The Meeker herald., 1906-06-09
!. sloat F.ssett, of Elmira, n. z. vAo

eciie vi llt CouutIy III INC NcS1cV ~ 49,
views He says that Americans. 10 fsr
as business enterprises and tho money
invested in them are concerned. have
larger interests in Corea than AL the
other nations combined. Americans con-
structed and sold to the japanese the
Chemulpo Seoul railroad. Americans
constructed for the Corean government
land have not yet been entirely paid TOT
the same) the electric railway In the
city Of Seoul itself. and some Is or ~
miles Of suburban roads. Americana
have also constructed lighting plants
for the city of Seoul, and are investing
In the development OF . water system Tor
the capital. Americans import Into
Corea immense quantities Of kerosene
oil. of canned goods and Of cotton cloth.
Americans own. in association with Eng
lish and French capitalists. the largest
single enterprise In Corea and one OF the
largest In Asia mining concession IN
the northern part of CoreA American
missionaries. also. are doing . ma&nia-
Client work In CoreA So that American
interest 10 not alone the interest which
attaches to exciting and important
events. but 10 based upon the actual con-
ditions OF existing trade and property In
Corea. a. we'll as upon the future pos
siblities Of the entire Asiatic commerce.
From Ceorea's southern coasts the
islands Of Tsushima are visible. ana
from Tsushima the coasts Of Japan aEs
visible. Roughly speaking. corsA 10
from north to south 600 miles long and
from east to west 1t has an average width
Of 1856 miles. 1t contains 5000 square
miles. or almost exactly the area OF our
state of Kansas. being nearly twice -
large as the state Of New York and one
third larger than all Of New England.
The population IL estimated ~ low -
100000 and ~ high - 16 100000. In
asmuch as no scientific census II ever
taken and inasmuch a. the taxation de-
ponds very largely upon the number Of
people In any given district. 1t II to the
interests of the authorities to whom the
taxes are farmed out to suppress ~ far
As convenient the precise number OF
people In their districts: hence the popu-
lation Of Corea must be determined
largely by guess. II ID probable that
10000 900 IL about the proper number.
The parallels of latitude that would
pass through tho cities of San Francisco.
Chicago New York, Lisbon. Rome. Con-
stantinople and Pekin would pass
through the peninsula Of Corsa. TIE
capital. Seoul. . city Of little over 1o0.-
900 Inhabitants. II located In about the
geographical csuter OF the country and
almost exactly west or east Of New York
Corea was long known and IL YET known
to its Inhabitants ~ Chosen and IL
fancifuMy called BY them ''ths land Of
the morning quietneeI' or "the land Of
the morning calm" Until very recently
It was also known - "ths hermit king
DOM" because Of the seclusion with
which its Inhabitants had managed to
surrounded themselves until the latter
half Of the ninstsenth century. In 1897
the name vas changed Irom Chosen 70
Dalhan. o. Taihan.
In . small western town some ysafs
ego there lived . man who thought that
horticulture could be made profitable on
. small amount Of ground. says the
Worlds Work. This mans capital was
limited, The total area Of land at his
disposal was little less than one acre.
He had energy and ambition and a de-
sire to make his efforts successful. The
man selected - his two main crops
strawberries and celery. One-fourth Of
An acre was devoted to strawberries.
one-fourth Of an acre to celery and one
fourth Of an acre to miscellaneous gar
den vegetables. TO be sold in the town.
The problem was to handle these crops
70 a. to secure the very highest returns
for the outlay involved. No other help
than that Of the man himself was need
cd. The soil was ordinary. but was
made rich BY the application Of stable
manure.
The man developed . system which In
VOWED . shifting Of crops each year.
This. he gathered from what he could
read. was necessary. first, to avoid dis
ease and insects. and. second. to rest
the land. Eight thousand strawberry
plants were put out on one-Quarter Of
the acre. the plants all being grown in
small pots. 10 that they could be plant
ed in the latter part Of June. leaving
the ground free up to that. time for his
miscellaneous vegetable crops.
The strawberries planted in June savs
him full harvest the following May
and June. and from these plants the
average yield amounted to $500 for his
one-quarter Of an acre. His celery he
planted in the latter part OF July on
the ground that his Strawberries had
occupied. This celery WAS taken on
10 October. and the ground was. there
fore. free the next spring for his vege-
table crops. His one-fourth Of an acre
Of celery handled in this way gave him
$500 average yield. His miscellaneous
vegetables, grown in rotation. such ~
green peas. green beans. beeta. lettuce
and crops Of this nature. gave him $500
more. making his receipts from his
three-Quarters Of an acre 81 300, Of