Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-03-12
Chinese Farmers Have Hard Time
Saving Crops
PROTECTIVE tRiAN CATIONS
Bands of Watchmcn ceasc'essly Guard
Against Depredations Of Petty
Thieves-Ru'es Governing Clean
ines to he Left for the Poor

The great agricultural problem in
China. says the New York Herald is
how the farmers can best protect their
crops. OF all the various crops which
are grown III China there are not more
than two which do not give the owner
anxiety for fear they are stolen. The
heads OF sorghum and millet can east
~ be clipped off; nothing is easier to
despoil than a field of sweet potatoes:
melons arc an easy prey to the thieves:
! all orchards attract the marauaers
and even the cotton fields arc not OK
! cmpt from, nightly visits. Where the
population is dcnscst the extent TO
which this ,hicving is carried passes
belief. From these villages when the
| twilight falls crowd ot men women
and children stream forth which re
| scmhlcs the exodus OF workers in the
! carly morning
In the face Of This difficulty the farm
crs have been obliged to band together
TO protect themselves from tic rayaEcs
OF Tho poor. and they have formed So
| cicties for watching the crops The
villages which have entered the asso-
citation usually proclaim the fact BY
painting upon the side Of some con
spicuous tcmplc four characters which
signify that the fields arc looked after
| i'll common. Sometimes Il number is
added which tells the number of per
; sons who will watch the property day
and night. When a fixed number OF
| persons is employed the expense is
shared by the village. a tax being
placed upon the land. and each tax
payer gives the direct ratio OF the
amount Of lanl he owns. MI persons
belonging TO these leagues are sworn
to seize any one who may he found
stealing the property OF any member
| OF the league. Failure to do this makes
| 1t necessary for the member guilty OF
violation OF this rule to pay the fine
| as If he had committed the theft him
sell. Certain head men from the vii
! lagos comprise a court before whom OF.
tenders are taken. tried and punished
No regular way Of Furnishing offenders
| is carried out. but the most frequent
one is a fine graded according 70 the
| amount taken and The financial stand
| ing Of the culprit. The fine must be
paid at once or the prisoner makes it
possible that he may be confined in
canguc for a month or two at harvest
| time.
! Whatever measures are taken for
! the protection OF crops. the rules Of the
league arc also very rigid as to the
amount OF slcaninSs which must be
left in the field for the poor. Even the
length OF the stubblc which shall re-
main after the crop is harvested is reg
ulatcd By rule. In districts where the
sorghum is cultivated it. is customary
TO strip off the lower leaves that the
grain may have a better chance to
ripcn. These leaves are much priced
as food for animals. The day on
which the stripping Of the leaves takes
place any one may enter the field OF
any one else and strip the leaves from
the plant, provided he does not 60
above a stipulated height on each
plant. The day is regulated by the
league, and no one. be he rich or poor.
| is allowed to anticipate the day. The
day before the stripping a warning
gong is sounded in the villages. aud
next day the main business of every
one is leaf stripping More important
than this is the regulation in regard
to cotton picking. This crop is per-
haps the only one raised in the empire
which is absolutely necessary To every
one OF the inhabitants. 1t is consider.
ca the prcrOSa,ive OF the poor To pick
cotton wherever they may find it after
a ceraln data date Which is, of
course. regulated by the league. This
day is called relaxation Of punish
mcnt," because the fines are not to be
enforced
| |,