The Washington herald., 1922-10-05

PEK1NG. Oct. 2.-Clarence a Reed.
nut culturist of the horticultural
and pomoloeical Investigations Sec
tion OF the bureau of plant industry
OF the Department of Agriculture.
has had a stirring introduction 10
China. Mr.. Reed, whose home Is !n
Howell, Mich. but who has for some
years been stationed In Washing
ton. was sent to China TO make an
extended investigation of the lut
industry In China, and particularly
of walnuts. which are finding their
way into the American market TO
such an extent that the recently
passed tariff bill imposed an impost
Of 4 cents a pound unshelled and -
cents shelled in an effort to prevent
financial loss TO the American grow
ers- He has learned a lot about
nuts. but he knows more about ban
dts. who still wear the uniform and
carry the arms issued by the gov
ernment. A companion OF his ex-
periences Is W. z. Chamberlain, a
New Hampshire man who Is now
head OF the department Of agricul-
ture Of the University OF Peking.
HdN OhAs OCth Nshlud lOT SIX
weeks" said Mr.. Reed. In that
time ! had no opportunity to Learn
the people OF the remote portions Of
much OF the manners and customs CT
China and believed that most OF 'he
bandit stories ] had heard in Peking
were exaggerations. but know bet
ter now. Mr.. Chamberlain and /
left Peking accompanied by a native
Interpreter and a cookboy. We went
by rail to Hwaili and thence by
donkeys to the French Catholic mis-
sion. a farther distance of forty
seven miles over rough mountain
roads.
Reports of LootinG.
while at the monastery the Trap
pists told US there had been reports
of looting and robbing of villages
on the route We had chosen. but they
did not associate this outlawry
with mutinying soldiers. believing
it was the usual banditry of the
outlying villages and confined to me
levying of a few thousand cash and
a few catties of grain. The donkey
boys of the expedition. who had
been talking with the villagers OF
monastery is located, obtained. how
ever. a truer version of the serious
ness OF the situation. as IL after
wards developed. and they refused
to go on. Their excuse was that
they did not know the road.
Here we were in a predicament.
but the trappists offered US the use
of their own ponies and obtained
from among their converts boys to
| accompany us as escorts and to
bring the ponies back to the mon
astery. About 5 o'clock in the
afternoon We passed the outer
great wall and there our boys
picked up word that upwards OF
| 400 bandit soldiers were raiding the
villages ahead of us and staying the
people. We regarded this as prou
ably an exaggeration of the re-
cent mutiny and looting by the
Ninth Division In the suburbs of
| Peking and refused to heed the
urgings of the boys to turn back
to the monastery and 60 out by
the way we had come In. We made
camp on the rocky shore Of a noun
tain stream and the night passed
without incident.
Bandits in Next Town
We struck our tents and packed
our equipment on the ponies and
started on after an early breakfast
and within an hour our boys picked
up word that bandit troops were
in the next village ahead OF us.
| Reaching. II we found an armed
soldier standing sentry a short dis
| tance outside Of the gate of the
wall. He seemed surprised at the
appearance OF foreigners. as much
so as We had been at the absence
Of farmers and stock along the way
since the latter had fed from the
bandits. We passed through the
village without stopping. II seemed
| deserted, and only a few NANCY
dogs were In sight. There was not
even a hen scratching In the road
proving the thoroughness Of the
| iootinE.
Nearing the next village. while
we were passing through the deep
rut worn by the road through CEN
| turtles OF travel and could not see
the surrounding country. we were
met at the point where the road d.
vides for the purpose of diverting
the camel and donkey trains around
the village by a soldier with q
drawn saber. He seemed to be un-
hostile and motioned to us to pro-
ceed on through the village. but our
| ho,,. xu.ra eusninious and insisted