The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-02-02
NUMBER 2

ducts. The uplands and mountain side
are for the most part grassed or wood,
ed. The evprgreens abound here, con
sistiDg mostly of pines and cedars. D.
ciduOus trees. such as the maple birch
locust, willow, chestnut and oak. ar,
common. The grasses differ somewha
from ours, however, the clover and red
top are frequently to be seen.
The land is generally well watered
| Countless streams come down from tn,
mountains, which are so adjusted as t.
turn the water out uDOn the fields JUS
as they may be needed. The system Of
irrigation has reached here a state oi
| perfection in many places. On studying
this feature of the country we can So,
IN Imagination what the fats of Cali
fornia aud Nebraska are sure to become
in the near future, Rains are not infrp-
quent in summer and autumn, and OC-
casioDally floods are experienced L.
the hottest season the dread of tn.
country is the destructive typhooI
which ia likely to sweep round the
coasts, leaving desolatiOn in its trail
The rivers and brooks are well sup
| piled with trout and salmon. Along the
coast the seabirds are plentiful The
crows are abundant and frt unent the
cities and villages. The law protect,
them and they seem to understand il
perfectly. Hawks are not wanting, bur
have their eyries on the mountain tops
The siurk and heron tread the miry fats
as of yore. The wild ducks and geese al
certain seasons continue to mOnopolrz.
The coasts. as they have done from tlm,
immemorial. The common domestic
fowls are ducks and chickens. In III,
forests, to some extent, are found bears
dsers. foxes and monkeys. The small
birds are very scarce; the most common
me is the rice sparrow. In a few lOcal-
| tieI pheasants and rabbits are plenty,
The seasons here come and go with
striking precision. Seldom does the mer
curry fall as low or rise so high AS in
New York or Chicago. The climate is a
bracng and stimulating one. But thu
people run their race here as esew here
Still it does seem as though there not ST.
many old people here, according To the
population, as in our country or in Eng
land
With this hasty and general view. LEI
us together take short detOur through
an agricultural district. Let US enter
the country at Kobe, which is an Eng
I'sh settlement. joined. however, to
HiOgo, which is Japanese to the core.
These cities constitute large shipping
port. Steamers and ships are sailing
nto and out of the harbor all the while.
| These places occupy the foot of one of
the largest plains in the whole country
Leaving the city. following the coast
for ten miles. and then let us turn in
land and ten miles further on we are
near the center of thickly inhabited
dis rlct. 1t must be more than thirty
miles north and south and twenty mIles
Aast and west. 1t is said there are on this
fl At more than thousand villages anu
cities. In the center ia Asaka, with a
population of three hundred thousand
aud to the extreme north is Kioto. the
former capital of Japan.
AS We look off from our country posi-
ion it is one far reaching plain of cul
tIvated fiRIds. 1t is November. and the
harvest season for the rice. For miles
and miles, in certain directions, tht
ground is yellow with waving rice. As
We examine more closely we find the
fi-Ids are small, occupying the lowest
4round. Really they ale little plots OF
ground, made perfectly level and bord-
red with an elevation of earth and top
ued with grass, which is about foot
wide and answers for a walk round thu
field and serves as a rim to keep the
water over the surface after the rice IL
suwn. Now those fields are so graduated
hat The water from some river let int
field half mile or more awav will
fl ud the surface Of the first and then
run off into another little lower and
/ hot int nnthnr and II
ul the patches are barely covered, and
k pit so while the rice isgrowing Every
lot has small gateways to let water IN
and out, 80 they can be kept properly
supplied with moisture. Now, if it rain
much the river current is shut off and
the gales so adjusted as to keep the rice
'Oil IN the proper state.
| On inquiry we learn the rice is frs
sowu IN mall bt de-, and when up abou'
wo inches it is transplanted tn the field
where it is to grow. A little bunch
blades. about two inches high, are SCI
n place, and then another ten inches
way, and The rows are foot apart
It. Is now harvest time for this crop.
which was planted in June. The pani-
les bend down as though heavy wIlk
kernels. The straw is about fifteeI
inches tall. The reapers are thick IN tht
fields cutting up the rice, or binding il
ntO small bundles and hanging them
m bamboo poles to dry, or some already
| Try are being thrashed with fails in the
road that runs through the meadow; OF
IN some instances the women, with
babies strung to their backs, are taking
up the straw. drawing the heads of the
rice through the teeth OF an iron comb
which scrapes out the kernels. In somt
instances they are separating the rice
from the chsff by throwing 1t up into
the air as high as possible, letting the
Hind blow away the chaff. The yield Il
excellent this year, and so all hearts arr
merry. for they feel they shall have rice
enough to eat this year, and this is thel
staple.
In fields where the crop has been of
The ground few days, they are spad-
ing up the earth, and this time putting
INTO drills for wheat. In some instances
the wheat is up. The wheat is sown II
Mills the same as the rice, but the bill
are raised few inches.
Each peasant in this vast domain ha'
but few of these small lots. His farm
will seldom have an area OF more thar
three or four acres. On an average al
acre of land will support four persons al
hey live in this country, Five cents I
day will feed the farmer here. His crop
Of rice and tea. with a little fish, consti.
tute his breakfast, dinner and supper
and his clothes cost but trltle, For th'
most part they are using the spade anC
noe to mellow the soil. However, we dt
behold a few who are following th,
plow drawn by single OK or COW.
As we come to grounds slightly high
er than those for the rice we are in tel
fields, whose plants are bushy and som,
two feet high, These are perennial, anC
the older the plants the better the leaves
Women and children are culling ou
and picking out the green leaves. Nhicl
are dried in the sun and then they ar
ready for use, constituting green tea
But il it is to be shipped across the sea
then it goes through process of filming
az it is called, so as tO withstand tn
effects of the sea. The black tea come
from the same plants. but is composed
of the older leaves, and before dryinI
they go through a fermentation. whIcl
turns the leaves dark Little black te
is drank here. and green tea as well
such as is used in our country.
Going farther on we are in cottor
field. Men and women are gathering tn,
balls, which are not large nor abund
ant. The peasants say to us that they
cannot grow cotton IN Japan as you dt
in America.
Near by are fields of kind of swee
potato and another bulbOus plant who's,
root is used in place of the Irish potato