The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-11

n
 1T have only mentlonedmgle leading products of the field, but E~aanuot leave the cultivators of tho soIT without 8 word concerhing the gardens! They are SO cute. occupying as they do the little hooks and corners that cannot be utilized for the larger crops. There does not Deem to be a square Inch of ground wasted. The vegetables are planted in. rows which are either straight or curved. never crooked, and we have scarcely seen 6 weed. FeFti- l!zer is extensively used, being kept in stone or cement vats protected from the weather by Q straw-covered shed. Near the cities the soil is enriched by the refuse from the closets, which is collected and carried away during the night. The introduction of sewage systems has been somewhat impeded in some cities by the fact that sewage would be an expense while closets are TOW source of profit It must be confessed, however, that the present system tends to make fresh vegetables unpopular with the tourist ;
 Most travellers land at Yokohama, and depart at Kobe, or land lat Kobe and depart at Yokohama, these. being about 300 miles apart, one has chance to see much of the farming land from the railroad. The side trips from To- klo to Niklxo, from Yokohama to Mi- yanoshita and from Kyoto to Nara, give additional opportunities for seeing the farmer at work, but the ride from Kobe west to Shimonoseki surpasses any of these in interest and in beauty of scenery. As this route leads along the sea coast, as we'll as through dense- ly populated valleys, there is great CT variety. Now one skirts tho Inland sea. with its numerous islands, its transparent waters. It's little harbors and its fleets of fishing boats; now he winds his way along a stream with bridges. or by stone wagon bridges. On the one side he sees a bamboo grove and on the other tiny graveyard or a little hill dedicated to a Shinto shrine-stone steps ascending along a shaded path from the sacred gate. which invariably marks the entrance Ito holy grounds. In passing over this railroad route one gathers q large amount Of information concerning the ir rdustries of the seaeoast. as we'll as those of the inland, and besides can visit the Shimonoseki strait, which is of historic interest to Americans. The Sanyo railroad, which connects Kobe and Shimonoselxi. Is well equipped and well managed. and has built an excel lent hotel. the Sanyo. at shimonoseki for the accommodation of its patrons. From this point a steamer runs to Fu- san, the nearest Korean port, where direct connection is made for Seoul. the Korean capital From MoJi. just across the strait from Shimonoseki, one can take a train to Nagasaki. the western seaport of Japan. At Shimono- sekt one is shown the house in which Marquis Ito and Li Hung Chang draft ffs fss.' the 'ap'n'''-cA'Hs'' treaty In
 Mining is an industry of consider able importance here. Gold, silver and copper are found in paying quantities More than S6,000,000 worth of copper was exported last year. One of the gold fields on the island of Kyushu near Kogoshima. gives promise of con siderable richness. Coal Is found in such abundance that the exports ot this commodity have amounted to near. ly S10,000. 900 in single year. A hard quality of snlokeless doai has recently been discovered in western Japan.
 The islands also produce a number of varieties of valuable woods, The cam phor tree grows to an enormous size a gigantic statue of the Goddess of Mercy in one,of the temples at Kama. kura being carved from single cam pbor log. The value of the camphor exported from Japan last year exceed ed $1.B00,0o0. Among the hard woods suitable for carving, enorry seems to be the most popular.
 Of all the trees. however, the bam- boo is the most useful Just at this time, when the returning soldiers are being welcomed It Is present every where in the form of flag poles and there Is nothing that equals it for this puepose; long, slender, light and strong, it is just the thing for flags and ban mars, and when little plume of leaves