The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-07-24

human habitatons and people as well; but the
character of the crops under cultivation makes
1t necessary that the peasants should be housed
in settlements villages away from the large
wet areas given up to the growing Of rice and
other crops.
- These rice areas are divided up into fields
plots OF all shapes and sizes by small grass-grown
ridges a few inches in height. and averaging
about a foot In breadth. thus enclosing the soft
mud in which the rice is planted. The prepara-
tion of these fields is extremely arduous work
involving much hoeing and careful construction
of these mud dams, and it includes whole sys
TEN OF terracng, whereby the water necessary
for irrigation is led gradually down from field to
field, for all high-class rice requires flooding. The
little streams and rivuets which provide the
water for these terraced hills and wide valleys
rory often shaded by bamboo plants. and
these streams feed the bitches cut for water
channels; narrow tracks footpaths also
made through the rice fields. sBut If these fields
look desolate at springtime, there is no lack OF
life In them when the planting season begins in
June for then they are filed with men and
women busily engaged in transpantng the young
rice plants; and. fortunately for this industry,
Japan possesses a large supply OF cheap labor.
The seeds of the rice first thickly sown in the
small wet fields or nursery beds, in the early
spring (ApriD, and when the young plants have
attained the height OF four inches or thereabouts.
they very carefully transplanted to the larger
fields, at wider intervals, in rows, and may be
imagined, this is an exceedingly laborious kind
of work. When looks at the innumerable lit
tie plants in the nurseries, with their vivid green
shoots and delicate-ooking roots, the removing
OF them by hand, to the larger fields and planting
singly seems an almost impossible task and with
European Labor IL might be so; but the peasantry
of Japan have been accustomed TO this tedious
method OF agriculture through many centuries
and, from habit, II is taken as matter OF course,
and the men and women, standing kneedeep in
the mud and water and STOPPING over their toll
work, spare pains In the planting out OF
the. young rice In the soft mud. The value of the
harvest is probably in their minds the reward
for all this labor
The eastern agricultural laborer must be seen
70 be fully realized. Japanese backs are supple
but the sight of much STOPPING and bending
is enough to make European feel the pains OF
lumbago in his back from the mere contempla-
tien OF it
When the rice is growing up then the fields
show very brilliant green. and they are kept
under 3 few inches OF water all the tirue the
young crops are growing, which is only drained
away just before the harvesting of the rice. The
rice plant blooms early In September, and the
crops are reapcd In October and hung up to dry
.on short poles The threshing is done with fails
or heoLes, kind of comb. Various methods OF
fertilization used by the Japanese farmer
some of them most unsavory TO the European
nose In fact the smells" that emanate from the
ground in the agricultural districts in Japan often
destroy ones sense OF appreciation OF their fine
cultivation when inspecting II closely and the
Japanese people must either have less keen noses
than ours or else do not mind the odors for they
appear I'm way TO affect them as they DO our
selves. IN European takes n walk in the rice
fields. OF paddy fields" he calls them. during
the hot months he is TO get severely bitten .
by mosquitoes. and for Europeans living near the
rice areas these pests a great trial during
the summer.
Some Europeans have stated that japan pro-