The Concordia eagle. [volume] (Vidalia, La.) 1873-1890, 1875-10-02
JAPAN CIVILIZATION-A PECU-
LIAR PEOPLE.

NANNHON--N-~-N
that every district OF country large
enough to support thirty million PEG
pie has peculiar Topographic and eli
matte sequences which devel0pe race
or breed of mankind differing from ali
others. Tho Scotohman never could
originate out of Scotland, or the
Frencbman ont OF France, nor the
Irishmau ont of Ireland, nor the Yam
kee out OF New England. Transpianted
into other soils and climates, much that
iB peculiar to those natiouGiities IS eee.
lost. 1t would be impossible TO build
mp German, Italian or English nation
in America. Every land modities the
character to lbs own children.
The Japen islands possess great nat,
ural advantages for supporting the hui
man family, and these advantages have
given existence to a curious civilization
which deserves the consideration OF
every thoughtful reader In the United
States human industry and common
sense are so far cultivated and improved
that an average six acres of improved
land suppC rts one inhabitant. In Ja-
pan, according to the Hon. Horace
Capron [gOod authority, thirty million
acres support over thirty-three million
| people, giving the use and benefit OF
abont nine-tenihs Of an acre to each
inhabitant. Nor is this forced con-
centration OF rural labor. One-haf of
the islands ia not cultivated at all the
remarkable concentration of industry
and capital is from choice ~ increase
profits, food and raiment.
All the land belongs to the govern
ment, who lease il to farmers for ten
years. II they keep up the fertility
and raise satisfactory crops, each Guilt
vator and his family hold the estate in-
definitely. But il from sickness, pow
erty, laziness, or any other cause, the
land produces wee ds in place of rice,
wheat and barley this serious injury to
the public is not suffered to continue.
The delinquent loses caste and place,
and n better man takes the land TO work
aud manage, for the interest of the
community, and the benefit Of IN ad.
'anoed family. The fittest survives.
The system is feudaI with the land title
in the crown, rather than in the lords OF
entailed estates. It is better than the
European land system, in so far rs il
makes the constant fertilization of the
soil its basis to command a plenty for
all. The economy is very much like
that of q swarm of bees, where useless
hive, But how has the ffldi iiffftHs t6 6PP
fields bearing two crops year for
thousands of years, with no rest, been
maintained Gen. Capron, who re-
signed the Office OF commissioner OF
agriculture in Washington to accept a
s5>>ilar position under the Japanese
goVeEanent, after several years obser-
vatIon, t'Ns answers the above ques-
ton:
The whole Nrea OF the settled por-
ton OF Japanese Islands is not much
larger than the New England states.
Upon this is concentrated population
nearly as great as that OF the whole
United States. The thrift, economy and
skill in agriculture, without live stock
to convert the luxuriant vegetation of
the unoccupied land into manure for
their titled fields, or any system of
rotation OF crops, supplemented as with
rs by the renovating cl0vers, and I'm.
aided by mechanical appliances of any
sort. Tho Japanese farmer produces
annually from one acre of land the
crops which require four seasons under
this system in the United States. Tins
the food of this vast population is sup
piled, without the importation of n sin
gle article, still not one-haif of the |
land is under tiitage. There is nothing |
In our agriculture that can bear a COM |
parison with this. The grand secret is
drainage, irrigation, economy and an.
pllcation of fertilizers and thorouGb |
tillage.
Irrigation and great economy in saw
ing and collecting all fertilizing sub
stances, are the ground, work of japan
civilization. Human beings pull the
plows, harrows aud cultivators in place
OF horses, oxen and other animals
they carry travellers in sendans in pIace
OF coaches and other vehicles on wheels.
Man Is apparently beast of burden
and OF much labor, yet the eight bonr
system has prevailed in japan for cen-
burles and without eating meat. eggs
Or poultry. they are a robust, healthy
people, after living on boiled rice
wheat and barley for hundred genera.
- - anu I0F I |
8, 500, 900 inhabitants, only seventy
thousand cattle. They have six regular
holidays every month, and many other
harvest and government HOLIDAYS. The
pade stirs the ground to the depth of
Welve or fifteen inches. The rainfall
about three times that of the limited I
'tates, and greatly facilitates universal '
-rlgation. Reservoirs have been bniIt I
yrywhere on the highest grounds rom {
hlch perfect net work of canals has b
cen Constructed, to water all lower.
ing land. The system is as old as
lelr occupation of the islands.
Steam can do much for this industri- :,
rs people, and is now being miro q
need. Itiis not likely that the habit of l
'tlng meat, as laboriDg men in this "
'untry do. would benefit them in anv o.
spect. Man can work and live on tS
am and vegetables as we'll as borsos Is
hree thousand Years of successful g. P
'rlence ought to salty all of the trntb ~
this statement. The pig can live ON 4