The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-12
CLIMATE \ CROPS.
f3ON TIE FOOD SUPPLIES OF THE
EAaTH ARE REGULATED.

agriculture = the llasi, of All subsistence,
but Yet the Most IhichIy settled spots
Arr, Not by I'm, Means the Most Fertile.
Jaya's Population.
How much room is there still on the
Earth for mankind: This is IA question
which Is often raised and which Is an
,wrrrl in IA great many different ways.
A all food is either directly or indirect
| IS derived from the vegetable kingdom,
ana the plants need the light and the
!eat of the un, the question as to how
the light and heat are distributed is IN
important one. If We assume (Which is
true, that only 60 per cent of the heat Of
the sun reaches the earth, the remainder
being absorbed by the atmosphere, then
ATTITUDES. 20 degrees north and south will
receive 81 per cent: 40 degrees north and
south. IS per cent: 60 degrees north and
south. 40 per cent. and the poles only II
per cent of the heat received at the equa-
tor. Therefore the countries which O
account of the amount Of heat received
are in the most favorable circumstances
to produce "a great amoun of vegetable
food lie in the tropics. provided the
other condition Of plant life is found
that is, dampness.
In Europe people were particularly
impressed with the information commu-
nicated J. humboldt, on his return
from his American journey, concerning
| the great amount of food furnished by
the banana in tropical countries. 1t was
later proved, however, that the distin-
guished naturalist was mistaken, first,
in ascribing SO high state of productive
ness to the banana, and, second, because
the banana is not generally suitable to
be used as the principal food for a
As the grains are cultivated wherever
agriculture is advanced, in the damp
parts of south and EAST Asia we find
rice, in the dry parts of India and the
greater part of tropical Africa. millet
ard sage, and in tropical America, prin-
cipally corn.
The banana is even less fitted to fur
nish the staple food than tine potato, As
an accessory. however, like the potato III
the wealthy countries Of Europe and
North America, it is very important. As
a dense population Is only possible where
there is "A certain nom of cultivation.
We must keep in mind the experience Of
many thousand years and accept the
grains as the base of nourishment.
The Little Antilles and Mascarene is
lands lire of intense fertility and export
@ great deal of sugar and import not
onlyindustTial products, but Il good deal
of fooistuff. The ground. therefore.
does not directly nourish the population
Several parts Of India export fooistuffs,
and there is no trustworthy information
as to the interior commerce iii these
products. Tonquin has too lately been
annexed TO France to obtain trustworthy
statistics. Java, with Madura. is alone
suited t5 our statistical necessities.
This country is sufficiently large, it
furnishes good statistics of agriculture
and commerce, and the imports and tx
ports are carefully registered. The pop
ulation Is about as dense as in Belgium
and Saxony, but life is supported under
very different circumstances. Saxony
and Belgium import fooaStutfs and ex-
port mineral and manufactured prod
nets. Java imports a Very small amount
of rice and salt fish and exports many
more agricultural products. 1t not only
supplies its own people with food. but
finds it possible to buy mineral and
manufactured products. 1t might he
supposed that this immense population
would be divided in a certain proportion
on the island. and either that its increase
would be small. as in France and Bel
GUM. or else there would be "A large
emigration. as from Great Britain or
Germany.
Neither case is true. Emigration is
scarcely known. The population in
creases at the rate Of l per cent "A year,
and its distribution varies SO greatly
that i'll the eastern portion there are
fewer people than i'll the swampy PROV
ince Of Minsk, in Russia, and in the
central part there are almost twice as
many people as in Belgium and Saxony.
and yet 80 per cent of the population in
this part of the island live by agricul-
ture. Rice is the staple, and the statistics
give 23S Kilograms to each inhabitant.
Only about Is per cent of the surface of
the island is devoted to the culture of
rice. This is still in a very primitive
state, but the government has taken il
up, and h production will be greatly
increased. Java is a mountainous coun-
try. but these mountains are not high.
and the rainfall is great. and rice can be
cultivated OF 30 per cent of the surface
for the first crop and 10 per cent for the
second. We have therefore a possible
extension of the cultivation Of rice to
200, 900 hectares. An average crop to
this amount of acreage would support
5000, 900 people.
The surface of Java could be divided
in this manner: Thirty per cent Of the
water surface would produce rice. yege-
tables. breaafruit and agricultural ex-
ports. Fifteen per cent, not watered.
would produce breadfruit and agricul-
tural exports: eight per cent, not water
ed, coffee and tea plantations: two pr
cent, watered. sugar cane. There would
then he left ii rsr cent for forests gar