Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-02-22
Wheat-Growing in China.

Wheat-growing is one of the principal
industries in the northern and middle
parts of China. The winter wheat is
planted at about the same time that
wheat is planted here The soil, es-
pecially in the northern provinces, is so
we'll worn that it is untitled for wheat
growing, and the Chinese farmers, APP
preciating this fact and the fact that all
kinds of fertilizers are excessively dear,
make the least money do the most good
by mixing the seed with fnely-prepared
manure
A man with a basket swung upon the
shoulders follows the pillow and plants
the mixture in large handfuls III the
burrows, SO that when the crop grows
up it looks like young celery. Immedi-
ately after the first melting of snow, and
when the ground has become suffi-
GENTLY hardened by frost, these
wheat-ffelds are turned into pastures,
under the theory that by timely clip
ping of the tops Of these plants the
crops will grow up with additional
strength in the spring. Wheat thrash
ing is the principal interest in Chinese
farming. Owing to the scarcity Of fuel
the wheat is pulled up usually by the
root, bundled in sheaves, and carted to
the 'mien chong." a smOothed and
hardened space of ground near the
home of the farmer. The tops of the
machine. The wheat is thus left Ill the
S'nien chong" to dry, while the head
less sheaves are piled in heap for fuel
or that ching When the wheat is thor
oughly dry it is beaten under great
stone roller pulled by horses, while the
places thus rolled over are instant
" tossed over with pitchforks.
The stalks left untouched by
the roller are thrashed with
fails by women and boys. The beaten
stalks and straws are then taken out by
an ingenious manipulation Of pitch
forks, and the chat is removed by a
systematic tossing of the grain into the
air until the wind blows every particle
of chat or dust out Of the wheat. Even
the chat is carefully swept I'D and
slowed away for fuel or other usefua
purposes, such as stuffing mattresses or
pillows. After the wheat is allowed to
dry few hours in the burning sun it is
slowed away in airy bamcoo bins. The
milling process is a very ancient one-l
two round, large bluestone wheels, with
grooves neatly cut in the faces on one
side, and in the center of the lower
wheel solid wooden plug are used.
The process of making flour out of
wheat by this machinery is
horse or mule is employed. The poor,
having no animals, grind the
grain themselves. Three distinct grades
of -four are thus produced. The ''shon
MEN," or A grade, is the first siitings
the "nee MEN," or second grade, is the
grindings of the rough leavings from the
first slftings, which is OF darker and
reddish color than the first grade; the
last grade, or emo D." is the finely
ground last siftings of all the grades.
When bread is made from this grade it
resembles rough gingerbread. This is
usually the food Of the poorest families.
The bread of the Chinese is usually fer
mented and then steamed. Only very
small quantity is baked in ovens. But
the staple articles of food in Northern
China are corn, millet, and sweet pota-
toes. Wheat and rice are the food OF
the rich, while the middle classes of the
empire eat millet and rice. In the
southern province the entire breadstuf
is rice.