and it is upon these that the spread and nudtiplication of the individ- 
 uals dej)ends. Unlike an ordinary tree, therefore, a clump of bamboos 
 has underground stems in addition to its root system. A mass of tliese 
 creeping rhizomes, which grow out in various directions from the base 
 of the clump, give rise every year to the new shoots which increase 
 the diameter of the clump. A single rhizome, according tx) Dr. Sliiga, 
 chief of the bureau of forest management in Tokyo, continues grow- 
 ing for four seasons and then ceases, but from the bases of the shoots 
 it produces new rhizomes grow out which have a similar period of 
 growth. If these underground stems or rhizomes are injured or 
 checked in any way from spreading freely through the soil, the clump 
 of aerial shoots will remain small; ))ut if given rich .soil and abundance 
 
GENEKAL CUAUACTEKS. 15 
 
 of moisture :i few plants will spiciul ynuliuillv until they t-ovcr a con- 
 siderable area. 
 
 The new shoots of bamboo are produced by tliti'erent species at 
 dilferent seasons of the year. The majority of Japanese species send 
 up their new stems in the spring, beginninj;' in April and May, and 
 it is th(>se sorts that stand the best chance of succeedinir in America, 
 l(e<-ause our colli winters will kill back any young- yrowth produced 
 late in the summer. 
 
 This growint;' period is the most critical one in the lifii of the plant, 
 as the shoots during development are easil}' injured by winds, frosts, 
 or di-oug]its, and it is upon the growth of these j'oung stems that the 
 beauty of the clump during the sunuucr depends. 
 
 If one exanune a rhizome of band)oo (1*1. VI, tig. o) it will Itc seen 
 to have at short intervals i)artitions or nodes, above each of which is 
 situated a small pointed bud, and from each bud arises a number of 
 fibrous roots. It is by the elongation and thickening of these buds 
 that the new shoots are formed, and if it is injured, though the rhizome 
 may remain alive for many years, it will not produce any new buds or 
 shoots from these nodes. 
 
 When a bud at the node of one of the underground stems has 
 swollen until it is much larger in diameter than the rhizome which 
 supports it and has sent down a number of good, strong roots, it 
 begins to elongate and push its way up through the soil. Tough, 
 overlapping sheaths protect the tender tip from injury, as well as the 
 undeveloped branches on the sides of the elongating shoot. These 
 sheaths are ))ornc on alternate sides of the stem l)v each intcrnode or 
 joint (Fl. IV, tig. 1), and are, according to Sir Ernest Satow, char- 
 acteristic of each species." They are tough and l)oai-d-like, many of 
 them, often covered outside with tine liristles and characteristically 
 marked; and the tip of each is provided with a leaf-like appendage 
 called ]}seud<rphyU, which varies in shape with each species. These 
 protecting organs remain closely attached to the stem until it has 
 nearly finished its growth, when they stand out from the stem, allow 
 the young lu'anches hidden beneath to develop, and finally drop off. 
 In some species the sheaths remain attached longer than in others, 
 and in certain species they never drop oti', but gradually dry up and 
 break to pieces. 
 
 lentil the young stem has attained its full height it is quite liranch- 
 less, like a shoot of asparagus. On reaching maturity, however, the 
 sheaths fall back and the young branches elongate and unfold their 
 leaves. Most large forest bamboos have no l)ranches near the ground, 
 the first four or six nodes failing to produce them. When grown in 
 
 "The Cultivation of Bamboos in Japan, Trans. Asiat. 8oc. Japan, Vol. XXVII, 
 Part III, 1899, Price, 5 yen. 
 
16 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 den.se masses even the first twenty or more are often devoid of 
 branches. The smaller the shoot the more likely it is to branch from 
 the lower nodes. 
 
 The leaves of bamboo vary greatly i" size, but have one general 
 lanceolate form, some being nearly a foot long by (5 inches wide, and 
 suitable for wrapping material; but the majority of forest forms at 
 least have leaves from 'J to <i inches long. Mr. Clifford points out 
 in his most interesting l)ouk, "The Bamboo Garden," that the leaves 
 of all hardy species in England have not only the parallel longitudinal 
 "nerves which are connnon to all bamboos, but delicate cross nerves 
 which give a leaf the appearance, when held up to the light, of being 
 covered with a network of veins. All species tested by him wiiich 
 (lid not have these "tesselated" leaves, iis he calls those l(>a\'cs with 
 cross as well as longitudinal veins, proved tender in England. 
 
 Little use is made of the foliage of most species of bamboo, a few 
 only beinjv used for fodder where better food in not obtainable. One 
 species in Hokkaido is said to be browsed over b\' the few cattle 
 which are there. Wiien first produced the young foliage is often of a 
 dark-green color, but as it l)ec(>nies older it changes to a lighter shade 
 of green, and on very old culms if often has a yellowish tinge. These 
 difl'erences in the coloi' of the foliage are what give such a variable 
 ajjpearance to a bamboo forest. 
 
 Although pr()(hiced in a few weeks, a stem recjuires three or four 
 years to harden and become lit for use. and if left standing in the 
 forest too long, or until it becomes yellow, it loses nuich of its 
 elasticity. Culms that are twenty years old have lost nuich of their 
 l)eauty, the foliage becoming scant and the stems yellow and scarred. 
 
 The roots of the l)amboo resemble those of Indian corn. They are 
 bi'ittle and easily broken and are nevei' of any great size, but are 
 formed in large masses from file nodes of the underground stems. 
 
 PROPAGATION OF JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 If Japanese banilioo-.; producecl seed, the cheapest and .safest way to 
 propagate them would be by impoi'ting large' quantities of fiie latter 
 and growing them in seed beds; but as none of the useful species bears 
 fruit, except at very long intervals, it is necessary to propagate the 
 plants by other means. Two methods have been practiced, one of 
 which, however, is only used to a limited extent. 
 
 The safest way is the simi)lo one of digging up young plants, 
 separating them from the mother clumps, and transplanting them 
 to the desired situsition. This nu'thod seems very simple, but there 
 arc several essential points regarding it which must be attended to if 
 the transplanting is to prove a success. If the transplanting is only 
 from a forest to n loi'ation near by, it n)|iy be done at an}' time during 
 
PROPAGATION. 17 
 
 tlio yrowino; season. In -r'apan this period cxtiMids from April until 
 July, inclusivo. If, liowcvcr. the ])lants are (h'sired for phmting in 
 a foreign eountiv. Aniei'iea, for e.\aniph\ they shoul<i he due- early in 
 April, set out in nursery rows, antl allowed to "row until the middle 
 of dulv. Those which in .Inly show a new yrowth from th(> rhizome 
 should then lie transplanted ayain into the same kind of soil, and in 
 ()ctt)l)er they will lie in eondition for diej^iny and shipment. Mr. 
 'rsuhoi, of Kusafuka, cuts l)aek the culms on his young- plants to one or 
 two nodes when he first dies them in April, at which time they form 
 a rosette of leaves near the ground (PI. VI, Ag. 1). When treated in 
 this way they produce small plants which would he \ery economical 
 for shippine-, as they re(|uire little box space. 
 
 Much depends upon the sidectiou of the youne- plants whether or 
 not a vigorous clump results fi'om its planting- in a few years. The 
 mother plant should lie inspected to see if it is in good health. If the 
 branches are affected by what is known as '• witches' broom," which 
 makes gnarled, irregular tangles of the small branches, young plants 
 should not be taken from them. A species of snnit (l^stilago) some- 
 times ati'ects the young branches and produt-es an appearance similar 
 to that of the witches' broom, but this is less ainuulant than the former 
 disease. The larvaOf a species of beetle, who>e habits are not yet fully 
 known so far as could be ascertained, sometimes causes considerable 
 damage by boring- into the young shoots and penetrating through seg- 
 ment after segment of the young growth, stunting the culm and com- 
 pletely ruining it for timber jjurpo'^es (PI. VII, figs. 3 and 4). A young 
 plant in bloom is considered wortlili'ss for transplanting, as it seldom 
 gives rise to new shoots. 
 
 The proper way is to select a 3'oung plant with tiranches near the 
 ground and cut down with a spade or other cutting- tool on all sides of 
 the base at a distance of not less than S inches, severing the rhizomes 
 which connect the i)laiit with the mother clump. Dig out a good-sized 
 ball of earth with the roots inclosed in it, shake off the superfluous 
 earth, cut back the stem to two branch-bearing nodes, and transfer to 
 a nursery row (PI. VI, fig. "2). If no rhizome is dug up with the plant, 
 or if the rhizome is dead, the plant may live on for several 3'ears, a 
 rosette of leaves forming at the top of the stem, without the formation 
 of any new shoots (PI. VI, fig. 2). Mr. Tsuboi is of the opinion that 
 plants with dead rhizomes will live for seven or eight years and appear 
 perfectly health}-. The plant is kept alive by the fibrous roots, but 
 has no power to form a new rhizome. In the purchasing of plants 
 from nursery companies the principal point to ascertain is whether 
 the rhizome is alive and in vigorous condition. The part above ground 
 may be to all appearances in good health, while the rhizome is dead, 
 making the plant worthless. 
 
 If these properly dug plants which have been set in nursery rows 
 27038— No. 43—03 2 
 
18 JAl'ANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 in April are in.speeted in July .sonic of them will lia\'e 1)ei^iin the for- 
 mation of new shoots from their active rhizomes. Plants of which 
 the rhizomes show no signs of activity, it should be emphasized, are 
 proltahly weak and should not l)e chosen for the second transplanting, 
 especially if desig-ned for a long ocean voyage. In October the 
 twice-transplanted bamboos, hardened by this transplanting process, 
 are dug and their roots, together with a ball of earth, are wi-apped 
 with coarse straw twine, surrounded with a layer of moist sphagnum, 
 -jand packed carefully in well-aired boxes. All holes in such boxes 
 should be carefully closed with wire netting to keep out rats during 
 the voj'age. Very little foliage should be left on the plants when 
 they are shipped in this way (see PI. VI, fig. 2). October is the 
 best month for shipjiing from Japan, because the plants have by that 
 time gone into a dormant condition and travel safer, and the extreme 
 cold weather M'ill not have begun before they reach their destination 
 in America. 
 
 P^ven with these precautions, the plants on arrival after a sea voyage 
 require special attention. According to Mitford, who has had much 
 experience with their importation, they should not b(^ planted out in 
 their p(>rmanent places befon^ they have recovered fi'om the effects of 
 the journey. The balls of earth should l)e first thoroughly soaked in 
 water and the plants then potted and placed in a cool house for the 
 winter. The leaves, oi' bare culms, if the leaves are lost, should be 
 copiously syringed twice a day, but the roots should not be kept too 
 moist. Early in Maj' the plants should be hardened off as one hardens 
 off' geraniums for bedding out, and at the (Mid of iSIay or beginning of 
 ,hine they will be ready to plant in their permanent places. 
 
 This should be in soil which has been especially prepared the pre- 
 vious autunui ])v doubh^ digging to a depth of 18 inches. In setting 
 out, great care should be taken not to trample down the soil too 
 roughly about the roots, as there is great danger of injuring the brittle 
 Inids on the rhizomes or the tender fibrous roots. It is best, Mr. 
 JMitford says, to consolidate the plants by watering freely. After 
 planting, the ground should be fhickly covered with a mulch of dried 
 leaves (PI. II), under which is a layer of cow manure; and this nudch 
 should l)e kept on during the sunmi(»r months to allow the plants to 
 form a good strong S3'stem of underground stems and fibrous roots. 
 
 The above method, which embodies the exjierience of such students 
 of the bamboo as Mr. Mitford, Mr. Tsuboi, and Mr. H. Suzuki, is 
 probably the safest one and in the end most economical. 
 
 It Imh Ix'cn found i/mwcvsmr;/ l>y such c\iltivators aft Mr. J. McLaren 
 and Mr. John Back, of CaJifoniiu, to pot. the ])lants on arrival in such 
 a warm climate aw California. They are merely heeled m, given plenty 
 of vmter, and set ovt fhefolhnring spring. 
 
 The other method of propagation is to dig up, in the winter, lengths 
 
LOCATION AND SOIL CONDITIONS. 19 
 
 of l-yoar-()l(l rhizome o feet or so loiio-, nih the cut ends with wet 
 ashes, allow these wet ashes to dry, and paek earefidly in a tiyht l)ox 
 In tine, almost dr3' soil (PI. VI, tij;'. 3). Upon arrival these rhizomes 
 are set out iu properly prepared groiuid. The shipment should be 
 timed to arrive at its d(>stination in tlie early spring', so tlint the cut- 
 tings can he set out at once. This method is recommended bj^ Mr. 
 Mitt'ord for the commercial nursery propagation of the bamboo, but 
 he does not advise its employment if the plants are to be shipped long 
 distances, and the autiior has failed to find tliat it has been successfully 
 tried. Mr. John Rock, of Niles, Cal., thinks bamboos could be 
 propagated (puckly i!i this way. 
 
 Even with the best of care in transplanting by the first descril)ed 
 method the Japanese bamboo growers count on losing at least 10 per 
 cent of their young plants, and if the conditions are not altogether 
 favorable, as high as 20 per cent of failures may be expected. 
 
 SUITABLE LOCATION AND SOIL CONDITIONS FOR BAMBOOS. 
 
 In Japan some of the best grcjves are surroiuided by paddy fields, 
 and the soil is a rich, stiff loam, lightened with a mixture of sand. 
 Those visited by the writer are on the open plain and stretch up and 
 down a small brook for .5 miles or moi'e. AVhatever winds blow over 
 this small plain must strike the forests, but it is safe to say that such 
 winds are not sti'oiig ones. A favorite site for a bamboo grove is the 
 base of some range of hills or a broad valley where some mountain 
 stream has brought down and deposited a mass of alluvium. These 
 situations have the double advantage of suital)le soil and shelter from 
 strong winds. This latter point is said l)y every grower to be an impor- 
 tant one, for the j'ouug shoot, as soon as it is tall enough to come in 
 contact with the branches of the older ones, is thrashed about by the 
 winds and its growing tip is injured. This injury stops its growth at 
 on(-e and the residting culm is imperfect. Wind-breaks of conifers 
 arc sometimes planted to protect a grove which is in an exposed posi- 
 tion. In America, where the prevailing winds ai'c probably as a I'ule 
 stronger than they are in Japan, special attention will have to be given 
 to this matter of wind-breaks. 
 
 The (juality of the soil on which a bamboo stem is grown influences 
 materially the texture of its wood. So fully is this realized by the 
 Japanese that there is one particular mountain side which has the 
 reputation of producing the hardest, flintiest bamboo in the country. 
 The culms grown at Togeppo are cut up and made into the cylindrical 
 ash boxes, or "haifuki," upon the edge of which the smokers strike 
 their metal-trimmed pipes in order to kno(d\ out the ashes. After 
 years of use the edge of the Togeppo ash box remains smooth, while 
 that made from a stem grown in the lowlands is splintered to pieces. 
 
20 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 l\)ta,sli urul pli()sj)li()ric acid arc vory important I'lemtMits in tiic. for- 
 mation of a strong, tough wood, and altiiougli their use in fertilizers 
 does not make so much ditfereneo in tiie rapid growtli of tlic euini as 
 that of nitrogen they are (|uite as important. 
 
 A well-drained soil is just as necessary for l)anil)0()s as for man^^ 
 trees, for although these plants require much moisture they are not 
 swamp plants, like canes or reeds. Land which is occasionally over- 
 flowed can he planted to advantage with bamljoos, according to Mr. 
 -Tsuboi, if they are set on low mounds or ridges; but stagnant pools of 
 water will kill the rhizomes if allowed to stand over them for many 
 weeks. Em))ankments of canals, the bordei's of ponds, and river 
 banks are suitable situations, especially in dry regions. Large clumps 
 are growing along tJie canals in Egypt, and Algiers has many varieties 
 growing in hei' trial gardens which are watered only by irrigation. 
 There are in California, Oregon, Texas, and throughout the Gulf and 
 Southern States thousands of suitable locations. The banks of small 
 streams, the deltas of rivers, low, irrigated islands, like those in the 
 San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers, would jjroduce big forests of 
 these valuable plants, while tiie banks of irrigation canals, wherever 
 such occur in mild climates, could be made beautiful l)y them. Any 
 soil which has a large admixture of gravel in it does not prove satis- 
 factory, as the gravel pre\'ents the I'apid spreading of the underground 
 stems. Such compact soils as the gumbo soils of the Southwest will 
 probably grow the plants well, but they will presumalily not spread 
 as rapidly on such stiti' ground as they would upon a lighter loam. If 
 it is the ol)ject to produce a large numlier of big culms, the l)est soil 
 is one with a fair admixture of \egetal)le humus. The i-hizomes 
 spread rapidly in such luunus and produce a tine crop of new shoots. 
 As the roots of the forest species penetrate .'j feet into the soil, the 
 writer is assured that a chiy subsoil at this depth is a desirable soil 
 condition. In the cultivation of the edible l)amboos {J'lii/ll(isf(i,'Ii^/s 
 iiiifis) a lighter, more sandy .soil seems to be preferred to that deemed 
 suitable for the timl)er kinds, /'. qKilioi iu\A 1'. henoiiix. Most bam- 
 boos will not withstand nuich drought without losing tlicii' leaves, but 
 th(>v are not so dependent uj)on a moist atmosphere as most i)eople 
 imagine. If they are sui)plied with plenty of water at the roots their 
 leaves will keep green in a fairly di'y climate. They must not l»e con- 
 sidered, however, as di'ought-resistant plants, Init as suitable for irri- 
 gated land or I'egions in whicii there is at least a moderately regular 
 rainfall. AtNiles, C'al., Mr. Rock has bamboos 20 feet high which are 
 watered oidv twice a year with about 2 inches of water each time 
 (PI. VIH). 
 
MANAGEMENT OF GROVES. 21 
 
 JAPANESE MANAGEMENT OF BAMBOO GROVES. 
 
 One of the best posted l)iiiiil)()o growers in .Iap;in infornKHl the 
 writer tliat twenty j'ears aoo he did not Ivnow that iiis groves, which 
 were then in a neglected state, had any money value, Init that to-day 
 those parts of his farm on wiiich tlie gioves are situated are its most valu- 
 able portions. The attention whieli he liestows upon tliem now is very 
 inexpensive, but almost as careful as that given to any otlier of his 
 crops. The following forest metliods are largely those which ^Ir. 
 Tsuboi described as, fi-om his exjiericnce, the best. These are appli- 
 cable with slight variations to the three principal tindier liamboos in 
 Japan, and ])(>rtaiii in a general way to th(^ cultuie of th<' Dinameiital 
 species. 
 
 The land chosen for a bamboo grove should be dug over to a depth 
 of li feet the autumn previous to being planted, and, if a heavy soil, 
 should have worked into it a good (]uantity of trash from the stalile. 
 The plants should be set out at an equal distance from eacli other at 
 the rate of aliout 300 to an acre, or 12 feet apart each way. If tlie soil 
 is a dry one, the ball of earth and roots should be planteil lielow the 
 surface of the .soil, but if a wet one a mound should be made and the 
 plants set in the upper portion of it. After planting it is important, 
 as already remarked, that the .soil between the plants^ should be given 
 a heavy mulch of straw, under which is a layer of cow manure. This 
 mulch should l)e 7uaintained during the entii'e year. In tlie begimiing 
 the roots should be supplied M'itli an abundance of water and in tlie 
 autumn should be given plenty of rotted manure. If some of the 
 plants die, they should be replaced by othei-s .so as to maintain as com- 
 plete a stand as possil)le. It is essential as the new shoots .spring up 
 that the ground at their ba.ses should be shadeil by the foliage. Tiie 
 .semiobscurity of a Japanese grove is not only its gn^atest chai-m, but 
 one of the necessary factors of its growth. The sooner the ground 
 can be shaded l)y the plants the better. 
 
 For the tirst three 3a^ars at least all the shoots that appear should be 
 allowed to mature, but after the grove is once well estal)lish<'d only 
 the largest shoots .should be permitted to grow, the others being cut 
 out as soon as they appear al)ovo the ground. This thinning process 
 throws the strength of the plants into a comparatively few large cidms, 
 and gradually increases the height and strength of the foi'est. 
 
 In regions where the snows are .so heavy that they break down the 
 plants the practice of bringing the tops of sevei-al culms togeth(M' and 
 fastening them with rope is sometimes followed. The wigwam-like 
 masses formed in this way are able to support without injury the 
 weight of snow. 
 
 No culm should be cut for timber purposes until it is at least four 
 years old, as before this time the wood is not mature. On the other 
 
99 
 
 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 hand, if left standing- too long the wood hocomos too hrittlo and loses 
 in value, and the forest besides is benetited by the eutting out of the 
 four-year-old stems. The crop of new shoots is larg(>r. This thinning- 
 out process should be so done that as few gaps as possible are made in 
 the forest and the semiobsciiritv b(>low the mass of foliage is main- 
 tained. 
 
 The crop of new shoots varies in size every alternate year. A poor 
 crop would mean (i to 7 per cent of new shoots and a good crop 12 to 
 14 per cent. As there are conmionly li>,000 culms in a hectare" (or 
 4,.5'45 in an acre) of properly planted grove ten to fifteen years old. 
 this would mean the production of OOO to 700 culms per hectare for a 
 light crop and 1,200 to 1,400 for a heavy one. These figures were 
 very kindly furnished the writer by Dr. T. Shiga, chief of the impe- 
 rial forest management in Tokyo. 
 
 The experience of Mr. Tsuboi has licen that some kinds of forest 
 trees if standing in a grove prevent the growth of the bambc)os near 
 them. Oaks and chestnuts, he declares, are especially objectionable 
 in this respect, while persimmons do not seem to aifect in the least 
 the production of new bamboo shoots. The effect of weeds in a forest 
 is undesirable, and although comparatively few species are able to live 
 in such a deep shade these should be dug out as from any cultivated 
 field. Attention to these various details makes a great dift'erence in 
 the amount and quality of timber produced. A grove is not to be 
 looked upon as merely a thicket and left to take care of itself, but as 
 a plant culture which requires attention. Plates II and III show the 
 effects of different methods of treating parts of the same grove. 
 
 One important element in the culture of this peculiar tim))er plant 
 is the fact that a whole forest may bloom and die in a single season, 
 and that it is not possible — as yet — to tell beforehand when this bloom- 
 ing will take place. The intervals lietween these periods are, however, 
 so long that they are not taken into consideration by the Japanese 
 farmer when he buys a bamboo grove. Little accui-ate information 
 is obtainable regarding the length of life of the various Japanese 
 species. l)ut P/ii/f/oxfac/if/s h,'no)iis has the reputation in Japan of 
 blooming oftener than either /'. quillni^ P. nulls, or P. nigra, the 
 other three important timber species. A small grove near Kawasaki 
 which })loomed this season (1!*02) was reported by the owner to have 
 once liloomed about sixty j^ears before. As there always remain in 
 the field a number of living rhizomes, after the death of the forest, 
 these renew the latter in a few years, so that the actual loss to the 
 owner does not include the cost of replanting. This is the case at 
 least with the Japanese bamboos. As culms which have bloomed are 
 poor in quality, the practice is followed of cutting them as soon as 
 possible after they show signs of blooming. 
 
 "About 2i acres. 
 
PROFITS OF CULTURE. '28 
 
 III Jiipiin, where ))aiiil)()()s aiul rice arc of'lcii orown in adjoining plats 
 of yround, some trouble is experienced from the underground stems 
 spreading into the ncighl)oring Helds. To prevent this a ditch 2 feet 
 wide and as many feet deep is dug about the gro\-e and kept open b^^ 
 several rediggings during the year. Tliis method is said to be a satis- 
 factory one. It is a ditKcult matter, however, after a tield has once 
 been planted to bamboos, to clear it satisfactorily for other cro{)s. for 
 thei'c is a mass of these tough rhizomes that are very difficult to dig 
 out. 
 
 The harvesting of l)amboo poles is not done before August, as 
 culms cut eai'lier than this date are likely to be attacked by insects, 
 not liaving had time to sutKciently harden. A Kyoto grower of l>lack 
 bamboos remarked that the Kotie exporters, by insisting on having 
 their bamboos for export cut earlier than this date, had seriously 
 injured the foreign demand, as the quality of the wood ^vas much 
 injured t>y this earlj' harvest. 
 
 A saw is often used in cutting the shoots. Iiy making taits on oppo- 
 site sides of it neaf the base. Wiien <-ut. the poles are classitied, tied 
 into bundles, and stacked like hop or bean poles to dry. In the 
 lumber yards of Japan these stacked poles of l>amboo form a promi- 
 nent feature. 
 
 PROFITS OF BAMBOO CULTURE IN JAPAN. 
 
 Dr. Shiga, chief of the bureau of forest manageiuiMit of Japan, 
 when asked wliether bamboo growing was profitable oi' not, said 
 promptly that it was the best paying plant cidture in the cf)untry, 
 yielding a net return of SHO yen pel' hectare, which is the equivalent 
 of about $50 gold per acre. The species referred to by Mr. Shiga in 
 this case was tlie edible one. Twenty per cent of this amount repre- 
 sents the profits from the sale of cdilile shoots. Mr. Tsuboi's profits 
 on his groves of J'/ii/I/osfuc/ij/s ipiilioi, a strictly timber species, aver- 
 aged §:i(t an acre, while those of one of his friends near Kyoto were 
 §40. The profits of a good grove of edible bamboo are evidently 
 greater than tho.se from one grown for timber onlj-, and the author 
 was informed by one of the best liamboo growers near Kyoto that his 
 profits jier acre were about §'.'() on land which, clearcnl of bamboo, 
 would not bring more than $S(i, while good I'ice land sold for %-2[)Q. 
 A second grower of bamboos near Kyoto, who ships for the export 
 trade from Kobe, informed the writer that the culture in his province 
 of J'lnjIloKtachi/fi quUloi yields a net income of about $-40 per acre, 
 while 7*. hi'iionlx brings in only about $30. Five years ago the black 
 banil)oo brought in a profit of $20<) per acre, but now scarcely nets $50. 
 Rice culture in this region, according to Mr. Tsuboi, barely pays more 
 than for the cost of labor and manure, the former i-eckoned at 35 to 
 40 sen, or ITi to 20 cents gold, a daj-. All of these figures, however, 
 
24 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 have no practical bearinjr on the protits of bamboo j>ro\vin<f in 
 America, where a marl<et for the culm.s can only b(> niade after a con- 
 stant rea.sonal)le supply has been assured. 
 
 The cost of the attention which is necessary in order to j^row bam- 
 boos is so much less than that required for rice g-rowing, suita))le land 
 is so much cheaper, and so much less risk is run from bad weather, 
 that the statement that it is the best paying culture in Japan seems 
 correct, and such iii(|uiri('s t('n<l to contirm it. 
 
 CULTURE OF THE EDIBLE BAMBOO. 
 
 Only one species of bamboo is commonlj' grown in -Fapan for food, 
 and this is the largest one (Phi/lloufdclii/x mifix), known as "■ Moso." 
 It was introduced fi'om China, where its value as a food plant has ))een 
 known for centuries, and its common name indicates its origin." One 
 other sort, J\ aur>'ii, is also said to have edible shoots, but those of 
 the remaining kinds are luulerstood to be too bitter to be eaten. 
 
 The method of cultivating this species diti'ers from that described 
 for the timber sorts. The l)est soil is a more friable one, and if not 
 naturally with a good admixture of sand it must l)e top dressed every 
 year with 1 inch of light sandy loam and a mulching of sti'aw or grass 
 and weeds cut from tiie meadow. The young plants are .set out more 
 sparsely than if designed for timber, not more than 120 to the acre. 
 Liquid manure is given freely to the ncnvly set out plants, and as long 
 as they are grown for their edible shoots large amounts of ri<'h ferti- 
 lizer containing Jniirli solu))le nitrogen must ))e supplied them. In 
 Japan the cost of tlie fei'tilizer is the principal expense of cultivation. 
 In tivi' years, if the transi)lanted mother plants are of good size, they 
 should yi(dd shoots larg(> enough for sale, but ten years are required 
 to bring the planttition into a ])i'(ifitalil(' ))earing condition. WcM'diii;;' 
 is done more carefully than in tin]b(n' groves, though for the iirst 
 five or six years all the shoots whicli come uj) are allowed to stand; 
 l)ut latei', when the i)lantation is (■sta1)lished, all small-sized ones are 
 promptly reuKJved as soon as they appear abo\-e ground. In order to 
 obtain a supply of fresh culms a regular system in cutting out the old 
 ones is followed. A definite nuudterof selected stems, as soon as they 
 are fully gi'own, are marked with the year of their production, ;ind 
 nine years later all of thos(^ bearing the same date are cut out. Each 
 spring the sani(> iuuiil>er (about SO per acre) of new culms ar(^ spared 
 from being dug out when small for market, and each autumn a similar 
 
 " Moso is the name of one of the twenty-four paragons of Chinese filial ])iety. 
 The story is the case of a boy whose widowed mother fell ill and longed for liroth 
 made of yonng bamboo shoots. The shoots not being proenrable in winter, his devo- 
 tion was such that he went out in the snow to dig for them. The gods rewarded his 
 devotion hy causing the shoots to grow suddenly to an nnheard-of size. .Ia|ianese 
 artists are fond of illustrating their works of art with drawings of the boy Moso. 
 
CULTURE OF EDIBLE BAMBOO. '25 
 
 nuniber of It-yoar-old .stems are cut and sold for timljcr. These arc 
 only a small proportion of the total number of bamboos on an acre, 
 for this rani;-ps from (UO to (iSO. If this system of thiiiniiiji- out is fol- 
 lowed a ))lantatioii may be kept in bearing- almost indetiiiitely. IS'ear 
 Kyoto the practice is followed of cutting off the top of every shoot 
 left standing, befoi'c it is fully mature, to a height of from 12 to 1-t 
 feet. This prevents the wind from moving the culms too nuich and 
 induces the formation of a bushy mass of luxuriant foliage and a great 
 numlx'r of medium-sized shoots, which are more profitable tlian the 
 few larger-sized ones that result if the mother plants are not topped. 
 
 The tenderest shoots and those which bring the highest prices are 
 the on(>s dug up liefore their tips have pierced the Surface of the soil. 
 These biing. early in the season, as uuu-h as 1 yen per "kwan" (about 
 6 cents gold per jwund), while the later product must sometimes be 
 disposed of for a tenth of this price. The market season in Tokyo 
 begins in December and closes in June. Although bamboo shoots are 
 very nutritious, they are not easily digested, and many Americans do 
 not like them for this reason. Old residents in elapan, however, often 
 grow very fond of them and have adapted them to tlieir \^'estern menu. 
 
 Miss Fanny Eldredge, of Yokohama, has very kindly fuinished the 
 following recipes for cooking bamboo shoots: 
 
 1. Bamboo sprmils vnth crritin n<tiic(: — These sprouts are out when al)ont a foot above 
 the ground, by tlifigino; down tn tlif rliizomes which bear them, .\fter bein<; gath- 
 ered, the out'fide sheaths are removed and tlie .shoot-: are soaked tor lialf an hour 
 in cold water. Tl)ey are then cut in tliin slices, about .'5 inclies long by 1 inch square, 
 and thrown into lioiling water containing a small teaspoonful of salt, and are boiled 
 from an hour to an hour and a half, or until tender. The ]iieees are then drained 
 and a white sauce Ls poured over them, which is made in the following way: To a 
 half pint of cream or milk add a teas|ioonfnl of butter; season witli .salt and black 
 liepjier. Allow this to boil up and serve at once. If desired, this sauce may be 
 thickened with flour. 
 
 2. liiimlioo xhinih ill //k^^ii. —Slice ami cook as in the inevious recipe, until tender. 
 Into a saucepan put three tablespoonluls of butter, seasoned with |)epiier, salt, and a 
 little chopped ]iarsley. When heated, put in the liandioo. Shake and turn until 
 the mixture boils: then lay the bamboo on a hot platter, |iour the butler over it, and 
 serve at once. 
 
 3. Jlttnihoii shouts, Jiijiaiiisi' slijh'. — Slice and (^ook the band)Oo until tentler, as in 
 recipe No. 1; then put into a sau<'e ujade as follows: Take one coffee cup full of soy 
 sauce (this is the basis of Worcestershire sauce and obtaineil only at Chinese or 
 Japanese grocers or at some of the largest groceries in our large cities), one-fourth 
 cujifnl of water, one heaping teasiioonful of sugar; let boil for half an hour in this 
 sauce, and serve. 
 
 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF BAMBOOS. 
 
 The bamboo family is a large one and scattered over a great portion 
 of tlie warmer and mountain regions of the globe, and, owing to the 
 fact that the plants so infrequently bloom and that their classification 
 
26 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 depends upon the characters of the flower, it is not a very ^sell- 
 known group of jilants. The monograph by Munro" is one of 
 the most comprehensive attempts to give in one book descriptions 
 of all of the known species. Of the hundreds of dcsci-il)ed forms 
 only a small proportion are of much economic importance, and of 
 these only a few are hardy. When the interior of China, the slopes 
 of th(> Himalayas and Andes, and tiie mountains of the i\Ialay 
 Archipelago liave been searched over for valuable hardy forms, 
 the comparatively short list of species suital)le for introduction will 
 doubtless be largely increased. Anyone wishing to know what a 
 large territory there is to search oyer for hardy bamboos and how 
 many remain to be introduced and tested, will lind these subjects dis- 
 cussed in a very interesting chapter called, "Futui-e iwissil)ilities." in 
 Mr, Mitford's book, "The Bamboo Ciarden." Nor should attention 
 be confined to the hardy forms, ^\■hen the tropical species are so many 
 and various and have been so little studied from an economic stand- 
 point. Thei'e are forms in Burma which could doul)tless be introduced 
 with great advantage into the Philippines, and species from the semi- 
 tropical regions of China which arc worthy of establishing in Hawaii. 
 In fact, the more familiar one becomes with the bamltoo question the 
 truer does Mr. Mitford's statement, from the esthetic standpoint, 
 appear, that "we have only touched the fringe of what we may hope 
 to achieve in the decoration f>f our wilderness gardens with the grace 
 of these royal grasses." 
 
 At present, only a limited number of forms are eligible for intro- 
 duction into the United States, and the majority of th<>se are found in 
 Japan. 
 
 The following popular descriptions of the more important economic 
 sorts are given to assist in determining those conuuon species which 
 may be introduced in the near future, or which are already growing in 
 America. The nomenclature followed is that given by Mr. Mitford 
 in his "Bamboo Garden," except in such species as are not included 
 by him, when Sir Ernest Satow's work, "The Cultivation of Baml)oos 
 in Japan," is followed. This is not an attempt to clear up the nomen- 
 clature of the.se badly mixed species. 
 
 The diti'erent common species of Japanese bamboos whicii reseml)le 
 each other have been .so often taken for one another that a convenient 
 method of telling them apart is a very desiral)le thing. Sucli a method 
 Sir Ernest Satow has drawn attention to in his book. It consists in 
 comparing the forms and markings of the sheaths that surround the 
 young shoots and in the leaf like appendages or pseudophylls which 
 are borne at their tips. He has published colored plates to illustrate 
 
 "Monograph of the Rambu.saeefe, including descriptions of all the .sjiecies. L< union, 
 1870, 157 pp. 
 
DIFFERENT SPECIES. 27 
 
 these character.s. The difficulty in using them, however, is that the 
 siieaths are only ol)tainabio in the season when tiiere are young' shoots. 
 Mr. Mitt'onl points out tluit tiie form and coloration of the winter 
 buds in the axils of the branches, from which new branches develop, 
 are important means of distinguishino- the species. The characters 
 which determine whether a t)aml)o() ])clono-s to the Baiulnim, Phyl- 
 loKtaclnja^ or Arniidiiiaria genera, which are all it is necessary to con- 
 sider here, are unfortunately largely floral ones and for practical 
 purposes nearly useless. The genus Bdinhitsu belongs to a s(>ction 
 (BdiiihiiNR' r<'r»') in which the flowers have six stamens, while Phyllox- 
 fiir/ii/s and Ai'undinai'i'ii 1)oth belong to the Trighix.^af section, where 
 the flowers have three stamens. Arttndinarid is distinguished from 
 PJn/lIiiiif<icJiyii by having round stems, while those of the latter are 
 grooved or slightly flattened on one side. The sheaths in Anmdiuuria 
 remain attached nuich longer than in P/ii/Jiotifae/ii/a, as a rule those of 
 the latter genus dropping oft" as soon as the culms are mature. 
 
 Phyllostachts MiTis, A. & C. Riviere. 
 
 (Japanese name: " Moso-ckika" or " Moiixo-chihu." ) 
 
 The largest hardy species in Japan, growing to a height of over 50 
 feet and producing, not uncommonly, culms over (i inches in diameter. 
 In England specimens have been grown to a height of 19 feet and a 
 diameter of H inches. T/w euhns mv geniJi/ ci/rrcd fihorfJy after htir- 
 iug ilie gi'dUiid, while those of other sorts with which it might be con- 
 fused rise straight from the base. (Compare flgs. 1 and 3, PI. IV.) 
 Its sheaths are of a light-brown color, uhirl'ed irlf/i durk imdh r-hroim 
 Ijlotclit'i^ and round dats and covered with bristles. The p^eudophj'U is 
 broad at the base, tapers to a point, Init is not wavy in outline. The sheath 
 spreads right and left from the base of the pseudophyll and is fringed 
 throughout witii hairs, which are straight when they lie V)etwecn the 
 pseudophyll and the stem, but curled on the right and left sides where 
 they are free to develop. The internodes are generally shorter than 
 those of the other large species and the leaf sheatlis are fringed at the 
 insertion of the leaf with a nmnher of rather coarse hairs. The branch 
 buds are purplish brown and strongly marked. The leaves vary from 
 1 to C inches in length and are too variable to lie convenient characters 
 for quick determination. This is the great edible bamboo of Japan 
 and Ciiina, the method of cultivation of which has been described. It 
 is not as hardy in England as Phylleistaehys qnilioi m\A P. henonis. 
 
 Phyllostachts Quilioi, A. & C. Riviere. 
 
 (Japanese name: " Madnke.") 
 
 The second lacgest hardy species, growing to a height of 30 to 40 
 feet in elapan and 18 feet in England, with a diameter of 1 inches and 
 li inches, respectively. The great timber bamboo of the Japanese. 
 
28 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 The culiiis rise straig'ht from the rhizome, and the branches are pro- 
 portionately lontj, compared with the height of the stem. 
 
 Its sheaths are marked with 2>i"'J'^'' '"' f<'iidi>;h hlotclwx^ '(cliirli are 
 much more j^ronounced in character than those of the preceding species, 
 and thi' pxcudiijihi/ll has a iiiaivj oatliiie. The branch buds have green 
 bases, and onl>' the tips are brown. The new slioots appear above 
 ground in Japan a month hiter than those of the following species 
 {P. hciioiils)^ that is, in June. The internodes are proportionatelj' 
 longer than those of P. mifls, Imt the leaf sheaths arc fi'iiiged with long 
 hairs, as they arc in that species. The leaves vary in length from 2 
 to 8 inches, but are proportionately broader, according to Mitford. 
 This species is hardy in Kngland and has a moi-e vigorously spreading 
 rhizome than that of /'. mitix or /'. aurm. 
 
 PiiYLi,osTACHYS Henonis, Mitford. 
 
 (Japanesk name: " Ilncliihu.") 
 
 A somewhat smaller kind of bamboo than the preceding two species. 
 Considered by Mitford the prettiest one cultivated in England. Height 
 in Japan from 20 to 30 feet, with a maximum diameter of a trifle over 3 
 inches. In England specimens 14 feet high and one-half inch in diameter 
 occur. After /'. nu'tifi and /'. quilioi the commonest timber form in 
 Japan. Culms rise straight from the l)ase. Sheaths are a straif color. 
 With fcin or )io spots of a 111/ I'iiid mid initJi a distliictli/ ipiici/ jisei/do- 
 phi/// like the blade of a Malay Zv/.v. New shoots appear before those 
 of /'. ijif/7/o/ — tliat is, in April and May. T\n\ leaf sheaths are fringed 
 (at least on young plants) with delicate haii's, which are iir/'ftier xo long 
 nor hristlehhe as those in P. mitis and P. ijiiilio!. Branch buds 
 are a pale yellowish-green. The pipe is thinner walled than that of 
 /'. ijiiiliiii^ and its use in the arts is restricted liecause of the inferior 
 (pialily <if (he wood. The rootstock is said to run freelv in England, 
 where it has proved hardy. 
 
 "MaDAUADAKk" or " UMMfJN-l^HIKU." 
 
 A form closely related to /'. Iniionis^ which is distinguished by hav- 
 ing dark blotches on its culms that are presumably caused by some as 
 yet undetermined species of fungus. These spots are regularly pres- 
 ent on almost all internodes and give to the stems a very decorative 
 appearance, making them much sought after for fancy furniture. The 
 extent and b(>auty of these blotches vary with the amount of shade 
 which the plants are given and the kind of soil upon which they are 
 grown. The ))est location is said to be a moist river bottom, and the 
 less direct sunlight that is permitted to sti-ike the young shoots when 
 in growth the better. A rare .sort, except in certain localities in Japan. 
 Some of tlie liest groves the writer has seen arc in Hikone, in the 
 province of Mine, on Lake Biwa. 
 
DlFb'EKENT SPECIES. 29 
 
 Phyllostachys Nir.uA, Mumo. 
 
 (Japanese names: " (lommlak(\" " Kiini-rhikii," m- " Kinml'iii.") 
 
 Tlic black ))!iinl)o() is not as g^encnilly grown in -Japan as the tlircc 
 species just nicntioneil, Imt it is nevertheless an important culture. 
 Fornicrlv more money was made out of it than has l)een the case in 
 recent years, because the t'orciyn demand, it is said, has fallen oti'. 
 
 It is a smaller species than the other timber sorts, seldom growing 
 over ^0 feet high and lA inches in diameter. 
 
 The culms when young are covei'ed with dark-brown to jiurple spots, 
 which spread as it grows older until the whole culm becomes dark- 
 brown, almost l)lack, except just below the nodes, where there is an 
 ash-grav line. This dark color at oucv distinguishes the species from 
 all other Japanese .sorts. Branch buds are brown, mottled with black. 
 There is a great variation in the intensity of this dark color of the culms, 
 and this is said to vary with the kind of soil upon which the plants are 
 grown and the amount of sunlight to which they are exposed. There 
 arc, however, at least two varieties of this species, one with nnich more 
 intensely brown culms than the other. Mr. jNIitford calls the lighter 
 sort /'. iii</rii-punctata, and remarks that it is hardier than P. )ii<jiu, 
 but n(.)t so pi-etty. Light, hillside soil is claimed as better adapted to 
 the production of intense color than rich alluviiun, and it is found 
 necessary' to renew old plantations, in ordt'r to prevent the color from 
 fading out. 
 
 This is one of the hariliest forms grown in England, attaining in 
 exceptional ca.ses 20 feet in height, and it is certainly one of the most 
 decorative kinds. Nothing could exceed the delicate beauty of the 
 groves of this species which are to be seen near Kyoto. Their dark 
 stems, ash-gray nodes, and light-green foliage make them uni(|ue 
 among decorativ(> plants. (See PI. I.) 
 
 The uses of this species are limited to the manufacture of furniture, 
 numerous household articles, and fancy hshing poles, for all of which 
 these black bamboos are peculiarly suited. 
 
 Phyllostachvs Castili.oni.s." 
 
 (Japanese name: " Kiinniii-rhihi." ) 
 
 The golden-striped bamboo is one of the most decorative forms of 
 the group. It is not easily confused with other Japanese sorts when 
 its characters are fully developed, for each culm is of a beautiful 
 golden-yellow color, striped with brilliant green. The leaves also are 
 variegated with stripes of green and white. The contrast between 
 the golden yellow of the stems and the green stripes on the young 
 
 "No authority is given liy Mitfonl for this name, and the author lias been unable 
 as yet to work out its correct name. The nomenclature of the bamboos needs work- 
 ing over. 
 
30 JAPANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 shoots is one of the prettiest etiefts imaginable. The species <,'tows 
 occasional!}' over 30 feet iiigh in Japan and specimeus 5 to (J feet iiigh 
 are already found in England, where the species has withstood a tem- 
 perature of 2-1: degrees of frost or 8'-' F. It is not a common species 
 even in the gardens of .Japan, and Mr. Mitford saj's it is uncommon in 
 England. Very young plants sometimes show only slight traces of 
 the variegation on the stems, but develop this character later. 
 
 Mr. Tsuboi, who has the most exceptional taste in bamboos, and in 
 the dwarfing of which he is an acknowledged connoisseur (see PI. VII, 
 fig. 1), suggested planting a mixture of this golden bamboo with the 
 black species, P. nigra. As a rule, mixtures of ))amboos are said to 
 be objectionable, but such a mingling of golden and black stems is 
 worthy of an experiment. 
 
 Phyllostachts Aurea, a. & C Riviere. 
 
 (Japanese names: " Holei-i-)iikH" " Ilorai-Chiku," or " Taibo-Chlku.") 
 
 A smaller species than /'. mitis or P. ijuil/'ot, but attaining in Eng- 
 land a height of l-t feet and a diameter of culm of over thrce-t\)urths 
 of an inch. In Japan, culms have been observed over li inches in 
 diameter. It is not a golden bamboo, as its name implies, its stems 
 Ijeing about the cok)r of /'. mlih. The distinguishing characteristic- 
 is thnt the first 5 or 6 internodes near the ground are very sliort, 
 bringing the internodes, or joints, close together, often only a few 
 inches apart. These joints are not, as in P. lu'terocyela, set at an angle 
 to the direction of the- stem, but are generally parallel to each other 
 and quite horizontal. Branch buds are variable in color, but pale. Mr. 
 Mitford remarks that this species should })e planted in large, bold 
 masses for good landscape efl'ect, for if single plants are set out they 
 send up shoots only near the mother culm and produce a switch-like 
 effect. The shoots of this species are edible, according to the Japanese 
 liooks, and are of even better tlavor than those of P. inltix; hut this 
 variety does not appear to be grown for food. 
 
 Phyli.ostachys Bambusoides, Sieb. & Zucc. 
 (Japanese name: '•Yadake.") 
 
 The arrow bamboo is that of which the stems are still employed in 
 the manufacture of the line Japanese arrows used generally for archery 
 purposes. The plant is still a I'are one in England, and Mitford saj's 
 that other sorts are sometimes sold by .Japanese nurserymen under its 
 name. It is not very commonly seen in gardens, so far as observed, 
 even in Japan, and the arrow makers, it is said, get their main supply 
 of stems from wild plants. There are some of these maimfacturers in 
 the town of Shizuoka, but the demand for arrows is so small that they 
 are doing a poor business. This species is distinguished from others 
 
DIFFERENT SPECIES. 31 
 
 by the fact that it does not liave an actively creeping rootstock. Each 
 ])huit forni.s a separate small chunp hy itself. The branches are shorter 
 than the internodes and the middle ))ranch of the three is longest, 
 whereas in other bamboos the middle Ijranch is the shortest — some- 
 times wanting. Clumps of this form grow to 10 or 12 feet in height 
 in Japan, with a diameter of little over three-fourths of an inch. The' 
 internodes are long, and the sheaths, although withering the first year, 
 do not fall off until the following year. They are bright green in color, 
 witli a purple edging. The leaves are large, sometimes over 12 inches 
 long by li inches broad, and are borne in fours, five.s, sevens, or 
 eights. The hardness of the culms, their small cavity, and the smooth- 
 ness of the nodes, as well as their small size, are characteristics that 
 well adapt them for arrow milking. This is believed to be a hardj^ 
 species, and it is (piite unlike the ordinary bamboos in appearance. 
 
 Phyllostachys Marliacea, Mitford. 
 
 (.Tai'Anese NAiMKs: "f<liiho-chika" or "Shiirri-rliik>i.") 
 
 The "wrinkled l>amboo" is easily distinguished from all other kinds 
 by the fact that its culms are longitudinally channeled with shallow 
 grooves. It is a low-growing species compared with J\ qullioi, which 
 it otherwise resemljles, not being commoidy over 12 to 1-1 feet high, 
 even in Japan. It is a rare kind, and its culms are used occasionally, 
 it is said, for decorative woodwork in the special rooms which in many 
 Japanese houses are kept sacred for the tea-drinking ceremony. A 
 beautiful and hardy form. 
 
 AUUNDINAKIA Japonica, Sieb. lie Zucc. 
 
 (.Iai'ANEse name: " Mi'lab'" or M<'<hikr;" not " Makiiiie") 
 
 A well-known baml»oo in Europe, where it is not very highly thought 
 of l)y some, but is praised as a valuable decorative plant by others. A 
 form distinguishable liy its persistent sheaths which, instead of falling 
 oil', like those of the genus /'/ii///<).s(av/ii/.s, remain attached until they 
 become frayed out and split to pieces. These ragged sheaths give to 
 clinnps of the plant an untidy appearance. The culms are round and 
 without any groove or Hattening on one side, as is the case with the 
 Phyllostachides. The pseudoph3'lls of the ordinary sheaths are very 
 narrow, sometimes not over an eighth of an inch wide, and from 1 to 2 
 inches long; but those of the topmost sheaths develop into true leaves. 
 The leaves themselves are large, 8 to 12 inches by 1^ to 2 inches. 
 This is said to be the hardiest species in Japan, growing as far north 
 as the island of Hokkaido, whei-e the temperatui'e falls below zero 
 Fahrenheit. Its culms are extensively used for fan making, and 
 millions of cheap paper-colored fans are made ever\' year from the 
 
32 .lAl'ANESK HAMBOO.S. 
 
 stems of this species. River hunks uiul tiic iiiiiri;iiis of ponds iind 
 cantils are eminently suited to its growth, and the overflowed hinds 
 of the Colorado River in Arizona might be planted to advantajfe 
 with this species. This hamhoo is one of the few that has flowered 
 and fruited in Eurojje. According- to JNIr. Mitford, specimens in the 
 Bois de Bologne in Raris, and simultaneously all over France and in 
 Algiers, bloomed and produced fruit in iSC)" or iStiS. 
 
 AuuNDiNAKiA SiiMONi, A. & C. Riviere. 
 
 (.T.M'ANESE NAMU: " .\iirill i rilfldti." } 
 
 Tiiis species is easily distinguished by its broad, j)ersistent sheaths 
 of a i)lain straw color tliat fall ofl' only after the culms have attained 
 maturity. (PI. V, tig. 1.) It is the tallest of the hai'dy arundinarias 
 which are grown in England, the culms attaining a height of is feet 
 and a diameter of an inch. The shoots ap])ear from midsummer until 
 late in the autumn, and Mr. Mitford remarks that many do not mature 
 sufficiently to stand the P^nglish winters. The sheaths nearest the 
 ground arc short, though long enough to overlap the internodes, but 
 those of the upper joints, although S to Kt inches long, do not exceed 
 the internodes in length. They are at first of a tine green color, shad- 
 ing into purple, which soon fades, however, to a dull yellow. These 
 prominent slieaths, which are thick, stitif, and ))eautifully glazed on 
 the side next the culm, will easily distinguish this arundinaria from 
 any other common Japanese form. The species has flowered and 
 fruited in England, and it is (juite universally grown in English 
 gai'dens. A long description of it is given by Mr. Mitford in "The 
 Bamboo Garden." 
 
 Akundinakia Hin'dsii, Munro. 
 
 (.],\r.\NE.st; name: "K<iii:iiii-rliil:<i." ) 
 
 The Kanzan-chiku is a very conunon gardiui plant about Tokyo, and 
 clumi)s of it arc to be found in many of the farmyards in central 
 .Japan, where the culms grow to a height of 18 feet and attain a diam- 
 eter of over It^ inches. This species forms pretty clumps, with a tine 
 grass-like foliage, and although little farm u.se is made of it, it is 
 worthy of trial as an ornamental. Its hardiness has not been demon- 
 strated in England, but it seems likely to prove as hard}' as forms like 
 P. mitis. It is distinguished from the preceding arundinarias b}' its 
 long, narrow leaves, sometimes It inches by tive-eighths of an inch, 
 according to Mr. Mitford. The sheath is provided with a reddish 
 margin toward the tip. 
 
DIFFERENT SPECIES. 33 
 
 Arundinaria Hindsii, vur. Graminea. 
 
 (Japanese name; '' Taimin-chil.'u.") 
 
 A sort similar to the foregoing, but with considerably narrower 
 leaves and a longer, iiai'rower sheath, with no evidences of a brown 
 margin. 
 
 Bambusa \'kitchii, C'arr. 
 
 (Syxiin'vm: Ari()i(liiiayi(( reifc-liii. Japanese s.\mf.: '■ Kfihinnaiasa;" sometimes only 
 
 " Kiimtiziimi.'' ) 
 
 The Kumazasa, by which is generally meant Bcanhu.sa jxthitafa, and 
 this B. lyltrhl! are sometimes confused. The latter may be distin- 
 guished by the fact that its leaf margins wither in late autumn and 
 make the plant look as if it were variegated. B. vt-itchii is further- 
 more, as a rule, only about 2 feet high, whereas B. 2)(iJ>nat<i grows to 
 feet in height. The sheath of B. reitchii is said by Sir Ernest Satow 
 to 1)0 longer and more persistent than that of B. pahmtta. The leaves 
 of B. i-(:'it<'li<i are much smaller than those of its taller relative and 
 warrant the name of "Kokumazasa," or lesser bamboo. This species 
 is suitable for lawn planting and is used b}- the Japanese to plant 
 under their pine trees and to cover with a thick mat of green foliage 
 a sloping hillside or emliankment, for both of which purposes it is 
 admirably adapted (PI. V). It must be kept from spreading into cul- 
 tivated ground by means of a broad ditch, 2 feet deep and \\ feet 
 wide. The variegated efl'ect produced by the dead margins of the 
 leaves after being touched l)y frost is striking, though not very 
 attractive. 
 
 Bambusa Palmata, Hort. Ex. Kew Bull. 
 
 (Japanese name: '' Kniitazasa.") 
 
 A much larger species than the preceding and with leaves 12 to 13 
 inches long instead of 5 to 6 inches. Altogether one of the most effective 
 plants for embankments, as it covers them with a mass of broad leaf 
 surface which is very attractive. Its rhizomes are said to be good 
 sand-liindei-s. Large patches of this plant on a lawn or hillside are 
 striking objects of interest. Caution must be exercised to prevent 
 the rhizomes from invading cultivated fields. This can be done by 
 • ditching, as has been described for B. re/fc/u'i. 
 
 Bambusa QuADKAN(iULAKis, Fenzi. 
 
 (Japanese names: " ShUxi-rhiku" or " Shikaku-dakr.") 
 
 The square bamboo is unlike any other Japanese species in the pos- 
 session, when fully grown, of square culms. These square stems are 
 often not apparent on j-oung small shoots, but the older ones are sufe 
 
 270.38— No. 43—03 3 
 
34 JAVANESE BAMBOOS. 
 
 to show this character. The squareness of these cuhns is aptly com- 
 pared ))y ]Mr. Mitford to the square stems of the Laliiates. Small 
 groves of this bamboo are to be seen not far from Yokohama, and the 
 writer has seen stems among one of these groves that were about 20 
 feet high, while ^Ir. ]\Iitford says the plant grows to 30 feet near 
 Osaka. The sheath is very thin and delicate and more open than in 
 most l)am])oos. gaping from the base and leaving the greater part of 
 the internode uncovered. The wood of this species is too weak to 
 make it of any great value, and its sensitiveness to frost is too great 
 to enable one to class it among the hardy sorts. It is, however, a 
 decorative plant and worthy of repeated trials in the f rostless I'egions 
 of America. It is said tliat roots will form easily from tiie lower 
 nodes of the square bamboo if the portion bearing these nodes is buried 
 in the soil. This would facilitate propagation if the statement proves 
 correct. 
 
 Bambusa Vul(;aris, Schi-ad. 
 
 (Japanese name: " Tdiaiin-rliiku.") 
 
 A species growing in Satsumn, the southern province of Japan, liut 
 which is not hardy at Yokohama. It is propagated ditierently from 
 the hardy sorts, as new shoots are borne from the base of the culm as 
 well as from the rhizome. Short culm bases, without rhizomes, arc 
 potted and easily transported from Satsuina to Yokohama, where new 
 branches appear from the nodes. This species is said to be easy to 
 propagate because of this diaracter, Init it will probably have a chance 
 to succeed in the Ignited States only in subtropical Florida and Texas, 
 where it will require a good soil, rich in iuunus. 
 
 "Shakittan." 
 
 '"Shakutan" is the name of a very pretty species which is reported 
 to grow in the northern island of Japan and to be perfectly hardy. 
 The writer saw plants under this name in the Yokohama Nursery 
 Company's grounds. They were very distinct from B. pahnata, and 
 dried specimens were sent to Mr. Makino in Tokyo for determination. 
 The species is probably related to B. jydhiiata^ but the broad, large 
 leaves are mostly situated near the tip of the slender sheath-covered 
 stem, which rises from the gi-ound with a characteristic carve, and is 
 bare of leaves for several feet from the ground. 
 
 Plate V, tig. 3, shows a clump of what appears to l)e the same spe- 
 cies, from Tosa, one of the southern islands of Japan, which was 
 growing in ^Ir. Tsuboi's garden under the name " Hanchiku." The 
 culms are almost covered with tiie light-colored persistent sheaths 
 from the ground to the leaves. The stems are not over one-fourth to 
 three-eighths of an inch in diameter, and are about 5 feet high. 
 
PLATES 
 
 35 
 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATES. 
 
 Plate I. A commercial grove of the lilack liamtjoo (Flnjlku^tachiis nir/ra) growiiiir at 
 Kaiden, Shinkotari, near Kyoto, the property of Mr. Denkichi Fujibaya.-ilii. 
 Age unknown, lint probably more than 30 years old. Photographed by Yendo. 
 
 Plate II. \ well-kept forest of Phijllostacht/s qiiilioi growing on good soil, showing an 
 open drainage ditch in foreground and the thick mulch of leaves and straw 
 which co\'er the ground. Age probably over 50 years. Photographed liy 
 Yendo. 
 
 Plate III. Bamboo forests. Fir/. 1. — A well-kept forest of P/ii/Wo.s/(«7ii/.« 7!(i7(0) grow- 
 ing on poor soil filled with gravel Weeding has not been as recently done as in 
 .that part of the forest shown in PI. IF. The two photographs from which 
 these plates were prepared were taken from points not 20 yards apart in the 
 forest of JNIr. Isnke Tsuboi, of Kusafuka. Photographed bj' Yendo. Fkj. 2. — A 
 liadly kept forest of timber bamboo {PiDjIloftacliiis rpiUioi) growing on good soil 
 adjacent to the well-kept forest shown in PI. II. This shows the effect of not 
 weeding, thinning out, or fertilizing. Photographed by Y'endo. 
 
 Plate IV. Bamboo groves in Jai>an. Fiij. 1. — A liillside grove or forest of the edible 
 species {PlnjUosldcIii/s mills) 20 years old, showing large size of the culms. 
 Fig. 2. — A grove of the same species over 100 years old near Tokyo. Tlie bundle 
 of barley straw shown on the right will lie used for mulching purposes. Fi;;. S. — 
 A 12-day-old shoot of PJiiiUoxladttiii (j»(7/oi in a forest of the same species on l\Ir. 
 Tsuboi's place at Kusafuka. 
 
 Platk Y. Bamboo groves in Japan. Fig. 1. — i'Uwwp oi Arimdniciria siinoni, showing 
 the persistent characteristic sheaths. Fig. 2. — Grove of PlijiVo.slitchi/s tjuilioi on 
 Mr. Tsuboi's place at Kusafuka. Age unknown, but probalily more than TiO 
 years old. Fig. 3. — Plat of a species of bamboo caMe<i by ]Mr. Tsuboi " Han- 
 chiku," from Tosa Island, which has not been determined botanically so far as 
 known. An exceedingly pretty, decorative form, somewhat like PliiillnitUicliijx 
 palmaUi. 
 
 Plate YI. Bamboo plants. Fig. 1. — A yoimg black bamboo plant of which the 
 rhizome, to be seen on the left, has died. The rosette of leaves still remains 
 alive, but no ynung shoots are formed. This specimen was dug in Jlr. Tsuboi's 
 garden at Kusafuka. Photngraphed by Yen<lo. Fig. 2. — Properly dug young 
 plant of black bamboo ready to transplant, showing several inches of rhizome 
 on l)oth sides of the liase of the stem, which is necessary for the production of 
 new shoots. This specimen was dug under Mr. Tsuboi's direction and repre- 
 sents his idea of how a plant should be prepared for transplanting if dug late in 
 the season. Photographed by Yendo. Fig. 3. — Rhizome or underground stem 
 of bamboo {PhyUnxkichgsrjmlioi), showing young shoots and roots springing from 
 the nodes. Dug in June. It dug in winter, the buds would all be in a dormant 
 condition. Photographed by Y'endo. 
 
 Plate VII. Bamboo scenes. Fig. 1. — Dwarf bamboos at Kusafuka. Fig. 2. — Em- 
 bankment on top of a wall in a city street in Tokyo planted with Bambusa ivitcliii. 
 Fig. •:?. — Young shoot showing effects of the bamboo culm-boring larva. Sawdust 
 on outside of shoot affords evidence of presence of larva within. Fig. 4- — i^ongi- 
 tudinal section of young shoot showing the culm-boring larva inside one of the 
 segments. Photographed by Yendo. 
 
 Plate VIII. Bamboos in California. Figx. lands. — RoviS oi Plujlloxhirhy.^ r/uilioi C!) 
 growing 25 feet tall in the grounds of a nursery company at Niles. Watered 
 twice a year with 2 inches of water each time. This species is called Bainhima 
 siriala by Mr. Rock. Fig. 5.— Plant of Phylloshwhys qxnUfji (?) which was set out 
 two years ago in the grounds of a nursery company at Niles. 
 36" 
 
 o 
 
Bui. 43, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept of Agriculture. 
 
 Plate II. 
 
 A Well-kept Forest of Timber Bamboo (Phyllostachys quiliom on Good Soil. 
 
Bui. 43, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept of Agriculture. 
 
 Plate III. 
 
 Fig. 1 .—A Well-kept Forest of Timber Bamboo 
 I Phyllostachys quilioii on Poor Soil. 
 
 Fig. 2.— a Badly Kept Forest of Timber Bamboo (Phyl- 
 lostachys QuiLioi) ON Good Soil. 
 
Bui 43, Bureau of Plant Industry, U, S. Dept, of Agricultuie. 
 
 Plate IV. 
 
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eau of Plant Inclustiy, U. S. Oept. of Ajri 
 
 Plate V. 
 
 
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 Plate VI. 
 
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Bui, 43, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S, Dept- of Agriculture. 
 
 Plate Vll. 
 
 Fig. 1 —A Few Dwarf Bamboos. 
 
 Fig. 2.— Embankment of Bambusa veitchii in Tokyo. 
 
 Fig. 3.— Sawdust on Shoot, Indicating Presence of Culm-boring Larva. 
 
 FiQ. 4.— Longitudinal Section of Shoot, Showing Culm-boring Larva. 
 
Bui. 43, Bureau of Piar.t Induitry, U. S. 
 
 Dept. 
 
 3f Agriculture. 
 
 Plate VIM. 
 
 
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