The Coolidge examiner., 1934-04-06
- y - u - -


faL its serious famines in
- surs sections. but ga the
vhol~ lt performs pretty well SIS
sflrruaags iah ~ fetsi.ng q quarter
of The human race And it has car
rIef on successfully for thousands
- years. aifhauzh Il has had none
az the advantages of scientific hu-
reaus for the ftudy ~ soils. crops
anf weather conditions.
This euTiable Position China owes
O. the note - permanent ngrlcBl
tur- struck - l;s hnshandmen
when our ancestors wcve skin-clad
nomads In 10 other country on
earth o. Il ~ tree that ~all trade.
as aI ilfe. rests upon the farmers
primitive activity"
ln China this ls al the more sig
nifrnni. for lfs soil has bcpn culii.
waited since the 4ays - Noah. and
has Supported the deusesi popula.
ton 10 the world through millcn.
uiums - history louset aud more
cherksresi than our own.
q, - difficult "a determine st OK.
arily shat period the Chinese set
t's-d in The Middle Kingdom bot
the latest archaeological discoveries
ssrm a. prove that their hrs, home
.au the Great Plain - northern Chi
IA. near the YeIiow river. was made
So early fhat they may. perhaps. be
counted az the ahnrl@ines % the
northwest China provinces
The chinese themselves attribute
% The Emperor Shen Nung. who Is
supposed 90 hare lived about @7Oo
". g.. The arts ~ huslsandry and the
Invention NJ the rlow. This myth
lcai parsonage stiIi remains the IA.
tron ~ farmers and was. until the
abolition ~ the monarchy. In 1911.
vgorshlpei yearly AZ The season of
the spring sowing hv the emperor
On Pelpinr. and by his delegates In
evcry province
Vas, Areas No; Cultivated.
Despite the density ~ the rural
population IN china. where. IN some
firuvinr.s. there are sections having
aSn people. 80 donkeys. and 3Ss
rrs fa the square mile. or go pso-
r'e. - danksys. and - pigs 10 one
80 our 80.acre farms. there remain
vast arens ~ uncultivaied. because
unculilvafahlr. mountain land IN
china prurer
The Chinese are able 20 live on
their small holdings oniy by reason
~ favorable climatic conditions. the
fertility ~ the sail. effective nEri-
cultural methods extreme personal
s,7=ss=,ruy. and The small taxes taken
bT the state
That wise old Emperor K'ang Hsi.
IN honor ~ the n'fy years jubilee
- bis reign. In iTii A. H.. issued
decree saying that "as the popula.
tion ~ the empire Increased. the
amount ~ arabic land did not In
crease" and that the land tax
should. therefore. b. estimated on
The census - that year and should
n.ver b. Increased II never was
In iT53 the total revenue from
the land TAX stood at fneis -. 1000.
81. or about .ernGps Ia gold.
and In 1000 taels - 1.no0cp0 were col
lcc;ed from the same source. the
decrease helng accounted for by
the calamiiies ~ the preceding
years
II the week end traveller In China
gets the idea from looking out OF
train windows that he is In n land
OF continuous farms and vegetable
gardens: bis impressions are large
Nv due TO the fact that wherever
cultivation Is possible II is highly
intensive. and that not an inch
which might he used Is wasted.
ore Family 10 the Farm.
The working % a Chinese farm
depends entirely upon personal hu-
man labor and generally upon that
of one family.
Tradition. custom. and economic
conditions do not encourage the IN
vestment OY capital for large scale
farming.
The fields ~ China. as already
pointed out. have been cultivated
for several thousand years by the
same method without overtaxing
their resources This remarkable
fact Is due 10 certain peculiarities
~ the soil Itself. plus very careful
working. guided by the experience
~ centuries.
when we reflect upon the de-
pleted fertility 81 our own older
farm lands" as Prof. F. II. King ~
marks. comparatively few OF which
have seen cenfury's service. and
upon the enormous quantity OF min
eraI fertilizers which are heing an
uualIv applied 70 them in order to
secure payln= Yields. we cannot hut
admire how the Chinese have man
ag..' =" maintain 50 well the first
condition 90 farming-soil fertility
-ant 10 su.ve the problem of soil
exhauSih>n. pne of the most funda-
meuisl. ..ifhsuit. aad vital pinhlems
81 aH civilized people"
Perhaps the greatest agricultural
triumph of the Chinese farmer is