THUJA OBTUSA. -- "During spring and summer, by preference keep this plant in a sunny, airy situation, where the wind will pass freely through the branches ; water once a day, affording just enough to make the soil moist.  In dry, hot weather it may be necessary to afford water twice a day, care, however, should be taken not to have the soil wet, and never to apply water unless the plant needs it.  Sprinkling overhead in dry weather is bad, but rain is always beneficial.  During winter keep the tree in a cold greenhouse, partially shaded, or in an unheated orangery, applying water about once every ten days ; the soil, however, must never be allowed to get quite dry.  The art of successful culture of all plants in pots consists in the judicious application of water, too much or too little being equally injurious.  Treated in this manner, the plant is very ornamental on balconies, terraces, &c.  If this plant is kept indoors, it should always be placed out-of-doors at night, and as often as it is not wanted for decoration.  Indoors it should never be exposed to the dry heat from a stove or open fireplace, or otherwise the leaves will drop off, and the plant perish.
       Pinus pentaphylla, and Pine-trees in general, growing in jardinières require the same attention in regard to water and general treatment as Thuja obtusa, but they are not so much influenced by atmospheric conditions ; nevertheless, sun and air are necessary to the maintenance of health.  It is therefore good to keep the plants out-of-doors as much as possible.
       Maples and other deciduous trees need the same kind of treatment as Thuja obtusa as regards water at the root, but are more accommodating than evergreens.  In fairly mild climates Maples may remain out-of-doors all the winter, but in the places where the frost is severe they should be kept in a cool cellar, after the leaves have fallen in autumn ; the soil must always be kept moist but not wet.  Early in spring put the plants out-of-doors, and fully exposed to all weathers, and when in full leaf use them for decoration indoors as may be needed.
       Manuring. -- When the trees commence to grow in the spring, we afford manure twice a month, say, in March, April, May, and June, and again in September and October ; in the hot days of July and August, no manure is afforded, nor in winter and early spring, the plants then being at rest.  The best kind of manure is finely-powdered oil-cake and bone-meal, and to a jardinière 1 foot in diameter, three or four large teaspoonfuls, not heaped, of this dry manure is spread evenly round the edge of the jardinière ; and a larger or smaller jardinière will require more or less, for a small jardinière, say, 3 by 6 inches, half-a-teaspoonful will be ample each time.
       Repotting. -- This is done by us once in two or three years, as follows : -- Lift the plant out of the jardinière, and with a sharply-pointed stick remove about one-third of the old soil around the edges and bottom, cutting away a portion of the old, fine roots, but none of the strong roots, then replace the plant in the same jardinière, first looking to the drainage.  For a small shallow jardinière, use a flat piece of tin or a flat crock over each hole, and over this spread some rich, fresh soil ; neatly balance the plant, and fill up with the same rich fresh soil to within 1/2 in. of the rims, and make it sufficiently firm around the edges of the jardinière to prevent the escape of water, it being of the first importance that the entire ball of soil be moitstened at each application.  Should the plant be neglected and the soil become quite dry, put the jardinière in a tub of water for ten or fifteen minutes, and if the dryness is not very great the plant will recover.  In the case of large plants, concave crocks should be employed for drainage, such are as used by growers of specimen plants.  After several repottings, the plant, having increased in size, will have to come into a pot sufficiently large, and as dwarfness is the aim the smaller the shift the better.  Repotting should be done in February or March, just before growth recommences.  We advise when it is possible to get the above work done by a good gardener, who has been accustomed to the handling of Heaths, New Holland plants, &.c.  In the case of very shallow jardinières, it is found desirable to replace annually a portion of the old soil in order maintain a healthy growth.
       Pruning. -- To maintain dwarfness in the trees, the young growth is pinched from April to the middle of the month of June, and always with the finger and thumb, a practice followed by the late Mr. Thomas Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, England, with fruit-trees for fruiting in pots.  In Thuja obtusa we pinch out the points of the young growth all over the plant, so as to maintain the right form ; and this practice is also applicable to Cryptomeria and all other Conifers except Pinus.  Pinus should have the points of the irregular growth pinched out simply to maintain the shape of the plant.  In Pomegranates, Lagerstrœmia indica, the flowering Peach and Cherry, &c., we pinch back the non-flowering shoots either befpre or after blooming.  Wistaria is pinched in July and August so far as regards the young shoots, leaving only four or five leaves on each.  Maples and other deciduous trees are pinched back at the same time as Thuja obtusa, leaving two to four leaves as may be necessary to maintain the desired shape of the plants.  Should a second growth be made, the same rule is followed of pinching out the points.
       The following is a list of the names of dwarfed trees : -- Thuja obtusa, Pinus pentaphylla, P. Massoniana, P. densiflora, Larix leptolepis, Juniperus rigida, J. procumbens, J. chinensis, Podocarpus macrophylla, P. Nageia, Tsuga Sieboldi, Cryptomeria japonica, Acer palmatum (Maple), A. trifidum (Maple), Styrax japonica, Lagerstrœmia indica, Pomegranate, flowering Cherry, flowering Plum (Prunus Mume), Chamærops Palm, Cycas revoluta, Wistaria, Cratægus cuneata, Zelkowa Keaki, Euonymus alatus, Ivy, Bamboos."  The Yokohama Nursery Co., Ltd, Japan.
       [Cupressus obtusa nana is so dwarf by nature as to need no pinching.  We have two flourishing plants about 18 inches high, which have increased very little since they were planted on a rockery some twenty years ago.  Near them is a Maple, planted about the same time, which has a trunk 39 inches round at 3 feet from the ground, and a head between 30 and 40 feet in height.  ED.] 1 

1    The Gardeners' Chronicle, No. 678, December 23, 1899, pg. 466.  These are the earliest detailed care instructions for bonsai known of in English.

Except for the last two paragraphs, this above article is essentially the same as the material found on pp. 63-64 of Del Tredici, Peter "From Temple to Terrace, The Remarkable Journey of the Oldest Bonsai in America" (Jamaica, MA: Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University: Arnoldia 64/2-3, 2006), which begins with "The Yokohama Nursery Company Catalogues issued between 1901 and 1922 all contain the identical instructions for how to take care of the dwarfed trees that the nursery sold.  This information is historically significant for being among the earliest English descriptions of how the Japanese took care of the plants.  The instructions are reprinted below in their entirety.  According to Dr. John Creech, these instructions were most likely written by Mary Unger, the American wife of Alfred Unger, the German horticulturist who operated the Louis Boehmer Nursery Company in Yokohama from 1890 through 1908.

Please see the Feb 7 entry in our Bonsai Book of Days project for some background on the Yokohama Nursery Company.