The Coolidge examiner., 1934-04-06

ln many places could he obtain
them. even were De able 70 pay ihe
prlce-cxpeusivc rhosphates ard
uIfrates commercially prcIarrd The
rblcs ai1s De can enlist In bis eyer
lasting battle against soil rxhaus
ton are human and animal manure
In The West. aud more especially
ln tie Cn'ird States man" 90
quote Professor King again. "is the
most pxfrarasnnt nccclcrator %
waste the world has ever endured.
Ills wifhering blight has fallen upon
every living thinE within hls reach.
himself not excepted. and his besom
~ destruction IN tho uncontrolled
hands ~ a generals has swept
into she sea soil fertility which only
centuries ot ilfe could accumu.
late.
Fertilizer Carefully Saved.
"On the basis % the data %
Wolf. Kcllner. and % Carpenter. ~
% uaT. the people ~ the United
Statrs and - Europe sre fyearlyl
pouring into the sea. lakes. and riv
ers and into the underground wa
tiers. from 5.Tp8.81g % i2np1Hs0
pounds ~ nitrogen. issttsn 10
s.i5i no0 pounds ~ potassium. and
7Tg.a0o 10 3.OIT COO pounds ~ phos
phurus per million ~ adult popu-
lailon. and this waste We esteem
one - the grcat achievements %
orr civilization. Whereas in China
al. this Is saved and returned 20 the
aelds~
Near every farmhouse. and often
IN proximity 20 the living rooms
lhai shcck our olfaciory nerves.
stand potter Jars for storing this
precious fertilizer. iater 20 be a.
iuied with water before Il Is fed
20 the crops"
Household waste siuhhle. rough.
age from the fields. ashes. and The
dropplnEs from passing caravans.
carefully collected b. small boys
with baskets and scoops are all
made into compost hy being mixed
wlih earth.
Agriculture ln China falls nniur.
ally into two great divlslons-ihc
"wei farming ~ the canal. or rice
growing. country. and The dry
farming 81 the northern plains. or
grain growing section
The outstanding feature ~ chi.
ncse agriculture ~ the amount Of
human labor expended upon II.
Fields are prepared ~ hand. often
watered by hand Seeds are sowu
and crops fergillsei and reaped by
hand.
Prom dawn 20 dusk the farmers
/ family and animals work on the
land. often cooking the midday
meal--a mess ~ mlllct--on an im.
prnylsed mud stove and using as y
manger FOR their beasts the cart
that has carried out compost and
viii hiring home the ripe crop.
How Rice ls Grown.
Nowhere Is the Industry % the
Chinese farmer better illustrated
Than In the southern. or rice grow.
ing. provinces. where climatic con.
dltions permit OF several tsnrue.
times as many as fourl crops n
year from the same soil.
Since rice Is not only the staple
but the favoriie food % the people,
from the highest 10 the lowest. II Is
not surprising that paddy nelds
form an eighth of the total area oi
/ cultivated land In China.
Yet. Notwithstanding the enor.
nous acreage ~ rice planted each
year since 5000 u. c.. this crop Is
all set out In clumps and every
spear transplanted by hand. The
double operation allows the farm
ers In economic their land and
save In many ways except in labor
the one thing they have In super.
abundance.
Each rice field Is surrounded by
its own little dam a foot high
Some OF these fields are no larger
than small room. and one ohserv.
or SAYS he saw "some In the int,
rior of China no larger than n din
Ing table. even one hearing It's crop
surrounded by It's rim and holding
water. yet scarcely larger than &
good-slzed napkin
In a corner 81 his field the thrlfty
husbandman prepares his nursery
for raising seedlings sufficient "a
plant his whole land. The soil 4.
churned IN by the plow until IL be
comes mixture Of wet mud and
manure about the consistency oil
porridge. Seeds. which are ther
thickly Sown. sproui In a very few
days turning the nursery into q
carpet ~ young green plants.
The rest OF the land has. mean
while. been prepared for their re
ception. emhankments made water
tight. etc.
Enough water Is admitted. by ar
.iiicial means II the rainfall can
not he depended upon. to a deptt
of several inches IA rake-harrow
used To remove grass and weed.
uprooted by the plnw. and the sol