File:The American garden (1891) (17960606080).jpg

Title: The American garden
Identifier: americangarden121891broo (find matches)
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors:
Subjects: Horticulture; Gardening
Publisher: Brooklyn, N. Y. : (s. n. )
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
8 THE ECONOMIC PLANTS OF JAPAN. From the northern point of Yezo (45.30° N.) to the southern point of Kiushiu, these islands extend over about fifteen degrees of latitude. It will thus be seen that the range of temperature must be considerable. In the north the winters are severe, the snow-fall deep and the summers comparatively cool; in the south, sub-tropical products of all kinds thrive to perfection, the climatic conditions corresponding nearly to those of Florida and Key West. It will also be seen that Japan is not a tropical country, a notion not uncommon in America. It is, however, true that owing to the in- sular character of the country the winter climate is much ameliorated, especially on the Pacific coast, where this amelioration is still greater under the influence of the Japan current, and that for this reason many plants are hardy and flourish in Japan on latitudes farther north than they do in America east of the Rockies. But the reverse is true if we compare Japan with western Europe. It will then be found that lines of equal temperature will strike Europe in latitudes much farther north than they do in Japan, To give an idea of the temperature and rain-fall at some of the extreme points I take the following figures from an official pub- lication (Resume Statistique de L' Empire du Japan) for the year 1886. Sappora is in the western part of Yezo ; Tokio on the east coast of central Japan ; Kanazawa is nearly opposite Tokio, on the coast of the sea of Japan, and Nagasaki on the western coast of Kiushiu: Japan, the maps give us but little information. From north to south, the interior of the country is one jumble of volcanic mountains, with only here and there a plain suited to agriculture. Many of the mountains are still active volcanoes. They can scarcely be said to be arranged in chains, for they are piled together in more or less closely connected groups, which occupy about seven-tenths of the whole area of the empire. The peaks are not high, compared with continental moun- tains. Fuji-sau, an extinct volcano southwest of Tokio, and the highest peak in the country, measures 12,365 feet, and a few others approach 10,000 feet, but the great majority will range from 5,000 to 6,000 feet in height. They are, for the most part, covered with vegetation to their summits, and under these jungles of vines and evergreens leap and roar numerous and noisy torrents into the picturesque valleys below, where the people tame them to turn mills and irrigate rice fields on their course to the sea. Though the scenery is not of the grandest, such as may be found in the Rockies, the TEMPKRATURE, F. hes. Maximum. Date. Minimum. Date. Rainfall, inc No. of Rain' Days. Sappora .... Tokio . . . Kanazawa . . Nagasaki . . . 90.8 97.8 98.2 95-1 July 21 " 14 Aug. 2 " 11 ■ ~9 X19.2 X23.9 X23.2 1 Jan. 24 Feb. 3 Jan. 14 " 13 38.4 50.8 102.8 86.7 157 129 204 178 The temperature fell below zero at Sappora. At the other places, it will be noticed, the cli- mate is not severe- The p r e c i p itation, which is everywhere abundant, is greatest on the west coast, where, at Kanazawa, it amounts to over 100 inches. The snow- fall is also greatest along the west coast and in the north. At Tokio the snow is light and only re- mains on the ground three or four days usually, except in shaded places. In regard to the top- ographical features of
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. I. The Island Empire.

Note About Images