El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-19
The Great Bulk of the Chine
sc are Peaceful.
AGRICULTURE MAINLY
Is The OCCUPATION OF The People
Irrigation Methods Are Crude
The Great plain OF China The
Discovery OF Coal.

China, worked up u VI
f-enzy and fsnattcism, nave renoersc
,mnosstble any satisfactory action b,
the available forces of the powers, the
great Chinese population proper Il
agricultural and naturally extremely
DeacefuI aud peace-lovinR. Agr1cul
Iure. however, is most primitive aut
the wonder is how such an immense
population can be supported from the
soil, until the great economy praoticec
in all things is understood. On the
Great Plain of China, every available
foot of land is utilized for growing
go ething and every particle OF fertil
ity returned to the soil. Waters are
used for irrigation and in many Gases
lsboricusly distributed over the helos
The Great Plain itself is one of the
most wonderful sections of the globe
1t is about 700 miles In length and
varies from 200 to 400 miles in width
occupying the northeastern part OF tne e
empire, and containing over ZUU OOt
square miles of wonderfully fertile soil
The most Interesting feature of this
plain is its enormous population a. II
supports not less thss III million
human beings, making 1t the mos,
densely settled of any part OF the world
of the same size, its inhabitants
amounting to nearly two thirds OF the
entire population of Europe.
OF STRATEGICAL IMPORTANCE.
The most wonderful feature in the
physical geography OF China 1s the eX-
istence of q vast region OF loess In this
portion of the Empire. Loss is very
solid but friable earth. brownlsn vel
low in color and Is found In many
places from 500 to 1000 feet deep. Inc
ioess hills rise in terraces from 20 TO
several hundred feet in height. Every
atom of loess Is perforated by small
tubes after the manner OF root hbers
only the direction of these little chan
ncls is slwsys from above downward
90 that cleavage in the loess mass Is In
variably vertical. The loess region OF
China is perhaps the most broken
country in the world. with Its sheer
cliffs, and upright walls, terraces ana
deep cut ravines.
Owing to the ease with which 1t can
be worked, caves made at the bases OF
straie ht cliffs, afford homes to millions
OF people in the deusely populated nor
them provinces where the Boxers have
thus far been most active. Whole vii
lagos cluster together In carved cut
cham bers, some Of which extend PACK
more than 200 feet. The capabilities
of defense in country such ss this,
where au invading army must neces-
sarily become lost and absolutely be-
wildered in the tangle OF lnterlaclng
WAYS and where the defenders may al
WAYS remain concealed or have In
Vulnerable means OF escape Is peculiarly
significant at this time when consldera.
ton is being given to cor quest OF
China.
Itmay not be generally known that
the Chinese were the dlscoverers OF
ccel as fuel. The Venetian traveller
Marco Polo says, "It is 8 fact that all
over the country of Csthay (China)
there is a kind of black stone existing
i'm the beds of the mountains which
they dig out and burn like hrewooo.
This stone sburns better and cost
less
GREAT RIVERS.
The rivers of China are her glory
and there are few countries in the
world 80 well watered and none with
such splendid natural water transport
alton facilities. The three great riv-
ers of the empire are the Yang-tse-
Kiang (Child of the OCEAN,, the HosnR
Ho yellow River) and the Chu k1ang
pearl River or Canton River). OF
these the Yaug-tse Is much the largest,
fiowing through extensive and fertile
plains and finally emptying into the
Eastern Sea, after traversipg distance
of over 900 miles. It's discharge Is
estimated at one million cubic feet per
second. The banks of the Yang-tse
are crowd ed with towns and villages,
the most famous Of which are Nankin
and the new treaty port of Rsnkow.
The Hoapg Ho or Yellow River ls
noted especially for it's frequent and
violent floods. Its current is very
rapid and it's course sinuous, nearly
approaching Ia length the Yang-tse.
The Pearl or Canton River while not
nearly so large as the others is
stream of great importance and In
Vulnerable vessels trade upon Its
waters. At some points 1T spreads into
large lakes, in others it passes be-
tween narrow gOrges which il damned
would afford large storage capacity
fer irrigation. The Chinese, however,
have not practicslly worked out
irria alton in its different phases as
com plateIy as would be expected OF
such an agricultural people. /
Irrigation, nevertheless, ts practlced
TO a consid cradle extent through the
use of the waters of the Grand Canal
and by wells. The Grand or Imperial
Canal is work of great magnitude.
1t was const ruc.ed in the 7th century
aid enlarged in the 18th century.
It traverses the Great Plain and flows
with bu. slight current for distance
of 200 miles. While built for purposes
of communication it's waters are used
largely for irrigation and thousands
of drains ard creeks have been made
TO connect with 1t along its route.
ANTIQUATED METHODS.
The modes of irrigation are ancient
and crude. One of the most ancient ia
by means of the water-wheel which is
used where the land to be watered is
well above the chspDel OF the river. |
This wheel Is turned by the force of the |
current and is perhaps thirty feet high. |
Its buckets being sections of bamboo |