New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-01-27

many Winter daY thereafter the ginning Of 1t occu.
pies the female part Of the household, well In the
long evenings BY rush candeght By the light Of
the day. No subtle invention Of Whitney assists this
labor, but the time imDenorial method OF both China
and Japan continues ia vogue; the uneeaned staple Ia
passed by this handeeding process between the rollers
OF hard wood grinding with smooth faces against each
other. and 90 tearing out the seed rested at an Inn
In the country ono night whereone Of the maids buzz
ON Maritornes received the alterations of her lover
she sat up 10 the kitchen amer the rest Of the household
had retired to gin cotton BY candlegbt The cost Of
raw cotton In the quiet days. before Japan vas opened
to foreign trade and civil war in tie most distant
part Of the globe had trebled even quadrupea its
price, about five cents per pound and the iudustr
girl could weave in single day enough cloth to
make the coarse garment which thu common lsborer.
male and female wears.
Al the essentials OF the japanese abOrers life
ard are easily attained The earth yielded to him
bOuntfuy Of her increases the material for his gar.
nents by his door and spun and voye by his
own household the trees furnished him both fuel and
light and in ell his hamlets the pauper and beggar
not except psuper and beggar by profession and not
by necessity. Yet with all the painness and simplicity
sof his rustic life is not japanese peasant bit Of
sybarte in his wayi His daily appetite ia satiated
with such food might belong to the jewellers in the
new Utopia He eats TemoTseesSy the tender bulbs OF
the golden lily which spreads its sumptuOus blossoms
over bis fields; be dimes dantiy the lotus roots be
bos his kettle with the wood Of the caells which we
coax with so much tender care TO bloom under
Northern skies
With November comes the breaking up Of the up
land once more to receive the Fasown crops and by
the latter part Of this Month wheat barley and rape
are again spreading their carpet Of green over the
Autumn fields Now, too, the rice has rpened in the
valleys and Its harvesting Is began. This work is
never crowdhg. The Japanese farmer is safe to rely
@ clear December, 40 he makes no haste to gather
tie rice much Of which will DO left uncut throughout
the last month Of year. This protraeted harvest
helps 70 fill up the otherwise vacant pauses Of the
Winters work and the women assist in its labOrs,
hatoheling the heads and wnnowing the grain, as in
the wheat harvest.
know thatitis now an of season with the farmer
for him doing tie odd Jobs Of farmers life, re-
pairing bs thaohes trimming the borders of bis fields
with new faces of turf mud, and indication Of
his case catch him lazily fishing with haul net in
the bitches setting for the game birds the
quail pheasant teal wood duck and wild goose, which
make his islands their Winter home.
The aspects of life we have noted those COM
monty presented to the strangers notice about the open
ports but there are other occupations of rural life
WHICH though less well known, must not escape men,
ton There are large sections Of the empire where the
chief industry of the people expended on the produc-
ton osik and tea the two great staples which will as.
sumo leading importance under the stimulus Of our
foreign trade.
The mulberry tree is planted along the waste margin
of rivers and streams for the benefit Of whoever may
choose to gather its leaves it is set as fringe
around the borders of the cultivated fields, dividing
them into little plots Of few rods square and then
poarded as well for the convenience Of gathering the
leaves as that the roots and shade shall interfere
little as possible with the culture Of crops In the In
closed urea. Each family feeds its little colony Of
worms reels the gossamer threads from the cocoon |
and takes the produce to market There is associat
ed industry, no skllfu aborsaYing contrivances In
each silk district there one more market towns
where fairs regularly and frequently held fixed
days and where each little producer meets the large
factor and disposes of the product Of his her in
dustry An this work Is mainly cared for by the women
snd Children leaving the abe-bOdled to the harder
abors Of the field. When the silk crop of the year is
finished then the loom IL set up. and out Of many rude
cottage come fabrics of wonderful taste and skill
which the weaver may weave but never wear.
As with the silk crop so with the tea crop; here too
large share of the labor falls the weaker portion Of
the household The tea plant like the mulberry, is cul
tyated In part as an sdging TO the fields, but more
usnany 1t is grown in thick-set in detached
bushes, the intervals being cultivated with general
crops The various stages Of the tea plants prepsra
ton give profitable labor to large population labor
in which as in the silk crop. all ages assist. In
some parts Of the Oee district famous for its fine teas
tho first gathering Of the young leaves is made festival
day And there are particular places where the gath
ene Of the first tender leaves TO be made into tea for
the Imperial use is annually cared for with great
mony. These leaves must be picked by the hands OF
young girls selected for the occasion girls who
still POSSESSED Of tho charms Of virginia. youth and
purity for no hands less holy are fit to do this Office for
their august msjestes the spiritual and temporal En-
perors So these maids 90 to the fields in joyous pro-
cesson each queen of the May clad in new garments
With the hem lifted at one side and tucked into the CIR
die at the waist displaying the skirt of crimson Grape
beneath and the bare foot clean aud glistenng from
the bath, with their heads bound with cinctures of
white, aud their brown arms barred OF the flowing
Sleeves bearing panniers for the gathered leaves
there is music the tbrum thrum of the japanese Lutte
and the chorus Of inharmonious voices for thus and
thus does royalty get its tea. Annually. each Midsum-
Iner, q curious procession comes up the Tokaido
from Miaco; it is the bearers Of the Spir-
final Emperor's yearly gift of this tea to his
beoe the Tycoon of Ycdo THIS tea, which is
contained IN clean. Gr chests Of implanted wood is
borne on barrow or mems shoulders the whole dis
tance of 400 miles covered with drspery emblazoned
with the Imperial arms. preceded and followed By
armed attendants and officials charged with the delv
cry of the royal gift Relays Of men receive the pre-
cious burden, which must touch the earth in all
a., long transit Into whatever village this cOrtege
IN frouf m finn M