Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1900-07-21
In MYSTERIOUS CHINA
Some OF the Difficulties Which
the Invading Foe Will
Encounter.
NATURALLY AGRICULTURAL PEOPLE
Millions Live in a Manner Sim
liar to the Ancient Cliff
Dwellers.

Although the vast mobs which in
fest Pekin and the larger cities OF
China, worked up to a state of frenzy
and fanaticism, have rendered i'm
possible any satisfactory action by
the available forces OF the powers,
the great Chinese population proper
is agricultural and naturally ex-
tremely peaceful and peace-loving.
Agriculture, however, is most prim--
tive and the wonder is how such an
immense population can be support.
ed from the soil, until the great
economy practiced in all things is
understood. On the Great Plain of
China every available foot Of land is
utilized for growing something and
every particle of fertility returned
to the soil. Waters are used for ir-
rigation and in many cases labori-
ously distributed over the fields.
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 north
eastern part OF the Empire, and con-
tanning over 20O. 900 square miles of
wonderfully fertile soil. The most
interesting feature of this plain is it's
enormous population, as it supports,
according to the census of 1912, not
less than III 100000 human beings,
making it the most densely settled OF
any part OF the world of the same
size, its inhabitants amounting TO
nearly two-thirds OF the entire pop
ulation OF Europe.
The most wonderful feature in the
physical geography of China is the
existence of a vast region Of loess in
this portion of the Empire. Loess
is very solid but friable earth.
brownish-yellow in color and is
found in many places from 500 to
| 900 feet deep. The loess bills rise
in terraces from 20 to several hum
dred feet in height. Every atom OF
loess is perforated by small tubes
after the manner OF root fibers, only
the direction of these little channels
is always from above downward. so
that cleavage in the loess mass is in
vertical. The loess region
of China is perhaps the most broken
country in the world, with its sheer
cliffs. and upright walls, terraces
and deep cut ravines. Owing to the
ease with which it can be worked,
caves made at the bases Of straight
cliffs afford homes to millions of
people in the densely populated
northern provinces where the Boxers
have thus far been most active.
Whole villages cluster together in
carved out chambers, some of which
extend back more than 200 feet. The
of defense in country
such as this, where an invading army
must necessarily become lost and
absolutely bewildered in the tangle
of interlaeing ways and where the
defenders may always remain con-
cealed or have innumerable means of
escape, is peculiarly significant at
this time when consideration is being
given to conquest of China.
The modes of irrigation are an
cient and crude. One of the most
picturesque is by means of the
water. heel. which is used where
the land to be watered is we'll above
the channel of the river. The wheel
is turned by the force OF the current
and is perhaps thirty feet high. Its
buckets being sections of bamboo
which as they are raised by the state
ly motion of the wheel, empty theil
contents into troughs or bitches
Hollow bamboo pipes or tubes are
sometimes used for distributing
water over the fields. They res
upon wooden supports and branch
in every direction from the source o
supply. The chain pump is also
common means OF lifting water, th'
chain running up from the water oil
slant and being provided with littl
buckets at intervals, which as the.
reach the highest point and begin t.
descend, discharge their contents