Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-12-12
VIVA, Capron is Doing in Japan.

" has CapFOn Is Bong III Japan.
In Il recent letter from Commissioner Capron
to his son he gives some proof Of the determine
ton and wonderful energy the japanese are ca.
pable of when they once become convinced of
the importance of the work designed He then
speaks of the progress of agricultural enterprise.
He says:
First, three small places were taken in hand
last fall, near the city Of YeddO, Nippon, each
containing about thirty acres one intended Tor a
nursery Of foreign fruits and vegetables; one
for experiments IN field crops grains, tihers,
roots, &c, and the other for the introduction OF
nutritious grasSes-Oi which Japan has none
and for furnishing suitable food for horses cat
tie, sheep, and hogs expected from America.
The places selected were Old abandoned yarhics,
OF DainiOs residences, winch had been stripped
vi the splendid trees, and the stumps left as
thick as they could well stand, One Of the
>tumps | measured across, eight feet. Removing
a compact mass Of roots and trees of such mag-
nitude TO mt seemed herculean task, and one
that hardly bargained Tor, and so [ stated TO
NJ karOda; but there was no choice, as all the
available land IN the neighbOrhoOd was cut 10
into small patches, and surrounded with deep
ditch, rendering it useless for our system of cui-
lYatiOn. Eight hundred men were at once nut
TO work with AK and mattOcks, their only tools :
fifty men tackled my big camphor tree stump,
eight feet IN diameter, and made short work
with it. All was completed, and the ground
dug over, cleared of its roots and rubbish, and
trenchcd up eighteen inches deep, a rich, mellow
soil. To-day No. l of these farms is well
stocked with thriving young fruits from our
best American nurseries; thousands more are
expected this fall for this and other places No.
is exhibiting the favorable condition OF soil
and climate IN the production of cotton (seed
from Egypt, corn, and all Of our vegetable
roots. No. 5-Small grains were sown TO pro-
NIap I'm,
spring, and which are already furnishing our
fine stock with full allowance of such nutri-
tous food as they had in their native country.
And may say here that the whole stock is now
in good enough condition to EXHIBIT at an Hi
nois lair, and would be a credit TO il. So much
for our work on the Island of Nippon, which is
destined to become one OF great national i'm
portance.
"Ihe progress of the work here is still more
credtabe, as it involves heavier operations In
April, Major A. G. Warfeld, our chief engineer.
was directed to proceed ut once to Yesso, with
instructions TO commence the location Of grand
highway through the island from Hakodadi
to Saspero, the new capital. He is assisted by
Lieut.. WATSON, late of West Point, Mr.. Clark,
formerly from Kentucky, acting as his interpre.
ter and secretary. This road will cross Volcano
by steam ferry eighteen miles, to the splendid
harbor Of Alororan, and ON thence by the most
feasible route to this place. Four thousand men
power of the engineer TO locate the road hroun h
this rugged country rapidly enough to keep OUT
OF their way, any number of additional hands
requisite to finish the road through TO this city
this fall would be put upon the work. As it IS,
they hope to complete The grading of the entire
road before cold weather sets in. During the
winter the bridges will be constructed at this
place from the timber sawed out by our new
mills, aud in the spring will be conveyed over
the new road and placed in their proper posi-
ton.
"The road bed is thirty feet in width. and
about thirty miles are completed, which passed
over on my way up, and a better constructed
road bed never saw in America, nor one more
iudicously located Although passing over the
toughest portion OF this island, the grades arc
all easy; wagon fairly loaded Tor level ground
may be taken through without additional power.
This grand bighway--Or tokaidO, as it is called
here--wlll be credit to the nation, aud may be
considered the first great movement in the work
OF opening up this island, and its full and final
development.
The steam sawmill has been put into opera.
ton temporarily at this point to facilitate the
work on public buildings and for sawing out the
tnmOef iOr the water mills, fumes, dams food
gates, &c. SO soon rs the water mill is ready for
operation the steam engine and sawmill attached
WIN DC removed to any desirable point where
there Is an abundance of timber and no conyen.
lent water power
Large reservoirs have been constructed here,
and canal to convey the water into them from
a fine mountain stream, whose head waters
reach up into a healthy tinbered district of
country, aud already there has been aolted
down this stream and through the canal into Inc
reservoirs squared logs Of from one TO two mill
lion feet Of lumber, ready for the saw. Other
works Of less magnitude are under way--a rood
wagon road to the lscari river, another to the
fort Of Otarinl, on the Japan sea, twenty five
miles, sc,
Land is now being cleared and prepared for
farm experiments the next season, and on which
is TO be introduced the American system of hus-
bandry, with les various improved labor-saving
machinery, and other power besides human