Arizona silver belt., 1894-02-10
CLIMATE AND CROPS.
HOW THE FOOD SUPPLIES OF THE
 EARTH ARE REGULATED.


 Java's Population.
 How much room is there still on the earth for mankind? This is question which is often raised and which is an- swered in great many different ways. As all food is either directly or indirect ly derived from the vegetable kingdom, and the plants need the light and the heat of the sun, the question as to how the light and heat are distributed is an 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 aud south will receive 92 per cent; 40 degrees north and south. GS per cent; 60 degrees north and south, 70 per cent, and the poles only IF per cent of the heat received at the equas tor. Therefore the countries which on account of the amount of heat received are in the most favorable circumstances to produce a great amount of vegetable food lie in the tropics, provided the other condition of plant life is found that is, danpness,
 In Europe people were particularly impressed with the information eommu- nicated by Humboldt, on his return from his American journey, concerning the great amount of food furnished by the banana in tropical countries. Itwas later proved, however, that the distin- guished naturalist was mistaken, first, in ascribing so high astate of productive ness to the banana. and, second because the banana is not generally suitable to be used as the principal food for man. 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 and sago, and in tropical America, prin- cipally corn.
 The banana is even less fitted to fur, nish the staple food thau the potato, As an accessory, however, like the potato in the wealthy countries of Europe and North America, it isyery important. As a dense population Is only possible where there is a certain amount 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 arc of intense fertility and export great deal of sugar and import not only industrial products, but good deal of foodstuif The ground. thereforc does not directly nourish thepopulation Several parts of India export foodstuiis, and there is no trustworthy information as to the interior commerce in theso products. Tonquin has too lately been annexed to France to obtain trustworthy statistics. Java, with Madura, is alone suited to our statistical necessities.
 This country is sufficiently large, il, furnishes good statistics of agriculture and commerce, and the imports and ex- porte 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 foodstufTs and ex- port mineral and manufactured prod. ucts. Java imports q 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. It might be supposed that this immense population would be divided in a certain proportion on the island, and either that it's increase would be small, as in France and Bel gium, or else there would be Q large emigration, as from Great Britain or Germany.
 Neither case i, true. Emigration is scarcely known. The population in creases at the rate of per cent a year, and it's distribution varies so greatly that in the eastern portion there are fewer people than iu 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 2Ss kilograms to each inhabitant. Only about l5 per cent of the surface of the island is devoted 10 the culture of rice. This is still in very primitive state, but the government has taken it up, and tue 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 on 90 per cent of the surface for the first crop and 10 per cent for the second. We have therefore possible extension of the cultivation of rice to 5,200, 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, vege- tables, breadfruit 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 per cent, watered, sugar cane. There would then be left 45 per cent for forests, gar dens, meadows, waters, roads and dwell ings. The people of Java need not then be condemned to live on rice alone. Fruits are very important and necessary for health, and in Java alone are found 100 different kinds. Cattle can be easily raised, and the superabundant numbers of water plants, insects and worms that are found in tropical countries furnish an easy means of feeding fish and fowls. We find therefore that in this country 800 men could find support on one square kilometer, or more than four times as many people as are now there. Alex under Wohkof in Breslau Deutsche Revue.
 Disproving an old Adage.
 A certnin nawsraner claims tn nnhlish