Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-08
TheLand Of Silk.
Tracek in Chekians, HE Richest Six Region of
c4Sia.
ro,vrIsbted, 1891, by Frank G. carpen

,.,,v,r,bted. 1901 by Frank g. Carpen-
W|"p ter)
% HEKIANG, China rms IS VIII
~ ION in the heart of the silk re-
dons OF China For a week |
have been floating along through
" one canal after another with
Consul General Goodnow in his
,n.e boat through country when IS
east orchard Of mulberry trees
49,. arc thousands Of these trees on
., side of me as | write, ana by
,loo. "A ON the bank and climbing
~. tan Of one Of the bridges which
.h ,be canal at every few miles can
,,o.s By the millions, extending on
,,l In until they cut the HORIZON They
,O+r the waterways and are only
,.Ien here and there by clumps OF
. .'s trees OF the taller shade trees OF
prs farm village and the pit-like fields
fosled for raising rice
rup CHIEF SILK PROVINCE OF
49," ASIA.
snk Is produced In almost every part
At china. but Cheklang produces more
IA better silk than any other, 1t
'.lass vast quantities of cOcoons every
,,s,s for eXnort to France, Germany
.ol Iopan, and bales OF raw silk 20
iDn here 10 our factories in the United
Hates. There are thousands of farm
tmses IN which silk Keeling is done,
ssl great silk failures with the finest
If modern machinery put UP by the
prpncb English and other foreigners,
a, well as by the Chinese, 10 turn the
rocoons into thread. The Chinese use
nore silk themselves than any other
leope, they have tens Of thousands
Of looms and their silk mllllonaires are
numbered by scores.
AMONG THE MULBERRY TREES,
wish you could be with me In this
ride through the mulberry orchards.
Cur mulberry tree grows about as big
as an elm, and It Is not out Of place
among the trees of the forest. The null
berry trees here are small, Most of
Them are trimmed down 10 four feet
The sprouts being cut off year after
year The orchards look more Ike
Tickets than forests and the trees are
seldom larger than three-year-old
I4ach tree, They are as knotty and
tnlry as an olive tree and as ragged
a. ounce bush, They are planted In
on only few feet apart and so care
fully cultivated that not a weed is TO
4 b sen anywhere Here and there gar
On SUIT Is raised between the trees,
10, nothing grows close to the trunks,
and continual fertlllzing and hoeing
sws on the year around. All kinds OF
manure are used but the chief fertilizer
comes nom the canals which are fed by
ne Yangste river, The Yangtse Klang
as full Of silt as the Nile. IT brings
down vast quantities Of rich mud every
year and drops them into the canals.
me Chinese dredge this out, and spread
ever the ground, They scoop II up
y nets or In canvas bags with heavy
lon rings about them. They have great
longs made Of bamboo poles with
spoOn'llke baskets on the ends, looking
W. all ,he world like giant sugar tongs,
Nla which they pinch up a quart Of
,nud at time and pull Il into their
tOaH Later on they throw It on the
pahNs and spread II around the trees,
WYerlng he whole surface of the
GROUND. The Chinese save every bit of
N.lllilng material, even to their hair
.u.ulgs and finer nail parings. see
ue children everywhere going around
Qua picking up filthy stun OF all kinds
"add to the manure heaps.
HOW THE COUNTRY LOOKS.
frequently get out and walk through
~ ucnards. There are no roads any
ny Nv lou could not possibly ride over
az Al v0lhtry IN cart, for many of the
- IN art pits made az different levels
way 'oey may be flooded from time
ulue as the crops demand. There
~. only foOtpaths between the fields.
AN" I ,esse wind about, going this way
NV nv wst without regard TO distance.
y dI only highways are the canals,
s p.Da are filled with traffic even as
t' wuhIfy roads of our rich farming
N"'N's are flled with wagons.
now MULBERRY TREES ARE
GROWN.
"A ss.ough an Interpreter I have learn.
,..S Avn n'nlbeIry trees are grown. The
''"s are FIRST planted I'm nurseries and