The sun., 1899-07-02
CHINESE FARMERS HERE.
SEVEN FLRMs CONDUCTED BIZ THEM
WITHIN NEW FORKS LIMITS.


Hen shanR arrived in New York with lot OF
| other pigtaied Cinnamon about twenty years
| ago. He went at once to the Chinese quarter
and opened a laundry. He had been farme r
| in his own country. but. seeing no vacant
! farms in Mott straet. he decided that the laun-
| dry business was the next best thing. lie
washed and ironed shirts patiently for five
! years. having all the time within him a great
| craving for some OF the fine vegetables he
used to raise In the Flowery Kingdom. He
seldom left his laundry and then for only a
| few steps. He had no idea that anything grew
In this country. that there was anything here
| but cobblestones and brick houses One Sun
| day he went with friend to visit another Chi
| nese laundryman In Astoria. Across the river
| he saw green fields and gardens. His almond
| eyes grew large. His horizon had been greatly
wdened
Then. after all. the Americans do raise
vegetables" he said to himself in Chinese.
why should not Cinnamon also 2"
When he returned to his stuIy little laundry
that night he thought long and deeply. He
smoked as he thought aud consumed much
tobacco. Tho next morning he closed his
laundry and bade his friends good-by.
Me no washee any more" he said. me 60
to countlee."
He had the little sum OF money that he had
saved In those long Ave years tucked away
! under his blouse. He found his way to Wing
Lees laundry in Astoria again and told Wing
Lee that he wantod to live IN the country and
raise vegetables. Wing Lee was In quandary.
He had no idea how Hen Shang was going to
accomplish his purpose. After awhile Tom
Lee another laundryman. came in and the Sit
| uation was explained to him. lie knew white
man. one of his customers. who owned five or
six acres OF land. The white man WAS not
using II and might sell it or rent 1t
cheap. Together Hen Shang and Tom Lee
went to see the white man lie was willing to
| rent the patch for 5000 a year. Hen Shang
| pulled his wallet from his blouse and paid u
| years rent In advance. Then he returned to
| Chinatown and got what seeds he could. The
| restaurant Keepers had few which they used
in soups and other Chinese dishes He went
| back to his farm and began worK. He had to
use an American hoe nti he could get bet
ter one from China The seeds were not very
| good and might not grow at all. but Hen Shaug
| was fu! OF enthusiasm ana soon had them ali
| in tho ground.
Alter his first crop had been planted Hen
| ShanG set about building house. He had
! but he could not impose upon his irieni too
long; He gathered a lot OF Old lumber which
! had 4 Shanty o. his own on his farm. II wasn't
very beautiful or art ist!c. but it was his own,
and Hen Shang WAS happy.
| Presently sprouts began to show above
| ground. and Hen shang worked diligently from
the irst streaks OF dawn to twilight. He hoed
| and watorci and wecded his beGs SO thor
| oughy that the vegetables simply had to grow.
| He knew each plant III is garden and watched
II al tcnderly as "A father would child. He
could tell Just how much each one grew from
| night 10 morning, and when finally they were
ready for use hc pulled them w almost sadly.
one day Hen Shang appeared in Chinatown
with huge basket OF fresh chinese vegetables
n o %a6sd
, all about the miracle. Hen Shang was shrewd
and wanted to know frat who desired to buy
htk I " I'm "a Ny at I,rina fhuf
made Hen Shang exceedingly well pleased in
wardly. His produce disposed of. he coufdcd
fresh vegetables often. They had had none
can vegetables, which they defeated Hen
! Shang was hero and all prophesied that he
would be a-whatever answers to millionaire
There were other Chinese farmers in China
town besides Hen Shang. and when they heard
with him. Hen shang liked the idea and or
ganized stock company. which was called tho
| Hen shang Yen. In the meantime Hen Shang
had sent to China for seeds and Chinese farm
ing implements, for the lack, Of which he had
clothing tor farmer, to wear. In due time
! they arrived and when Hen Shang was dressed
in his farmers clothes lie was the most rictur-
the most eharactyristie part, Of his costume.
a bout two feet III diameter. The blouse Of the
costume was made OF coarse cotton stun and
gardener usually goes barefoot. The implr-
ments which Hen Shang received were a idng.
fork, shaped similarly to the hoe. These are
| all the implements a Chinese farmer needs.
DEVILS inventions and no resI"ctable Chinese
vegetable would grow in II ilcll 50 do-ecrated.
Hen ShanE msnageh 70 pay his EXPENSE, the
| first season. When winter came he covered n =
beds with fertilizer and retired to his shanty TO
smoke the winter through. When spring cam.
he and his partners We're working before their
| American neigh bOrS had thought Of pOughinG
BY April the Hen shan& zen had crop Of yum
tsoi ready for the market. Yum tsol looks like
clover 1t is highly esteemed bv the Chinese
twenty days Tor growth ready for the market
1t is pulled when about five Inches above
ground. ti"'! ~ bundles we ghuS about a
round apiece and is ready for the market II
retails in Chinatown at 10 cents a bundle.
The second crop was ready by April 10, 1t
was kai tsoi and box tssoi. or green and white
mustard. The white kale resembles American
have an intensely sharp and rung"nt It tast" SstG
| j Ike most Chinese vegetables. These vcgeta-
sprouts are cooked as n separate Chine-e dish
kai tso and box tsol require about thirty days
for growth The plants are larger and more
bushy than yum tsol and are sold cheaper
Bunches We lghng about pound and u halt
are sold in h.natown ter eight cents
AS soon as one crop was raised another was
planted IN the ground, from which the indus
trious Chinaman requires lis much work as hc
puts forth himself In the latter part Of June
the sze kwa or sponge squash, fu kwa or bal.
sam apple. and chit kwa or hairy squash made
their appearance These are used for soup. tn,
iu kwa being especially esteemed, 1t Is bitter
tasting lkequnine. .0nd is used as q condiment
In slowing CHICKEN. uhElnE pork soup ANA frs
In; holsters. Tia" Oriental cpirure counts it o
great value in tonin! up the system. The ~,
kwa is only fit to eat when it is young
and tender. It's average weight il about q
pound and half, It's form i like the peculiar
Chinese sponge used Tor bathing, hence is
name. Chit kwa is also picked when It weighs
about pound and half. 1t is used in sour
and is made into q swcetmeat like cltrOn. una
is not unlike citron in taste, The chit kwa
grows To an enormous size. and weighs when
ripe Il ON thirty to forty pounds,
Other vegetables raised by the Hen Shnna
Yen were yong choy, a water vine, used a.
watercress long white cabbage. used In soup
Chinese gOurds. used in soup: Chinese parsley
Chimes" egGplants. edible golden aster. anC
German sugar peas, used in chou nuey.
Hen ShanR was exceedingly prOSpe rouS the
second year and couldn't begin to suppy the
demand Tor his vegetables. The following
year other Cinnamon deserted their laundriep
and started farming companies. These grew
IN number until there are now scven Chimes,
farms within tn" corporate limits Of New YORK
city-tye at Astoria. one at Ilatbu~h and on'
at Steiuway. The names OF these farming
companies are tho Hen Shang Yen, Suln lcb
Yen, Hal Lee Yen, Mon Lee Yen, Vow Lee Yer