Evening journal., 1918-08-03
DOtUn on the Farm in Japan
Woman of Orient Helps "Man With Hoe" Feed Empire
BY BURTON KNIsELY

] kCOpyrlghti 1915, newspaper Enterprise
Association.)
Typical Japanese country scene, S
howing farmer plowing inundated rice
field, and Unset, his capable wife thre
shing the grain In primitive fashion.
NAGOYA, Japan, Aug. 3.-The frogs
were crosklng In the. pond below the
little japanese farm house, but the
cicsdes were no longer squeaking as
constantly as they had been at sun
set. >
Between the farm house and the lit
tie village In the rsvine TO the left,
where the lights could be seen in the
houses, some one hidden by the night
was playing a bamboo flute. II had a
pure and pleasant tone.
The air was sweeter than In the city,
and some OF the many flowers In the
farm garden were fragrant ones.
Except for the frogs and the flute
It was exceedingly quiet. The same
old moon was shining" And as far
mers do the world over, in the cool
Of the evening, we sat upon the YER
anda and talked-the tenant farmer
his son, the cousin OF the city owner
Of the farm who was my guide and
interpreter, and !.
had assured them we had parsnips
and airplanes, and strawberries and bi-
cycles and spinach and pigs. No, we
had no silkworms or mulberry bushes
in the United States-er, at least not
to speak Of. not to any amount, (get-
ting into rather deep water on the null
berry bushes, and more anxious to ask
20
And did we have a moon, too, in
America? Yes" absent-mindedly All,
this supposed nalvette was huge joke
to them. The laughter was hearty and
long. And while the conversation
turned into japanese raillery, thus ex-
cluding me. / was thinking over the
problems Of japanese agriculture and
wondering just how / could write my
story Of day with japanese farmer.
Japan is smaller than Montana. There
are perhaps 100000 people in Montana.
There are close to 60,000O00 people in
Japan.
Only IS per cent. of the land of
Japan Is cultivated. Less than IS
per cent can be cultivated II the
arabic mountain sides are used.
Yet on this IS per cent. OF the
area of Montana the Japanese
farmer raises each year more food
than the 55,0O0,00O Japanese people
eat
Japan in 1917 exported $4,000 900
worth orraw food and S2s 100000 wovr
II prepared food. In the same year
he imported only S7,0OOOO0 OF raw
God and sS,000000 OF prepared food
IN excess OF S37,0O0OOO Of food ex-
,orts.
The Japanese farmer sitting, or rather
quatting, contentedly by my side for
here were OF course no chairs) was
me OF the 100000 families, or 30,-
10000 farm people. who on 100000
'cres Of land-half an acre per headll
md less than acres pen family-ted |,
'aised more food than b5,OOO,OOO geonle
ste. Obviously a man worth ts9e Mon
ANA rancher's acquaintance. a farmer
who could tell ans,t,iterestlng story Of
: strange lySe OF agriculture TO the
iowa Jeeern raiser or the Ohio wheat
Jsl,i.ier or the Mississippi cotton plant
er, accustomed to from so TO Gao acres |
per family instead OF a paltry three.
lt had been a busy day. Nylng on
my thin mattress on the floor OF the
bedless, chairless room which was not |
only bedroom but dining room and sit I
ting room as well. had heard the far [
mer stirring about shortly after four
o'clock in the morning. Why couldn't
ne stay In bed? No chores to do There j