Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1904-03-26

End look at the space occupied by the
state of California. Now imagine
that a few more than half the total
population OF the United States. in
GLIDING Alaska and the insular pos
sessions. are living in the state of
California and that California is en-
tirely surrounded by water Then you
will begin to have an idea of the sit
ustioE in Japan.
But to make the conception true you
will have to imagine California divided
into four good sized islands and some
thing more than 1000 small ones.
The total area of California is 1885,
ESQ square miles. The Japanese is
lands cover not quite the same amount
Of space. The population OF Califor-
mia is not quite 100000. Japan num-
bers 100000 people.
In other words. thirty times as many
people are living in the same space in
Japan as in California.
If the whole United States was as
thickly populated IS is Japan the pop
ulation of this country would be 1.000.-
100000 human beings, or 100000
more than the present estimated popu-
lation of the earth.
Nor does that tell the whole story.
In order to gain true idea of the
situation of the Japanese people you
must take into consideration the fact
that only a small percentage of the
small area of the empire is under cul-
tivation.
In Belgium. which is even more
thickly populated than is Japan. the
proportion of cultivated land to the to-
tai area of the country is "a per
cent. In France it is 80 per cent and
in Germany it is 43 per cent. But in
Tiny Japan with its swarming mil
lions. which. without additions from
immigration. increases at the rate of
half million a year. only II per
cent of the total area OF the empire
is under cultivation.
Japan has always claimed that the
small percentage of her area under
cultivation is not due to any lack of
industry bat to the fact that so large
part of the empire is made up of vol
canic mountains and rocky slopes,
which cannot be made arabic.
In spite OF this fact. however. ia
pan is still chiefly an agricultural
country. In fact, until the ports of
the island emnire were thrown open
to commerce its great population lived
almost exclusively OIL what was raised.
on the little patches of farming land
amounting in the wkole empire to z TO
tai of less than one-third the area Of
the state OF Illinois. added to the
product Of the fisheries.
a Japanese farm would make one
OF our western farmers laugh in de- f!
rision. As one traveller says: There |
are no farms in Japan: there are only
gardens" 4 farm OF twelve acres
would be considered extremely large |
in Japan. The average holding for the !
whole of agricultural Japan is only /
fraction over two acres. Naturally the 1
farmers OF Japan have no hired men. |
They and their families cultivate the
Tiny patch OF ground. They have prac-
:ically no cattle or other live stock.
Their chief instrument OF cultivation
IS the spade. and working entirely by
hand they bring their little farms to a
high state of cultivation.
A japanese farmer needs little to
sustain life. II he is rich enough to
control big farm OF twelve acres he
may get an income of from $50 to SEQ
1 year. In addition he and his family
may add To their income by devoting
heir spare time to the production OF
n the busy season, need the assistance
IF some outside helpers in gathering
MS harvest he can hire all the male
peasant laborers he wants at wages OF
% cents day. while female helpers
yill be satisfied with 9Is cents a day.
Small as these Japanese farms are,
I is a fact that the taxes paid by
heir owners furnished about half the
otal income of the mikado's govern
nent. At present the tax rate is 31s
,er cent Of the assessed valuation OF
be cultivated lands. Large as this
nay seem 10 American farmers. it is
S nothing to the taxes paid by Japa-
ese farmers in the old days of the
eCdal system. which went to pieces
4 1867. For a time the government
COX two-fifths OF the total crop as its
hare OF the taxes. Later the gov
share was raised to one-half.
nd ct the same time those farmers
.ho rented the land they titled were |
breed To turn over one-half of the re- {