The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-19
JAPANESE FARMING.
CULTURE OF RICE, BARLEY, WHEAT.
FLOWERS AND WEEDS.

Enw Irrigation Is Carried On-rhorough
Cuitivafion-some Peculiar Gardening
Fcaturcs-Ornamental Boundary Lines
Wedding the rieIds-sparing the I1oweF>-
Ny first drive was into a rice region
The fields were cut up into all sizes and
arranged upon ever varying levels Some
were but few feet square. while
quarter Of an acre was large field The
best land yields City bushels an acre
more or less. and the poorest about thirty
II is rare to find two adjacent fields on
the same level Slipping 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 at differing
heights so that the water might be made
to dow easily from one TO the other The
water is raised TO tho higher patches
mostly By treGdmill pumps We we're on
the ground In season 10 witness the
earlier stages Of rice cultivation. In some
fields the bare stubs Of the last crop were
dismally peering out Of the mud. In
others labOrers were tearing up the stubs
with heavy pronged forks, standing
nearly 10 the hips in water and
slime. Bullocks drawing long toothed
harrows were engaged in the same
operation. Wooden plows were also
at work, mere stirring up I'M
plements OF wood with one handle.
They had a rounded nose. fortified with
an iron chisel, point beveled downward
Then there was rude pillow with broad
iron share for turning @ shallow furrow,
and seavy oblong hoes for working the
eoil over and over Grading scoops com
pleted the grand utensils. but for shaping
the causeways or narrow dykes between
the fields. the coolies used the usual
hand weapons In some Of tho fields
the rice was already shaving thickly,
about six inches in height. giving
a beautiful variety to the dismal land
scapc Of mud and scum. In other areas
the Seeding plants were being set out in
rows, six inches apart each way. The
crop is s0wn in MAY and rcapcd IN October
or November being grub5ed or puddled
three times during the season. This
means that the whole population wade
into the slime. pull cut the weeds, and
stir mp the mud about the roots Of the
plants.
THE GRAIN YIELDS.
Tho first thing that struck MS in the
barley and wheat region was 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 az the
outset, so far rs anything in Japan is en-
titled T. that character, though they
would be smooth and elegant burrows
anywhere else Then they began 20 be
siopel mp slaniing. smooihed of 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 hand. 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, turuips, beans.
and the like. In one place We observed a
man watering this extra crop, which ap.
poarcd odd as the ground seemed moist
enough. 10 accomplish this primitive
irrigation hc carried two buckets slung
over Lis shoulders on pole, and used a
wooden hand dipper with q slit in the side
at the bottom which lot out thin disk
of water Throughout the fields Of this
vast region were numerous VOLS with
tho old fashioned well sweep Not only
tho ridges bat the burrows themselves are
sometimes utilized for crops. Tic only
thing SIC saw growing there. however
was what our courier informed us wcs
bird seed.
Aside from the barley was wheat also.
used mostly for the manufacture Of YER
micolli-for we did not discover any 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 guido called oil plant,
which we took 10 he rape seed This
crop was being harvested, as also was the
barley in warm localities. il being the
latter part Of May There were also large
patches Of leans ard peas. and II the
thin grass like reed whose pith furnishes
japanese lamps with wicking We were,
however u0re occupied with the style
and character of tho farming than with
crop statistics. And this style was really
gardening on grand scale The nice
little burrows, 10 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 10 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
5000 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 on tho
rim Of the fields For example. thickly
sown row Of wheat would extend al
around a barley field Tho rows Of grain
usually ran with the ends toward the
road, and the bordering row Of another
crop had pretty effect. In some eases.
however the grain rows would run one
way for a certain distance and then would
come another patch sown az right angles
This was also quite novel and picturesque
Sometimes the ornamental border would
he Of the Same crop ac harley around laP-