The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-07-25

human habtations and people as well; out the
character of the crops under cultivation makes
it necessary that the peasants should De housed
in settlements or villages away from the large
wet areas given I'D to the growing of rice and
other crops.
These rice areas are divided up into fields or
plots of all shapes and sizes by small grass-srown
ridges a few inches in height. and averaging
about foot in breadth, thus enclosing the SOFT
mud in which the rice is planted. The prepara-
ton of these fields is extremely arduous work.
involving much hoeing and careful construction
of these mud DAMS and it includes whole sys
tenn of terracng, whereby the water necessary
for irrigation is led gradually down from held TO
field, for all high-class rice requires fooding Inc
little streams and rvulets which provide the
water for these terraced hills and wide valleys
are very often shaded by bamboo plants. and
these streams feed the bitches cut for water
channels; narrow tracks footpaths are also
made through the rice fields. But II these nelds
look desoate at springtime. there is no lack OF
life in them when the planting season begins IN
June, for then they are filled with men ana
women busily engaged in transplanting the young
rice plants: and, fortunately for this industry,
japan possesses a large supply OF cheap labor
The seeds of the rice are first thickly sown In the
small wet fields nursery beds, in the early
spring (ApriD, and when the young plants have
attained the height of four inches or whereabouts,
they are very carefully transpanted to the larger
fields. at wider intervals in rows. and. as may be
imagined this is an exceedingly laborious kind
of work When one looks at the innumerable lit
tie plants in the nurseries, with their vivid green
shoots and delicatelookng roots, the removing
| of them by hand to the larger fields and planting
| singly seems an almost impossible task, and with
| European labor it might be so: but the peasantry
| of Japan have been accustomed to this tedious
method of agriculture through many centuries
and, from habit, 1t is taken as matter OF course
| and the men and women, standing kneedeep in
| the mud and water and STOPPING over their toll
some work. spare no pains in the planting out OF
| the young rice in the soft mud. The value OF the
harvest is probably in their minds as the reward
| for all this labor.
| The eastern agricultural laborer must be seen
| to be fully realized Japanese backs are supple!
| but the sight Of so much STOPPING and bending
| is enough to make a European feel the pains OF
lumtago in his back from the mere contempla-
| ton Of 1t.
When the rice is growing up then the fields
show a very brilliant green, and they are kept
under a few inches of water all the time 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 falls
or heckles, a kind Of comb Various methods OF
fertilization are 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 1t closely. and the
Japanese people must either have less keen noses
than ours or else do not mind the odors. for they
appear in no way to affect them as they do our
selves If q European takes a walk in the rice
fields, or paddy fields" he calls them. during
the hot months he is sure to get severely bitten
BY mosquitoes and for Europeans living near the
rice areas these pests are great trial during
the summer.
Some Europeans have stated that Japan pro