Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-07
NATIVES EAT BARK
Portrayal of Conditions in
Famine Stricken China.
REPORT OF ONE DISTRICT
But One Fair Crop Reaped in Past
Five Years.
PRIVATION AND DEATH RULE
Lack Of Drainage and Overflow of
Crops Added to War
and Anarchy.
PRIVATION AND DEATH RULE

Four men dead Of starvation in fifty
five homes visited, only one family in
eight with any rice or grain, the rest
| living on sweet potato leaves. carrot tops
| and elm bark, and four months yet to
harvest-such is the report Of Earl H.
Greasy, who was sent by the Central
China famine relief committee to ascer-
| tain present conditions in a portion of
the famine area His report in part is
as follows:
1T was thought best to investigate as
closely as possible q limited area which
might be taken as typical, and for this
purpose the township of Lupi was select
ed. 1t is fifty-five Ii north by east from
Esingkiangpu in the northern part Of the
province of kiangsu.
1.-THE township of Lupi extends sixteen
II from north to SOUTH is seventeen Ii
from east to west. and thus contains
roughly twenty-five English square miles.
In it dwell 270O families, aggregating
Il, 600 individuals, SO that the reputation
| is over 500 to the square mile. This
sample famine district contains about
one-half of one per cent of the total area
and population now famine stricken In
China
Several neighboring villages were ex-
amined in each of two widely separated
groups. taking every house. large or small,
in all fifty-five homes, and there is no
reason to believe that they are not rep
resentative Of the township as g. whole.
One of the local gentry, the head man of
the township, accompanied me, and con-
| tributed much general information.
Inquiry by Method.
THE method followed was to assemble
the family and count and question them,
and then thoroughly to examine every
part of the house, looking into the cook
ing vessels on the stove to see what was
in preparation. and then using an cleo
trio f1ashlight to go through all baskets,
jars and boxes where food was likely to
be kept. These were all country people,
who seldom have money on hand, so that
the supply of food actually on the prem
Uses is a good indication Of their con-
dition.
"A straw stack indicates that there has
been q crop. l found straw in four
yards-one in thirteen. Grain was found
in only seven houses out of the fifty-five
and in no place over peck of 1t. The
food in process of preparation was invari-
ably greens-sweet potato leaves or carrot
tops, a thin acrdi-smelling mess of the
appearance Of stagnant water and about
as appetizing, only once in while con-
tanning bit Of vegetable or grain. About
one out Of every three were eating elm
bark, which they prepare by reducing it
to fine sawdust and then making 1t into
cakes. Whole rows Of trees have been thus
stripped of their bark. OF even such sorry
food as this only a few have any great
amount on hand. After it is gone they
will eat the bark Of the willow and null
berry, which cause swelling and hasten
death. Except for these. the countryside
is absolutely bare.
One Crop in Five Years.
TN considering the plight of these peo-
pie, it must be born in mind that they
have had but one fair crop in the last
five years Five years ago was big
famine. A good year followed, but this is
the third year of famines since then Last
year they sold their work animals, so
that except dogs. among the ffty-nve
homes visited, the only animals FOUND
were two calves and one chicken
Household utensils have also been sold,
and In some cases the timberS OF part
| of the roof-the rest of the house is made
of mud and thatch. Questioning showed
that the average crop this year among
bushels per family. Last years crop
was only double this. The cause of
famine is lack Of drainage, so that the
rainfall. which is as great as sixteen to
thirty inches in two weeks, simply stands
and browns out the crops.
Last year in spite of the fact that in
this township the famine relief commit
tee carried go families through the sea-
son. and the Chinese government gave
1 500 families enough to last them about
a month, 100 persons, at very conserva-
| tive estimate, died of starvation. ana
twenty children and six or eight wives
were sold. Children brought from 81 to
s. Mexican and wives about ten times. as
much. The object in such sales was as
much to provide for the one sold as to
secure food for the seller. and the sale
was not always into life Of vice. This
year two persons out of every three are
certain of death unless help comes from
outside, while the cost in suffering is
simply incalculable.
War and Anarchy.
| "In addition to all this, 1t is wartime.
Five thousand soldiers mutinied and
looted Tsingkiangpu so thoroughly that
many shops have not reopened, al
| though that was three months ago. The
| whole district was for a while in a con-
dition of anarchy.
ITO look back upon it, the whole SENS
| like a bad dream. The gloom OF the
wretched homes, the whirling snow,
without, driven by the bitter wind, the
hungry garrulousness of the old women.
| the modest shyness of young matrons
| at suddenly finding themselves in the
presence of a foreign man, little children
CRYING over their pitiful food, the dumb
agony on the face of the woman whom
We had to tell that her husband had just
breathed his last, the dead with mummy
| faces and clawlike fetal this is only
| a small part Of the grim tragedy Of the
| famine in China, where two and half
| millions are facing conditions like these"
The central China famine relief COM
| mittee is making every effort to save life
in this township and the adjoining re-
gions. Rice is being shipped in. bean
| cake purchased locally, and men are on
| the ground ready to start the work the
moment that the government Is able to
guarantee the maintenance Of order and
| give protection.
| Reavers' Work.