The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-12-06

another, IN many cases Dy human laDor anu
one of the common sights IN the country OF
Japan is the bare-legged eooie walking up
wheel. which by continuous turning raises the
water few feet higher than it is and pours IL
through a spout into an adjoining field. The
coolie viii 80 on with this dog-churn motion
for DAYS at a time, and will thus wear out the
soles Of his feet for Is cents day. The water
must be kept upon the rice during nearly the
whole of its growing and rice culture is by no
means healthy occupation. The great cause
of this comes from the fertilizer used, which is
night-soil mixed with earth. The business of
taking care OF this soil furnishes thousands of
people of Japan with their occupation. The
country has never had any farm animals to speak
Of, and il has been dependent upon this for Its
manure. At certain times of the morning and
evening horribIesmell is perceived throughout
the cities Of Japan and at these hours it is nftfch
more healthful for the traveller to remain IN
his hotel. The air is laden with the seeds of
typhoid fever. and cholera seems close. These
are the hours for the collection Of manure, and
it is carried from the houses OF the city in four
gallon buckets on little carts, hauled by
man, or swung on the backs of horses The
disgusting smell of these carts cannot be ap-
p-eciated. The manure is FIRST fermented, and
Is kept in wells covered with straw awnings
TO keep of the sun and rain. 1t is then dipped
out in buckets and carried TO the growing crops
and sprinked directly on the plants. The
same is done with the gardening of Japan, and
the knowledge of this fact has caused many of
the old foreigners 10 refrain from the eating Of
lettuce and other vegetables which are unco0k-
ed. As fertilizer, however this material is
Of wonderful value. The soil of Japan to-day,
after its thousand years of cultivation, is as
black as that of the Kansas ranches, and it
raises three crops year, year in and year out.
have said that a ricefeld, when ready to
! harvest, looks much like an American wheat
1 field. The stock, however, is more like the
oats, and the thrashing Of it is of the most
/ primitive nature. When the plants are first
pulled or cut they are tied up in lunches about
the size of your arm and hung over pole 10
! dry. The pods are then taken from the stalks
/ By pulling the stalks through iron pins or
! teeth, and the rire-pods fall down on straw
/ mating placed below The pods are then
beaten with a fail until the grains are all
/ loosened, and then woman wimuows them by
! holding them up in a basket and letting the
wind blow away the chat as they fall. Some
times the rice is further cleaned by coolies,
/ who stand on one end of a teeter-boaTd ham
mer which falls into basin or bowl filled with
rice. ! visited near kiOtO rude water-mill
which was devoted to the cleaning of rice, and
/ where 20 or 30 of these hammers were moved
| by an old-fashioned mill-wheel. The farmer
/ seemed surprised at my visit, but he allowed
me to handle the rice and TO study the mechan-
/ ism of his rude machine. Outside Of the mill
stood number of rice.bags, and as went out
/ ! noticed 2 cO0lie leading a horse, which was
! loaded with rice for the city. The rice is put
up in straw bags, each of which contains &hout
two bushels, and which seem TO be woven of
straw and 10 have no beginning and no end.
1 They form the bags of Japan. aud they are the
/ sign Of wealth. As good as the rice" is in
/ Japan an expression Synonymous with our
! expression, as good as the wheat" and on the
back Of Japan's national bank notes there is q