Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-07-09
Farming in japan.

Considering the fact that only about one
tenth of Japan is in a state of cultivation,
and that so large proportion of the inhabi-
tants dwell in cities, it is matter of sur
prise that the nation could live upon its
productions. From the size of the farms,
(three to five acres being rather large aver
age farms) one would think the farmers do
ing well if they could raise food sufficient
for themselves and families. But they do
more than that. 1t is thought by many,
that now under the new government, the
farming population is the most prosperous
class among the Japanese. The Samurai
who, under the feudal system, were
the retainers and defendants of
the great Daimio lords, are
now thrown upon their own resources with
out business or a knowledge of business.
But the farmers, unaffected by the wars
and revolution, have steadily pursued their
calling, protiting by the high prices of the
| war until some of them are said to be quite
| opulent. For untiring industry, and scien-
titic management of the soil In short. for
making the most out of their small amount
of capital, Japanese farmes are rarely ex-
/
Tennessee farmer could get from them
many valuable suggestions.
Their principal crop is rice which must
be cultivated largely in water. Hence irri-
| cation is necessary, which they seem to have
| reduced to most perfect science. For DUR
poses of irrigation, nature has greatly aided
them. Japan is land of many mountains
from which come thousands of wild, dash
ing creeks and small rivers, which can be
used to flood the rice fields, however I'D
land they may be. The farmers of a com
munity usually assist each other with the
dykes, and each one has the preparation of
his piece of ground in about the same
stage of advancement as the others, so that
the dykes can be opened and all flooded at
the same time. But the system of irriga-
ton is 50 complete, that from the main
stream of water flowing through the neigh.
borhood, small square of soil in the CEN
ter of large area can be watered without
wettlng the rest The ground is divided
into small sections from ten feet square to
quarter of an acre in size. Each section
Is surrounded by a ditch and a
low dirt wall 1t is by these
bitches or dykes that the water is circulated
throughout the plantations. You often see
i'll the same section two kinds of ground,
the high and the low. The platte for
wheat, barley, miIlet, mustard, trrnip, &c,
Is thrown up, so that the water will not
overflow it. That for rice, lotus, daikon
&c, is a foot, sometimes two feet, lower
Rice is the principal crop, being of the
same Importance TO the Japanese that bread
is to us. Wheat and barley are used ouly
for making cakes. | have watched with in
terest some of their preparations for the
lice crop. 1t Is first sOwn Ii a bed and
then transplanted A small square is spaded
or dug up, then flooded with about half a
foot of water. A man wades through it
scattering seeds very thickly upon the sur
face of the water. In a few days the young
shoots are mp beautifully and in the mean
time other plots of ground have been pre-
pered. The most usual method of prepar-
alton that | have noticed is one digging
sometimes, but rarely, a ploughing) be-
fore hoodlng then men and women, with
long hoes, wading knee-deep in water, dig
1t up second time. After this a heavy
drag Is drawn over the surface by horse or
man power. This completes the prepara-
ton. The young shoots of rice are bought
from their sprouting beds, and one by one
are planted by hand much as we ''set OUT
potato slips.
This is now the time of wheat and barley
harvest, and the specimens of these pro-
ducts that l have seen are healthy and beau
tiful. They have both winter and
spring wheat. Instead of be-
ing sown the seed is all plant
ed i'll rows, and hoed like corn Before the
wheat is harvested, a crop of elephants or
peas between the rows, is well advanced in
growth.
Although the soil is taxed to its utmost
strength, producing three or four crops per
year, they do not suffer it to ran down or
lose its productiveness This is because
they are Consistently using fertilizers. Some
tunes they use green manure 5, cutting grass
from one place and spreading it over an
ler. Often they use daikon or turnip
tops for this p pose, throwing them upon
the ground and then letting the water cover
them until they are decomposed. Ashes,
and also shells, of which there are any
quantities i'll Japan, are much used as fer
uliZers. But the chief source o. fertiliza-
tion is the sewerage, which is most carefully
utilized.
Farming utensils are very simple and
primitive. The hoe and the mattock take
the place of the plough. | have seen few
| clumsy things On account of so much of
the crop being cultivated under water
ploughs can be used only for the first break
ing.
There are many other facts that might
be stated, but the limits of this article for
| bid. j. b. PORTER.
Osaka, June /, 1882.