The silver star., 1900-07-20
BOXERS MISUNDERSTANDING TYPE
The Great Bulk Of the Chinese Peaceful
Agriculture Their Principal Occupation. =
Irrigation Methods are Crude.

and the larger cities Of China. worked up TO a
state of frenzy and fnnaticism have rendered
impossible any satisf ctory action by The
available forces of the Powers, the great
Chinese population proper is agricultural and
naturally extremely rc.cenl and pcacelsv-
ing. Agriculture. however. is most primitive
and the wonder is how such an immense pop
ulation can be supported from he soil, until
the great economy practiced in all things ia
understood On the Great Plain of China.
every available foot, Of land is utilized for
growing something and ever, particle of fer
tilty re, rned TO the soil. Waters are used
for irrigation and in many cases laboriously
distributed over the nelds
The Great Pain itself is one OF the most
worderfnl sections of ,ha globe. Iii, about
100 miles in length aud varies from 800 TO 400
miles in width. occupying the northeastern
part of TIE empire, and containing over co.
600 square miles Of wonderfully fertile SOIL
The IN ost interesting feature OF this plain is
its enormous population II supports. accord
ing to the census OF isia not less than III
million human beings. making IL the most
dens ly settled Of an. parl o. the world of the
same size, its inhabitants amounting to near
Is two-thitds Of the en'i,e population OF Eu-
rope.
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
Loees Is n ver, solid but frlahle earth. brown
ISL yellow in color and is found in many
places from 500 to l0C0 feet deep. The loess
hills iise in terraces from 20 to several hun
dred feet In height. Every atom OF locs, is
perforated by small tubes after the manner OF
root fber>. only the direction of these little
channels is always I! ON above downward so
that cle eavaee in he loess mass is invariably
vertical. The iopss region of China is perhaps
the iaost broken country in ths worll, with lis
sheer cliffs, and upright walls. terrace and
deep cut ravines. Owning IT, the case with
which it can he worked. ca.es made at the
bases OF straight cliffs. afford homes to mil
| ons of people in the eenseiy populated n norti-
ern p.ovinces where tho Boxers have thus
far been most active. Whole villages cluster
tse tar ia carved cut Chambers. SOM Of
which extend back mere than 2o) feet. The
caiab little, o: de:c..se in Il country such as
| this. wlrore a. inyaj,ng army mgst neccsi arl-
ly bees me lost and absolutely bew iIdered in
The tangle of interiacing says and where the
defenders may always reinaia concealed or
have inEumc.able means OF escape is pccul-
iary-oigntcant at this time when considera-
| lion is being given to II conquest Of China
It ma, not lie generally known that the
Chinese were tie discovers of coal as n fuel.
The Vene,ian t,-i,c.er Marco Polo says. ut Is
fact that all over the country of Cathay
lChinai tNcic IS Il Kind OF black stone exist
ing in ths bsds Of he mountains which they
di: out aud burn like iresood. This stone
burns better and cots iess''
/ The rixcs OF China are her glo.y and there
are few countries IN the world 80 well water
ed and none with such splendid naniral water
transportation facilities The three great
rivers OF thc empire a'e The Yang-t- u Kiang
Child oi the Ocean. the Hoaag Ho yellow
River and the Chu Hiang Pearl or Canton
River. cftllcse the Ysngfs, Is nru III the
largest. flowing through Extensive d fertile
plairs aud finally cmptying into the Eastern
sen. after traversing dis,aaco OF over 2.O,o
mile Its discharge IS estimated ut one mil
lion cube feet re- second The banks OF the
iang-;N are crowded with towns and villages.
the most fafnou, OF which are Nankin a I'd the
new treaty port OF Hankow. Tie Hong Ho
or Yellow River IL no.-d espccia for Its fire.
quent and violent fools. Its current /, very
rapil and It's c1-rsc .imOus. nearby approach-
Ing In length the Yaps-'sz. The Canton River
Will. not nearly 10 larg, a. the o,hsr, Is .
stream oil great i'm portn zee and Immune able
vessels trade upon IT. waters. At slm, poi ,ts
tspre-ds into large lakes IL otlc y II passes
between narrow rg9. viii IL ii dsin ID would
nn"fd large Storage cspIcity for irrigation
Ibc chinese, hoAeser, La,s mt practically
worked out irrigation In it, liner mt phase,
's completely as would be expected of 5 ,oh nm
agricultural people.
Irrigation. ncysrt,c.css. Is prnctic,d to A
considerable c ,tent Through the us. OF the
waters OF The Great Canal RId BY wells. The
'rand or Inperl.l Canal Ia q WORK OF geat
magnitude. II was constructed In the 9Th
century and enlarged In the 18Th century. II
tfaverses the Great plain and nows with hut
slight current for u distance OF 7uO ,nIles
while built for purp ,aes oi comm iLlcailou its
waiefs are used largely for Irrigation aud
thousands OF drains and creeks have been
made TO connect with 1t slong It's route
The modes Of irrigation are ancient and
crude. One Of tic most picturcsaus II by
means Of the water wheel which is used where
the land 10 he watefci Ia well above the c.,un.
mel of the tivcr. The wheel IL turned by the
force OF ths curscnt and 10 perhaps thirty feet
nigh. Its buckets btnH sections or ba,aboo
which as they are raised by the stately ,u.,tlo.
OF tie whecl.einpty their contents Into trouwhs
Or ditchcs Hollow bamb,o pipes or tuleS
s'e sometimes used for distributing water
over the helds. They ret up0s wooden sun.
ports AMI branch In every direction from tho
source Of supply. The chain pump 10 also .
common mems of lifting watcr. the chsIn
running up from the wntcr on slant and W..
Ing provided with little buckets vt Intervals.
which No they reach the hishcs: poI,t and be.
gin 20 descend. dIschnrgc their contents.
These machines are worked BY bifsAlocs or
sometimes BY human labor. . man working q
crank with feet something after the ~ N.
nor OF RI ling bicycle. The most primitive
and labosions nicthod Ii the ancient well
sweep. such m IL seen tolay ON many nm old
New EnRinni homestead.
CRY q Afrruur