The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-07-29

4
eargoes, and ths care of the sick. 1t
". IL allow local quarantine officers to
sand vessels to these national stations
for funigation and cleansing, and il re-
leases the epidemic fund proper from
tue expense Of supporting them, as
heir maintenance is provided for
peci6 ,ahy by the bill. All the quar-
antines Wall be provided with the most
efficient machinery for the rapid treat
IN Mt of vessels, and their spec ~ resso
ra,lon 10 the commerce feet. 1t only
awaits the Prssid ent's signature to be-
Ioms law, aod is q personal triumph
for DR.. Hamilton. the sur econ gena,al
Of the marine hospita service, who
ramed the bill. aud It's passsy bs DO d
the Senate and House without amend
d snt or q dissenting voice, Is evidence
of the care with which it was drawp.
AGRICULTURE IN CHINA.
4, Charles DENLY, United States MIN
lister t. China, has ssnt commuuica-
ton to the Department of State, under
date Of April 25tn, last, about agri-
culture in North China, which contains
some OBJ ervatIons which will be Of
special interest to the farmers of this
country, If Il )t to every reader. In the
course OF his dispatch Mr.. DENLY says:
I'm thrsshing grain, the Chine e
spread it out on smooth clay floor in
the open air, there being such thrash
ing floor adjoining every farm hos
and either by threshiug with fails or py
rolling q stone roller, drawn by a
donkey, over it detach the graiu.
Tns chaf is removed by tossing the
grain in the air in slight breeZs, the
kernels of grain falling straight to the
ground, the cnaf aud dust being blown
sAide.
tine two most characteristic features
OF Chinese agriculture are the use OF
manure and the systems of irriga ton.
Manure is gathered from ali concsiv-
able sources. In the cities tho night.
soil deposited on the sides of streets
and alleys is gathered BY men aud boys
in BUCKETS and mix ID with clay. dried
IN the sun, aud sold 10 farmers. On
country roads boys, and often girls
and women, are seen at places w5e e
large numbers of pack-horses, camels
and mules pass, gathering into baskets
the material which il afterwards. with
such beneficial effects, spread upon
their fields. Earth from the canals, !.
rivers, and city streets 10 also carte i
away for the same pnrpos-
Other substances are diligently COL
lected, as hair from barber shops, ex :
ploded fire crackers, and sweepings
from the streets, lime ana plaster from
kitchens and old buildings, SCOT.
BONES fish, and animal remains. Fhe
quantity OF these fertilizers used AM
the imp ortance the Chinese attach to
them are proved by the number of
people whoss hv5,ihuoi is gained in
thsr COLLECTION.
In irrigating his lard the farmer
uses many devices. Wnere running
water Is at hani ne turns it % adgant-
age by directing it ovsr his fields in
large channels, banked in with clay =,
and subdivided into smaller aud smaller
| stresmlets, until every part OF the
ground has been reached. If no run
nIng water is found wells are dug and
, wafer drawn up by hand and poured
{ into the msin bitches, which are sub
divided into mum !Sous smaller on es.
Holes are dug ia which rain water &C
oumui4Ges, which is haled out when
] needed. The raising o this water is III
most cases, especially IN the vicinity of
Pek n, done very iaOorously by hand.
WndmiIlS, of which there is not one
around Pekin Gf any in China), might
BE- used for this p lrpO9e With great in
crease of efficiency aud saving of hu-
: man labor.
= "Cainese Agricultural imple are
of the rarest character. They are,
chiefly, the ploW, the hoe the harrow,
the raks and the stone roller. Tue pillow
! is simply broad bl de ia. tened 10 a
J rough handle, guided by man and
drawn by teams OF the most miscella-'
neous description; it cuts q furrow
. e,.,> .,I,r u
/ frequently only two or three. Ths
| teams ara made up of horses, doDkeys
mules, bullocks, and human beings. it
being not unusual 10 see man or boy
and. any one or more of the animals
ABOVE named drawing the same piuw
Chinese farmers measure the dep Of
the burrows by the fugers, and fre-
Quen'Iys speak OF blowing Gully two OF
three fingers Cerp. The reason o. this
seem to liz il the difficulty of making q
deeper furrow with their plowS, and
not because they are unaware of the
/ advantage Of it. The hoe is much
i more effective ttoi, aud 1t is with this
| that thew work hstween the burrows Of
grain after it has sprinfed
4 Foreign agricL ltural implements. es-
| pecially plows. might be introduced
with good effect among the Chinese, ex-
! cepI tndI Ine PriCH WOuIQ defer all -bu'
very few from buying them Chin, sc
p'ow can De bought for the equivalent
OF two or three Mexican dollars, and
smaller tools in proportion. There are
no great stores devoted to the sale OF
agricultural implements as with US,
! lhey being made by hand, either by a
neigh horing blacksmith or the farmer
| himself. as occasion demands.
The principal crops In the vicinity of
! Pskin, besides the fruits and voge-
| tables of which there are ain ost all
that are found IN western countrie5,
wheat, barley, buokwheat. numerous
| varieties of millet, beans, Indian corn,
sesamum, hemp. rice. cotton and some
| tobacco,
Both spring and autumn wheat are
used exclusively for the manufacture
of -four. being ground by mills worked
by hand, horse or donkey power, Or
rarely, by water power.
Both upland and wet rice are grown
in the vicinity of Pekin. the former
producing an inferior grain. The sub
4 iect OF rice culture has always ranked
with the manufacture Of silk and the
groTth of ten as the three most char