The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-18
P in R
By A C. CARPENTER.
By FRANK G.. RPENTER

system of ~brigadage which has gone
on for years. There are in Korea
companies of bandits, known as fire
robbers, because they blackmail the
villages and often burn them down
in order to rob the people. We are
more afraid Of this element now than
of any other. 1t rises at certain times
Of the year; and is at it's worst just
after harvest when the rice is gath
cred and all other work stopped.
Then these robbers begin. They are
performed by bands of from five to
twenty-five or more brigands and they
seem to break out simultaneously over
the During certain years
there are as many as fifteen thousand
of these men, and they nav been
operating from year to year for al
most a century. They are so many
that We could not easily control them
II they were organized, but we are
policing Korea and thus keeping the
bands apart. In time we shall wipe
them out. You will remember that
you had a similar rOuble with your
people in the Philippines. 1t has ia
ken US eight years to get the abOrigines
cf Eornosa into satisfactory shape:
and l judge it will take several years
before We can bring peace, safety and
quiet to every part Of this land
Are the Koreans as easy to gov
ern as the ~Filipinos""
AAAAi l1o1, pllS AIt I
general. The Filipinos are more sim
pie. less educated and more easily
handled. The Koreans have had d
government and a fair amount of
civilization for many, many years. 1t
is difficult to change them, and the
rank and file are not nXiOu to take
up new things. AS 1 have said, We
can only expect to teach them by
works. by giving them a practical
and an optical demonstration Of our
ideas"
Improved Agriculture.
What do you mean by that, your
~excellency?"
I mean tina we shan show the
Koreans that We are their friends by
the development Of their country. As
it is now, the woods have been cut
from the mountains and many of the
peaks are as bare as a desert. This
makes it impossible to conserve the
rainfall and We have not the water
needed for irrigation. One of our first
works will be along the lines of re-
foreStatiOn. We are planting trees III
many places and have laid out model
forests near Seoul, Pins Yang and
Taiku. These forests cover thousands
Of acres and have cost several hun
0red thousand Yen. We find the trees
grow we'll and hope in time to have
the mountains again covered with YER
dure.
We are also establishing expert
mental FARMS continued his excel
lency, and are trying to each the
people to make the most of their
lands. At present there is little use
Of manure. and they know nothing
Of artificial fertilizers. They do not
appreciate the possibilities of their
SOL. 1t will produce eight-tenths of
the varieties of things grown in Japan
and some which We cannot success
fully cultivate.
This is especially so as to cotton.
We are experimenting with that at
half a dozen different places in south
ern Korea. We ave used the native
seed and also the American upland.
SO far the native seed seems the
better. Our experts estimate that
there are a half million acres of good
cotton land in Korea, and that we
can eventually raise all the cotton
we need here and have a large amount
for shipment abroad
Room for Twenty Millions More.
Suppose Korea were carefully
farmed, how many people could 1t
support?'
THAT question is difficult to an
swer,'' said V%iscount Some. W have
now about twenty million people here.
This is above other estimates, but
there are parts of the country which
are thickly populated. If all the land
available could be used and improved
methods employed on it and on the
farms now under cultivation, there is
no doubt but what W. could produce
twice as much as We do know. This
means that Korea could then uppOr
forty millions without much trouble.
1t might support more.
In tina case you will have an out
let for the congestion of Japan. Will
you nOt?"
T some extent, yes; but, SO far,
the q farmers do not seem
anxious to come to Korea. The meth
DDS Of cultivation are different here,
as are also the soil and conditions OF
life. We have been Encouraging I'M
migration, but as yet have not had
manx of the farming class. a great