The times., 1899-07-09
chinese As FARMERS
Seven Celestial Gardens Within
New York's Limits.
Vegetables Chnracferistics sof the
Home Country Raised Exclusively
After Native Methods-fteruShaug g's
First Experiment. - Partners In
the Companies Work Themselves.
From the New York SUM-

had been a farmer in his own country, but
seeing no vacant farms in Mott Street he
decided that the laundry business was the
next best thing He washed and ironed
shirts patiently for five years. having all
the time within a craving for some of the
fine vegetables he used to raise in the
Kingdom. He seldom left his
laundry and then only for few steps. |
He had no idea that anything grew in |
this country that there was anything here |
but cobblestones and brick houses. One |
Sunday he went with friend to visit an
other Chinese laundryman in Astoria. |
Across the river he saw green fields and
gardens His almond eyes grew large.
His horizon had been greatly widened
Then, after all, the Americans do raise |
vegetables. he said to himself in Chinese.
Why should not Cinnamon also?"
When he returned TO his stuffy little |
laundry that night he thought long and
deeply. He smoked as he thought and
consumed much tobacco. The next morn
ing he closed his laundry and bade his
friends goodby.
Me no washee any more" he said. me
go 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 wanted to live
in the country and raise vegetables. Wing
Lee was In a quandary. He had no idea
how Hen Shang was going to accomplish
his purpose. After awhile Tom Lee, an
other laundryman, came in and the situa-
tion was explained to him. He knew a
white man, one of his customers, who
owned FIVE or six acres of land. The white
man was not using it and might sell 1t
or rent 1t cheap. Together Hen Shang and
Tom Lee went to see the white man. He
was willing to rent the patch for 5000 a
year. Hen Shang pulled his wallet from
his blouse and paid years rent IN ad-
vance Then he returned to Chinatown and
got what seeds he could. The restaurant
keepers had a 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 until he could get
better one from China. The seeds were
not very good and might not grow at all.
but Hen Shang was full of enthusiasm and
soon had them all in the srouud.
| After his first crop had, been planted
Hen Shang set about building house, He
! had been sleeping nights in wing Lees
| laundry. but he could not impose upon his
| friend too long. He gathered a lot of old
/ lumber which had been thrown away by
| builders and soon had shapty OF his own
on his farm. 1t wasn't very beautiful or
artistic but II was his own, and Hen Shang
was happy. 5f'-
! Presently sprouts began to show above
/ ground, and Hen Shang worked diligently
| from the first streaks OF da#n-te twilight
/ He hoed and watered and weeded his beds
so thoroughly that the vegetables simply
had to grow. He knew eayh- h-plant in his
garden and watched it as tenderly as a
father would a child. He could; tell Just
how much each one grew from night to
morning, and when finally they7were ready
for use he pulled them up almost sadly.
One day Hen Shang appeareh In China
town with huge basket Of fresh Chinese
vegetables on his shoulder. He was sur
rounded instantly by crowd OF Mongoi-
ians, who wanted to know all about the
miracle Hen Shang was shrewd and want
ed to know first who desired to buy his
load 1t was sold in jiffy at price that
made Hen Shang exceedingly we'll pleased
inwardly. His produce disposed OF, he con-
fided his secret TO his former friends to
their great amazement and Joy. Now they
could have fresh vegetables often. They
had had none since coming to this country
save a few American vegetables. which
they detested Hen Shang was hero and
all prophesied that he would be a-what-
ever answers to millionaire in Chinese.
There were other Chinese farmers in
Chinatown besides Hen Shang, and when
they heard OF his venture they wanted to
icin fortunes with him. Hen Shang liked
the idea and organized a stock company,
which was called the Hen Shang Yen. In
the mean time Hen Shang had sent to
China for seeds and Chinese farming i'm
piements, for the lack of which he had
been sorely handicapped. and also for
proper clothing for farmer to wear. In
due time they arrived and when Hen
/ Shang was dressed In his farmers clothes
he was the most picturesque Oriental in
New York The hat was the most charac-
teristic part of his costume. IL was made
of braided bamboo, shaped like bell
somewhat flattened out, with rim about
two feet in diameter The blouse of the
costume was made of coarse cotton stuff
and the trousers were of the same ma
terial The Chinese gardener usually goes
barefoot. The implements which Hen
Shang received were long bamboo
handled hoe and a. three-pronged fork.
shaped similarly TO the hoe. These are all
the implements a Chinese farmer needs.
Such things as plows and harrows are the
devils inventions and no respectable Chi
nese vegetable would grow in a field so
desecrated
Hen Shang managed to pay his expenses
the first season. When winter came he
covered his beds with fertilizer and retired
to his shanty to smoke the winter through.
When spring came he and his partners
Were working before their American
neighbors had thought OF plowing. BY
April the Hen Shang Yen had a crop OF
yum tsoi ready for the market. Yum tsol
looks like clover. 1t is highly esteemed
by the Chinese as a soup ingredient. II
only requires about twenty days for
growth ready for the market 1t is pulled
when about five inches above ground tied
in bundles weighing about a pouad apiece
and is ready for the market. 1t retails
in Chinatown at l5 cents a bundle.
The second crop was ready by-April Is
II was kai tsoi and box tsoi. or green ant
white kale. Chinese kale isid1fferent from
American kale. The green kale look.
somewhat like mustard. The white kal,
resembles American kale somewhat in ap.
pearance. Both varieties have an intense
iy sharp and pungent taste like most Chin.
ese vegetables. These vegetables are uset
only in soups. The white kale sprouts ar,
cooked as a separate Chinese dish. ka
tsoi and box tsoi require about thirty day.
for growth The plants are larger ant
and more bushy than yum tsekana are solt
cheaper Bunches weighing about pounC
and a half are sold in Chinatown for eigh
cents.
As soon as one crop was raised another
was planted in the ground. from which
the Industrious Chinaman requires as mucl
work as he puts forth himself. In the lat
ter part OF June the sze kwa or spong'
squash. fu kwa or balsam apple, and chi
kwa or sponge squash made their appear
ance. These are used for soup, the fu XVII
being especially esteemed. II is bitter
tasting like quinine. and Is used as a condi
, ment in stewing chicken. making porl
soup and frying Holsters. The Oriental cpl
cure counts it of great value in toning VI