The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-05-15


Taylor 10 make the following extracts
from private letter from his son. who
Is laboring a. a missionary in Japan
EDS.
KOBE. JAPAN. March 1j. 1874.
DEAR ONES AT HOME.-As. by the
time this reaches you, you will be en-
gagged in your own spring farm work,
picture of japanese methods of farming
might not prove uninteresting You
have heard Japan spoken of as being in
a high state of cultivation. In some re-
Spects it is, in others it is not Some dis
tricts are scarcely cultivated at all, even
where cultivation is possible The south
ern portion of the empire, along the In
land sea, is in the very best state of cul-
tivatiOn. We, here around Kobe, see
farming carried to as high a state of per-
fection as any place in Japan, being at
| just the eastern terminus of the Inland
sea. You look in vain for broad acres.
| | have not seen field or garden that
contained an acre, but few, indeed, one
half acre; most of them only few square
rods. All the land that can be cultiva-
! ted is terraced; no two contiguous pieces
exactly the same level, but each piece as
smooth as floor, having just fall enough
to allow the water TO run off at one cor
ner. The surface soil is removed, the
place leveled, and the soil replaced. In
some places the soil is several feet deep,
in Others, shallow, and poor in quality.
The little patches of poor ground are
laid out in all forms and shapes, dove
tailed and fitted into each other as
though they had grown thus. The per-
pendicular distance of one plat TO the
surface of an adjacent one is raised all
the way, from one or two inches to TWEEN
ty or twenty-five feet. Around each
plat is a slight ridge of earth, a few inch
es high, so that the whole plat can be COW
cred with water in the cultivation of rice.
The land is all irrigated, and little ditch
es carrying the water, meander all around
these little plats. These little bitches
are mostly walled with stone, and
stone walls arebuilt up, with slight slant
along the edges of the terraces. All |
this stone must be Carried from the |
mountains, sometimes three or four |
miles. We never see anything drd1CR |
here, unless it is by a little COW tied to a |
three-wheeled cart, or three or four |
coolies tugging at a twO-wheeled kind of |
dray. Thus, you can form some idea of |
the amount of labor that has been ex- |
pended in preparing the lad for cult |
walton. All over the cultivated portions |
there are great reservoirs, from ten to |
twenty feet deep, some of them cover
ing only few square rods, others sew
eral acres These are filled with water /
during the rains and are used as needed |
during the dry weather. l have fire.
quently ascended Il raise of twenty or |
thirty feet, expecting to find Il nice level |
plat, but to my surprise would find my |
self on the brink of Il little lake. Little |
streams of water, sparkling in the sun
light, are always running iii some of |
these trenches, which wind around Of
ten, as though made to please the eye.
The water is allowed to run one day in 4
two or three, from the reservoirs into /
these bitches. The bed of the water
courses all that | have seen-;re sever
al feet above the level OF the surround
ing country, and are dyked to prevent |
overflow. Many of them are stone chan
nels, that appear to have been raised up |
for them. | am told this is the case
with the largest rivers in the Empire.
They are dry water courses for the most |
part The usual flow of water is carried |
OFF over the country, and only the sur
plus in times of much-rain, run in the /
channels of the rivers. 1t gives the
country very peculiar appearance, thus |
to be lower than the water running |
through il. There generally are trees |
planted along the water courses, and to |
cross Il stream you go up a steep ascent !
of several feet Thus, in going from the
sea back into the country, you find ter
race above terrace, terrace above ter
race. Through many of these plats of
ground there are small fOot-paths, some
scarcely wide enough to walk in, some
six inches, Others six feet. | have not
seen a road, except the great National
highway, that is more than six feet wide
All the transportation is done on the
backs of the farmers, or on little cows.
They break up the soil with these little
cows, tied up to Il kind of wooden plow,
or rather Il stick. with Il piece of iron
plate on the end that runs in the ground.
With these they root UP the ground two
or three inches deep, or they dig it up
with peculiar kind of hoe or three
pronged fork. They generally throw the
ground up in long narrow rows, some
thing like the beds in which you plant
sweet potatoes, only somewhat wider.
They SOW, or plant, whatever they put
in, in two rows i'll these beds,-wheat,
turnips. peas, beans, onions, and all in
the same unvariable manner. The rice,
however, they sow on a level surface
They apply their fertilizers always in
liquid forms. Their chief fertilizer is
night-soil, which they gather up from the
water closetsthat are found all along the
road sides or streets, besides being in
not Outside-of all the houses. 1t is
placed in large hogsheads, which are
sunk in the ground, here and there, all
over the country. Here it is allowed to
remain until it rOtS, or ripcnS(O and is
ready for use. 1t is then dipped out into
long pals, which are carried one OH each
end of a stick, and with a wooden dipper
is poured along the rows of growing veg
etableS, or grain. Happy is the man
such occasions.
Along the valleys and next the coast
the hills and mountains are too steep for
cultivation. Only in places can they be
terraced. They are so steep that neith-
er cows nor sheep can climp them.
Hence, only few small cattle are found
here, and no sheep. Only goats can
live on them With all the care of cul-
tivation, the country cannot support so
dense population, notwithstanding the
few and simple wants of the people, as
can Illinois, Iowa or even North Western
Ohio.
We are very content and comfortable
here. Being an open port. there are a
great many foreigners here FOR the pur-
pose of making money, If not as mis-
sionaries, and it is pleasant 10 see any OF
our own tongue. Yours, etc.
WALLACE fiVTBTs