The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-08
LEE HAS A CHINESE FARM.
1t Is Near Washington, and the First
One In the East.
ON the Washington Star.

1t Is Near WASHINGTON, and the First
One In the East.
From the Washington Star
From the hatiron to the pillow is a long
stride, but it has been taken by one China
man in the District. and the results have
amply compensated him for the gold ven
ture.
Lee Poit, a moon-eyed celestial, arrived
in Washington last April, with his savings
tide up in buckskin bag. He came direct
ly from California. Lee found the laundry
field crowded, and his capital was too
small for him to consider the establish
ment of a grocery store,
One Sunday Lee dined at the Chinese
restaurant on Lower Pennsylvania ave-
nue. Lee, who has an inquistive mind,
questioned the proprietor about the source
of supply for the many queer vegetables
and herbs which form a part Of every
Chinese dish and learned that they all
came from ST. Louis, two days distant by
rail from Washington. None was raised
nearer the capital Here was Lees
chance to invest his money, and he was
quick to see II.
The next day Lee began to visit the sub
urban districts in search of a suitable
place for his farm, and after a week he de-
cided upon a little four-acre tract of land
near Terra Gotta station on the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad as the spot best suited
for his purposes. The owner of the land
has number of colored farming tenants,
but he was mildly surprised when Lee
with an interpreter, for Lee speaks little
| English, called upon him. ito lent farm. ."
Mr.. Lynch made the rent reasonable, and
in an hour Lee was in possession Of the
farm. His entire outfit, aside from his
clothing, consisting OF two four gallon
watering pots and yoke, such as the
coolies in China use for carrying burdens
Lee got down to business at once. The
day after he took possession he employed
a colored man, who lives near by, to plow
up his little farm. Seeds were obtained
from San Francisco, and Lee worked all
day and sometimes on moonlight nights in
his little farm. Beds were laid out in reg
ufar checker-board fashion, and with a
hoe borrowed from neighbor, Lee pulVer-
lied the soil, carefully removing every
stone
At first there were many things to con-
tend with. Lee did not understand the new
soil, and his first crop was failure. Then
he began intensive farming. Large guam
titles of fertilizers were put on the beds
and new crop was planted. Every morn
ing before the sun was up. Lee, with his
yoke on his neck, watering pot on each
side, watered the tender sprouts Of green,
which were just bursting out Of the ground.
His water supply was obtained from a
ditch 100 yards from the beds, and the
operation was tedious. With the energy
and perseverance of his race, Lee would
pod back and forth between the ditch
and the beds until every plant on the
place was given its share of water. Again
In the evening were the beds watered by
the same slow process.
Finally Lees unremitting toll began to
tell. The crop, forced by fertilizers and
water, was even better than the indus
trious owner had hoped for II matured
rapidly and was gathered and taken to the
city, where he received an advance on St
Louis prices for it. Since then Lee has
gathered four crops, and another is now
ready for the market.
In all Lees farm there Is not a single
plant which is known to his neighbors,
who are thoroughly familiar with Arneri-
can farming. Near the railroad there are
half a dozen rows of what he calls Chen
Fox, or Chinese cabbage. The plant looks
not unlike, huge turnip, but the taste
is peculiar, hot and slightly spicy Below
the cabbage bed, supported on sticks
which takes the place of trellis work,
there are a number of rows of yepmein,
little green gourdlike melon, which is
much sought after by Chinese epicures.
Lee has been particularly successful in
raising these, and they bring excellent
prices. Further on there are melons, hard
queer-shaped things, a whitish green in
color. They ripen In November and when
full grown sometimes weigh as much as
sixty pounds. When they ripen these
melons will be the first ever brought 10
Washington. There are none raised, IL is
said, nearer here than California.
On the hillside, just back of the barn,
several beds are planted with aromatic
herbs and strengthening vegetables with
unpronounceable names. Many Of these
help to make up that mysterious but none
the less toothsome dish known as chop
suey. The plants are all dwarfish, but
very luxuriant. Beans a foot long, bent
and twisted in every conceivable shape,
take up a couple Of beds. They are black
in color, and have a sweetish, insipid taste.
Chinese lentils are given space In che
beds, and they are very successfully rails
ed. Next year Lee intends to attempt the
cultivation of bamboo sprouts in the damp
land along the ditch II he succeeds his
income will be materially increased as the
sprouts now used az the restaurants are
all imported IN cans from China. and are
very expensive. Every morning Lee gath
ers his. vegetables in large sacks, and pre-
pares TO go to the city. The sacks are
attached to the yoke. md with his heavy
load the industrious Celestial trudges
down the road TO University Station,
mile away, where he takes an electric car
for Washington All his produce Is epok-
en- for the day before, and II " easy work
for him to deliver It. Il Is all sold on
Lower Pennsylvania avenue, where the
Chinese colony Is located, and before noon
Lee Is back and az work on his farm