The Washington times., 1904-03-24

Get out a map OF the United States
and look at the space occupied by the
State OF California. Now imagine that
a few more than half the total popula-
ton of the United States. including
Alaska and the insular possessions, are
living in the State of California and
that California is entirely surrounded
by water Then you begin to have an
idea Of the situation in Japan
But. to make the conception true, you
will have 10 imagine California divided
into four good sized islands and some
thing more than 4,O0O small ones.
The total area of California is los. 800
square miles. The japanese islands
cover not quite the same amount of
space. The population Of California is
not quite 10000. Japan numbers - =
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 as is Japan. the popu-
lation of this country would be 1000. =
COO. 900 human beings. or 10000. 900 more
than the present estimated population
Of the earth
-NoI hOCS mat tel the " mule 6iOEL-
In order TO gain a 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 cult
walton.
In Belgium. which is even more thiclIy
populated than is Japan. the proportion
OF cultivated land to the total area Of
the country is 81 per cent IN Franee
it is 90 per cent. and in Germany it Is
4S per cent But IN tiny Japan. with its
swarming millions. which. without addi-
tions from immigration increases at the
rate of half a million a year. only "A
per cent OF the total area of the en-
pire IS under cultivation.
Japan has always claimed that the
small percentage of her area under Gull
tivatiOn is not due 10 any lack OF in
dustryJ but to the fact that so large a
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. Japan is
still chiefly an agricultural country In
fact, until the ports of the island en-
pire We're thrown open to commerce its
great population lived almost exclusively
on what was raised on the little patches
of farming land. amounting I'm the whole
empire TO a total OF less than One-third
the area of the State of Illinois, added
70 the product OF the fisheries.
A japanese farm would make one of
our Western farmers laugh in derision.
AS one traveller says, There are no
farms in Japan; there are only gar
dens." A farm of twelve acres would be
considered extremely large in Japan
The. average holding for the whole OF
agricultural Japan is only a fraction
over two acres. Naturally the farmers
OF Japan have no hired men. They and
their families cultivate the tiny patch
OF ground. They have practically no
cattle or other livestock. Their chief
instrument of cultivation is the spade.
rnd working entirely by hand. they
bring their little farms 10 high state
Of cultivation.
\ japanese farmer needs little TO sus-
tain life. II he is rich enough to con-
troll big farm OF twelve acres he may
ge- an income of from $50 TO $50 a yeaI-
IL addition. he and his family may add
10 their income by devOting their spare
time to the production of silk, indigo,
Ind cotton. II he should in the busy
season. need the assistance of some out
side helpers I'm gathering his harvest.
&c can hire all the male peasant labor