Emphasis Preaching Journal

The Japanese are fond of cultivating Bonsai trees: dwarf trees that stand no more than a foot or so in height. Bonsai trees don't grow that way naturally. The Bonsai artist deliberately stunts their growth by taking a pair of scissors and snipping through their taproot. This forces the tree to rely only on its shallowest roots, the ones that grow just below the surface of the soil. Although Bonsai trees may be decades old, they will never grow any taller. Among the Japanese, they are deeply treasured.