The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-07-29

/ namen In this country are OF the same
| opinion, aEd are watching the outcome
Of the establishment of the farm. Chi
| nese agriculture is in an extremely crude
state, aid they are using the same i'm
| plements now that they did thousands
| Of years ego. Ii you were 10 take a walk
| thn'ugh the fields OF China today you
| would see on every hand the style of
farming that is described in the bible.
The CDinan4an is utterly non progressive
along this line, and is content to let what
he CONSIDERS well enough alone. The prin-
cipal trait in his character is the worship of
ancestry, and that is the most potent rea
son why. in my opinion, they will not ac-
cept the new style Of farming what was
consideIed without fault by their fathers,
and their grandfathers, and great grand.
fatnGs, and SO On back for fifty generations.
they consider perfectly good enough for
then. They think 1t would be the most
gross insult possible to offer their fore
fathers to throw aside as worthless their
customs.
They VII, OF course, be obliged to ac-
cept the new method because IL is or
dered by the governor. but it Will not
be with any willingness to improve. They
VIII be against it for another reason.
The new-fashioned machines and Inn
plemente will deprive a large proportion
or the laboring people OF work, and
that is the worst thing it could possibly
do. conservative estimate of the num-
Der OF farmers In China would be a pro-
portion OF 30 per cent, and those who
compose this percentage know nothing OUT
side OF cultivating the soil.
The Chinese race live together i'm fans.
all relatives living together and forming a
village These are Inostl y made up of farms,
and each man practically supports himself.
am not speaking now of court circles, but
China Is composed principally of what we
speak of as the country. The PRINCIPAL
products Of the Chinese farmer are cotton,
rice, tea, maize, potatoes and a few other
things, and these. with the meat he kills,
VIII support him. He can get along without
money alto -,ether All the farming irnDle-
ments, such as they are, are made on the
farm, and are built entirely of wood ana
stone
''Tbey still use the hand flaiI. so often
referred to in the Bible. Corn is stiu
ground iE the original way with oxen
A circular stone trough LIS employed. and
@i ehS sCh1Ii 20 dtt6Cneu q SOrJ OF EfurDD
This serves as an axle, from which eoes
out a long beam, to which the oxen arc
harnessed. A hoy sits on the end of the
beam and beats the oxen, who run around
inside the stone trough A big stone roller
reolves on the end OF the beam, and as
the oxen trot around the circle the corn
is crushed and ground until 10 has reached
a sufficient fineness.
Their style OF winnowing is very prim-
tive, too. They have large baskets for
the purpose, and these they fill with
grain. Tie operation is an art. and Ia
performed only by men skilled in it. The
basket Is tossed up and down in their arms
until all the grain is thrown up. They do
1T SO skinfuiiy that the wind blows away
an the chaff, and the grain falls back In
the basket without spilling particle.
with all their old styles, however, the
Chinese syYem of irrigation cannot Ire
improved on. lave seen rice growing In
a fine condition on the side Of q steep
hill. They arrange IL in . series OF steps,
aud water It from the tu4toFn. Rice has |
10 have . greet deal OF water, and they
psmp itfrO snthe bottom by sort Of padd1e-