Wichita eagle., 1888-10-27
JAPANESE Ftk.,..,N.GG.
CULTURE OF RICE, BARLEY, WHEAT.
FLOWERS AND WEEDS.

FLOWERS AND WEEDS.
| How Irrigation Il Carried On-Thoroush
Cuitivation-some Peculiar Gardening
| Feasures-OrnamensaI Boundary Lines
! Wedding the Ffelds-spering the Flowers-
| Ny first drive was into q rice region
| The fields were cut up into all sizes and
arranged upon ever varying levels Some
were but a few fee: square, while q
/ quarter of an acre was large field The
best land yields fifty bushels an acre,
more or less. and the poorest about thirty
1t is rare 20 find two adjacent fields on
( the same level Sloping land is. Of course,
more convenient for irrigation. but on
this fat area through which We were
travelling the little rice fields were
laboriously divided up ST differing
heights, so that the water might be made
to flow easily from one to the other The
water is raised TO the higher patches
mostly by treadmill pumps We were on
earlier stages Of rice cultivation Ii some
fields the bare stubs of the last crop were
disEnally peering out of the mud. In
OLA4SlS L6OOEcIo "cIc LCAI ~ lie SGOEo
with heavy pronged forks, standing
slime. Bullocks drawing long toothed
operation Wooden plows were also
plernents Of wood with one handle
an iron chisel, point beveled downward
,haro r,,J. ~ -v;4 I
iron share for turning a shallow furrov
and heavy oblorg hoes for working the
soil over and over Grading scoops com
the causewsys or narrow dykes between
the fields, the coolies used the usual
hand weapons. II some of the fields
the rice was already showing thickly
about six inches in height. giving
a beautiful variety to the dismal land
scape Of mud and scum. In other areas
the seeding plants were being set out in
rows, six inches apart each way The
crop is sown in May and reaped in October
or November, being grabbed or puddled
three times during the season. This
means that the whole population wade
into the slime. pull out the weeds, and
stir up the mud about the roots Of tbs
plants.
THE GRAIN FIELDs
The first thing that struck rs n the
barley and wheat region VS. the peculiar
burrows. They were very shallow at first,
varying somewhat in depth and consider
ably in width and architecture, so to
speak They were in the rough at the
outset, so far as anything in Japan is en-
titled to that character, though they
would be smooth and elegant burrows
anywhere else Then they began TO be
sloped up sianting. smoothed off as evenly
as the sides of house. Others were
squared with mathematical precision On
the ridges the barley is sown in thick set
rows, apparently by band On the mar
rover ridges but single row appeared;
on the broader ones were two rows, and
more rarely three. Outside these grain
rows the ridges were utilized for other
crops, mostly rows Of buckwheat, but we
saw also sweet potatoes. turnips, beans.
and the like In one place we observed q
man watering this extra crop, which ap-
peared odd, as the ground seemed moist
enough To accomplish this primitive
irrigation he carried two buckets slung
over his shoulders on pole, and used a
wooden hand dipper with slit in the side
at the bottom, which let out a thin disk
of water. Throughout the fields of this
vast region were numerous wells, with
the old fashioned well sweep. Not only
the ridges but the burrows themselves are
sometimes utilized for crops. The only
thing we saw growing there, however
was what our courier informed US was
bird seed
Aside from the barley was wheat also.
used mostly for the manufacture Of YER
micelH-for we did not discover anv use
Of bread by the Japs, except IN rare cases
where the custom had been borrowed from
Europeans There were immense fields
also Of what our guide called oil plant,
which we took to be rape seed. This
crop was being harvested. as also was the
barley In warm localities, it being the
latter part of May There were also large
patches Of beans and peas, and of the
thin grass Ike reed whose pith furnishes
japanese lamps with wicking We were,
however, more occupied with the style
and character Of the farming than with
crop statistics And this style was really
gardening on . grand scale. The nice
little burrows, to which | have referred,
all had the appearance of being carefully
patted by hand. SO smooth and even were
their surfaces.
ORNAMENTAL BOUNDARY LINES
Then, in addition to the nice regularity
OF the town crops, there was another
peculiar gardening feature. No fences or
hedges appeared in the fields, for good
land Is too valuable. being worth $500 to
$500 the acre, and even more IN some
cases. Boundaries are marked by stakes
or stones, with the owners names or
symbol attached This is not Difficult. to
regulate. as many of the patches are very
small. But in place Of fences there were
crop boundaries In many places OF the
rim Of the fields For example, thickly
sown row OF vhea. would extend al
around barley fed The rows OF grain
usually ran with the ends toward the
road. and the bordering row Of another
crop had pretty efe6 In some cases.
however. the grain rows would run one
way for certain distance and then would
come another patch sown at right angles
This was also quite novel and picturesque
Sometimes the ornamental border would
leg, bat this Was not usually the case.
The wedding Of these fields is perfect,
and our cultivators might take lesson
from the Japs. Numbers of women were
crouched between the files Of barley weed
ing by hand With the furrow system
the cuIr,vstor Is out Of place; and. more
over, haadwork is the rule II tons crowded
country, and N days drive Of th4rty-.wo
miles we only saw two horses Where
animals were employed they were burocks
o. wretched little cows Al were shod
with sandals Of rice straw. The weedinE