Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-17
JAPANESE STAFF OF LIFE
Everybody Eats Rice and Almost
Every Farmer Raises 1t

The Japanese stan OF Ike Is not
bread, but rice. Until quite recently the
economic condition of the empire de-
pended almost entirely on the success
or failure of the rice harvest. The rice
harvest still remains the most vital
factor in the general condition Oh the
people.
Japan has at the present time about
13,230000 acres under cultivation, OF
which 7,10500 acres are devoted TO
rice In addition to what Is used for
food the quantity required for sake
brewing Is immense, so thta the DO
mestic production has to be replenish-
ed annually by considerable importa-
ton.
The very high quality of japanese
rice naturally leads to its being ex-
ported in large quantities, which adds
to the necessity of domestic tmporta-
ton. According to the Japan Maga-
zine the consumption of rice per capita
in Japan is about five bushels.
From centuries of experience the
science of rice cultivation has been
brought to a high pitch of perfection
in Japan and the degree of production
as well as the acreage under cultiva-
ton is constantly on the Increase.
When we compare the 132,000000 bush
els grown in 1877 with the 24S, 445, ,076
produced in 1907 the rapid rate of in
crease may be easily seen.
The rate of consumption has been
greater than the rate of production,
which shows that the number of those
able to afford rice as their staple diet
is constantly growing. The 34,3S8,OOO
of population in 1877 had in 1907
grown to As, 900, which is equal to
an increase of As per cent in thirty
years.
AS rice culture is of such supreme
,,akw. fINa TNrin nf
rice lands Is always rising until 1t is
now from 20 to 80, yen "a yen is equiv
alent to so centsJ a tan (O.246 acre.,
while the price of common agricultural
land is only 40 to so yen a tan. The
rent of rice land Is also quite high, be-
ing from to 13 yen tan usually
but in places where such land is scarce
as much as 200 yen u tan has peen
paid.
The ancestral paddy fields of the
farmer are regarded with great pride
and guarded as family treasures. It
can therefore be understood why every
inch of land where water for irrigation
is available commands the keenest at
tention, the entire hillsides In some
dictricts being terraced for rice produc-
ton.
Rice growers represent more than
30 per cent of the agricultural popu-
lation. From four to seven acres Is
about the average holding of the Jap
anese farmer at his BEST but vast num-
bers of the rural population have to
be satisfied with little more than an
acre each. The farmer has, of course,
to grow many other things besides bis
rice and some of them he cultivates
as a second crop from the rice ground
after harvest.
The rice districts of Japan look like
level plains of patchwork, the irregu-
lar paddy fields being walled around
by clay banks ten inches to IL feet
high, according to the water level.
Rice being a tropical plant requires
a warm, damp climate for its success
full cultivation. but it is remarkable
that in Japan the crop is successfully
grown from Kiushu in the south to far
Hokkaido in the north. The plant re-
quires plenty of water and a rich clay
soil, special preference being for the
ground formed from sea deposit. Most
Of the Japanese rice farmers, however,
take little account of the nature of the
soil, provided only the necessary water
can be had.
In the colder parts of Japan but one
crop of rice is harvested in the year,
but in the south, where the climate Is
much milder and irrigation convenient,
two crops are usually grown each year.