The Florida star., 1900-09-14

kinds OF fruit and vegetables besides
the staples. rice. cotton. sugar. wheat.
tea and tobacco. They raise everything
that VIII grow In their remarkably
fertile soil. Many things grown and
eaten In China and regarded as staples
there are curlOsities and objects OF
aversion TO foreigners. Water chest
nuts. which are eaten raw; the bulbs
OF water lilies. fungi. grown on the
buried rotten stumps OF trees; bam-
boo sprouts. peach and apricot stones
are only n few OF them.
The rigid economy practiced in China
is inconceivable TO a foreigner. Abso-
lCtcly nothing that could by any possi-
bility be turned to use is wasted. and
every inch Of ground Is cultivated For
example. the principal fuel OF agricul-
tural China is not wood or charcoal.
which are too expensive but the stalks
Of the various kinds OF grain. Every
mile OF the Chinese highways is COW
cred by manure gatherers with baskets.
who earn their living n this uncertain
way. The common beast OF burden. eS-
pecially In the south. is the water buf-
falo. but II. owing TO his cost. he is all
sent. the wife and children OF the Chi.
neSe farmer draw the plOw. The vast
majority OF people in China are de-
pendent on agriculture for their liveli-
hood. and they are very poor. 1t may
well he doubted that so large n proper
tion Of destitutiOn is TO he met with
anywhere else on earth. AS has been
said. farms of half an acre are com
mon. while holdings as large as three
acres Indicate comparative degree Of
Opulence. The very rivers i'm China
are covered over with RATS and house
toats. and people pass their entire lives
on them without going ashore.
Irrigation is common i'm the Celestial
empire. and for this purpose the water
OF numerous canals and wells is used
The methods OF conveying the water
whittier il is needed are crude and an
Client. There are various ways, the
water wheel and the chain pump being
the most usual The former consists
Of large wheel constructed Of bam-
boo. that Indispensable OF Chinese
life. 1t is sometimes 81 feet high and
Is moved by the current in the stream
whence the water is derived. When
the buckets attached tO il reach a GER
tain height, they discharge their con-
tents into troughs or bitches. Some
times bamboo pipes are used 10 con-
vey the water directly 10 the place
where il is needed. The chain pump
consists of an endless chain running
up from the water at an angle and
holding many small buckets. This
is worked either 10y the water buffalo
or by Il man moving il by means of e
There are many other ways
OF irrigation. but there isn't a steam
pump in the entire country of 80 many
millions of fIrmerS. and. what is more
Ia the point, their ingrained conSerVa-
tiSm and ignorance would not allow
IT to be used if there were car.
In agriculture. rs IN all things else
China is still the land of coutradic-
tions." uoprlrS,ly hcuightrd in meth
ods of farming. in results in SON,
branches they far SurpaSs the rest Of
the world. Through the long cuurS,
of ages lacy have succeeded in dcvcl-
oping some varieties of grain that are
hardicr than any grown in Amcric.
ana fruits that for luSciuuSneSS cnuuut
be surpassed or cqualcd. In >ui.:t
parts of Chill province are grown
peach trees that are said 10y travellers
In h" the most hardy and prolific b.ar
crS of large and delicious fruit i'm the
world our agricultural department,
has III present an agent in China ru.
the purpose of oh:ainn. cuttings ut
these trees. Considerable anxiety i,
felt for him. aS hc has not been heard
from for several months. The Shrrwd
ChinaHen guard their secrets we'll
They possess Il method of prcSrryln@
grapes that would bc worth 4 furtun,
to American fruit growers. hut rhu>
far efforts Ia obtain the secret Lay,.
been unaVailinG. They are able L.
grow Wheat AT an elevation Of l2.um
Irct. while in this country S.Upu feel
and that IN turr.d Ar!ZuEa. is the limit
From Chinese Turk"Stau we have ola
taIncd TurkcStan alfalfa. an cNccllruf
forage plant. AMI the winter muSh
mc!on. equal or superior Ia anythiu.
grown In the United States. Thuu.-I
they are centuries behind us in meth
odS, IN results American farmers lay,
StIu S"mrthin. To learn from thru
Chinese brethren.