CC, You will find a great deal of information in both those books. However, that information is mostly state of the art c. 1960. You'd do better to subscribe to Bonsai Today, International Bonsai, etc. to learn intermediate and advanced techniques. And while drawings and diagrams are fine, photographs of actual trees and actual work are far more helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: Sashi-eda Bonsai

Scott, I'm not sure about the 235, but my 225 did not come with an hour meter. I had to install it (even though the cutout was there in the frame). Just because it shows less than 100 hours doesn't mean it was installed since new. Also, even if it were, they're pretty easy to replace. While "rolling back" a car's odometer will get you in hot water, I don't think the sheriff cares much about guys selling lawn mowers with bogus hours. That being said, check other things for signs of wear. With less than 100 hours, they should both be in like new condition. The only wear you should see is some paint scraped off the sides of the deck. If you see excessive wear on the tires, pedals, seat, lots of play in the steering, noisy deck bearings, etc, those are some things that might make you question the low hours claim. If you decide that both tractors do in fact have less than 100 hours, and move on from comparing the condition of the tractors to the features of the tractors, it's a no-brainer, the GT is an upgrade. The tractors handle and operate identically, with twin-touch pedals and a manual lift deck. Does the LX have the foot pedal lift? You might prefer than over the hand lever. As far as cutting grass goes, you won't really notice a difference. But if you ever want to branch out from there, the GT235 is a real garden tractor, which is basically a miniature farm tractor. While the LX is one of the more rugged lawn tractors, capable of pushing a snow blade, it's still just a lawn tractor. You'll never use sleeve-hitch attachments (plow, disc harrow, cultivator, planter, blade, box blade, rake) or a tiller (which are cheap on eBay). And if you tow a cart full of firewood, soil, mulch, whatever, you'll need to take it easy on the transmission.

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John F Kennedy looked great but it just never flowered for me. When it did, it had a lot of trouble opening. The repeat was horrible and also very powdery mildew prone. When it was at its best the blooms were huge, lasted forever and had an almost sparkling white color. Lots of substance to their petals and the stems were very long and thick. Pope John Paul II however is a bloom machine and I get beautiful blooms continually. Never had a problem with the blooms not opening up yet. My only complaint is that often the blooms are so heavy that the thin stems can't hold them up straight.