Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-12-28
JAPS MEAT EATERS.
VEGETABLE DIET NO LONGER
SUFFICES THEM.
National characteristics Gradually Chang
ing, Since These Quaint Folk Have
Become Oriental yankees"-Specal
Commissioner Now In Washington.


Kindred vegetarian diet not seeming to
provide the energy necessary for the
western hustle" adopted by the awak-
ened Orient. Vegetarians and an
students are highly inter-
ested in the racial changes that must
soon result in this almost universal
change of diet. Already small changes
are perceptible, but few years hence
strongly marked Emergencies must in
evitably become apparent. Meat eat
ing has developed in Japan within the
past 20 years to such an extent that
the government is now casting about
for means to bring the supply up to
the demand. For the purpose OF IN
vestigating the methods of stock rails
ing and slaughtering employed in the
United States Mr.. Inazo Nitobe, Jap
anese official of unusual intelligence
and education, and a graduate of Johns
Hopkins university, has spent the last
few months travelling through the dlf-
ferent cattle-raising states. He has
been sent here as a special commits
sioner of the Japanese department or
agriculture, commerce and industry.
Mr. Nitobe has already arrived in
Washington, and in regard to the prob
able effects of meat eating on the Jap
anese he said: Zone thing the change
in diet may do is to create desire for
more and stronger stimulants. AT
present our national drink is sake
rice beer, quite harmless, comparative
ly. More meat may mean desire for
liquors stronger than the sake You
know the japanese have not been meat
eaters long and the industry of cattle
and stock-raising in Japan is in its in
fancy. Nature did not, apparently. con-
template that the Japanese should be
meat eaters. as neither the horse nor
the COW is a native of Japan, or was
ever Oh the island until comparatively
recently, as is shown by the absence
of their remains from geological re-
searches. Philology says there never
was word expressing a sheep or an
animal similar to it in the Japanese
language. Animals were imported into
Japan many years ago, but came in
with the Buddhistic religion. which, as
you know, forbids the killing of ami
mails for food. Our native religion,
Shintoism, also forbids to a measure
the killing of anything, so that partly
from the lack of a natural supply of
animal food, partly from religious in
fiuences and partly from the fact that
a vegetarian diet has hitherto amply
satisfied the Japanese, they have never
been eaters of meat to any extent Not
much stock has been raised in Japan.
While horses and cows have been used
for agricultural purposes, their use has
been limited to certain districts. 1t
is peculiar that, owing to religious ten
denotes, the country is divided into dis
tricts, in one cows being used exclu-
siyely for farming purposes. in an adj
joining district stations and in another
mares. In the first district no horses
whatever are used.and in the other dis
tricts no cows are used These dis
tricts are scattered all over the island
and | have been engaged in mapping
them out The beginning of meat-eat-
ing in Japan was due to the introduce
ton of western civilization some
twenty-five or thirty years ago. At
first the common people were very SUI
perstitious about it, and it was not
until the emperor set the example of
that the common people overcame
their scruples and began to eat
meat. They found it good. and the
demand has increased constantly I'M
til now, in order to supply the de-
mand, we are killing our cattle at a
rate of II per cent yearly more than
the natural increase. This will soon
result in the depletion in the stock
OF the island unless something is done,
and it is to obtain an insight into
American methods of stock-raising
and Strengthening that | have visited
the United States. Japan is well
adapted to the raising of cattle and
sheep. 1t has an abundance of graz
Ing land The low lands, which are
principally covered with rice fields
take up but IL per cent of the island
so that So per cent, being mountainous
region, may be utilized for grazing
purposes. When we first introduced
sheep we treated them like gentlemen,
FEEDING them on timothy and other
expensive grasses. This did not pay
and the sheep were turned out to
grass. with the result that while they
deteriorated in size. they became
much harder animals. The bamboo
grass is, however very hard on the
stomach of the sheep. Mutton is now
brought from Australia and sold in
Japan for 3 cents a pound. During
the recent war with China, Japan
awoke to the necessity of having
supply of horses. Owing to the
swampy character of the rice fields it
had never been feasible to use cav
airy in Japan. and the horses. while
hardy. were of mountain breed and
quite small. When the army was
fighting in China the lack of horses
was felt greatly, and since the war
the government has done all it could
to encourage the raising of horses by
establishing studs, offering premiums,
purchasing horses. etc We want the
horses for our agricultural purposes
and our cavalry and the cattle for