IRRIGATION IN CHINA, 825 



works constructed in pursuance, of thern proved to be of great 

 practical value. 



The first emperor of the Ming dynasty, in 1360, gave orders to 

 have the obstructed canals restored and reopened, so as to show 

 that his first act was to think of the food and clothing of his peo- 

 ple. "When another flood occurred in the reign of Yung Lo, the 

 work of repairing damages and providing permanently against 

 future disaster was carried on day and night under the direction 

 of the Minister of Finance, who mingled with the people and 

 shared their labors. Under another emperor the very difficult 

 and expensive works of what is called the "canal of multiple 

 benefits " were completed, so as to furnish water to more than a 

 million acres. The present dynasty, besides continuing the work 

 of maintaining the canals, has published,- under the Emperor 

 Kien Lung, in 1737, a grand encyclopaedia of agriculture and hor- 

 ticulture in seventy-eight volumes. The preparation of the work 

 was intrusted to agriculturists and literati, who were careful to 

 announce in the introduction that they had no intention of pro- 

 mulgating new ideas, but only to collate the most valuable methods 

 and observations contained in the former works of the wise men 

 of the empire. This cyclopaedia is a store-house of valuable in- 

 formation concerning the utilization of water, and demonstrates 

 the advance which the Chinese had made in extreme antiquity in 

 that important branch of agriculture. 



My country is essentially agricultural, and, in order that 

 agriculture might prosper, we have applied ourselves, as you see, 

 to give the land drink. The Emperor Yu, after he had delivered 

 us from the flood, planned courses of water to flow over the land, 

 as the Creator has furnished us with vein's carrying the blood 

 through our bodies. Confucius, speaking of Yu, said that all his 

 efforts could be summarized in the creation of the canals. They 

 were the motive force of the empire, and also an effective means 

 of diminishing the destructive action of torrents and avoiding in- 

 undations. These prosperous times have continued the model and 

 the ideal of China. The successors of Yu, whenever they devi- 

 ated from the road that he marked out, saw all their dynasties 

 extinguished in consequence of disasters caused by their neglect. 

 The people have contributed their part to the depreciation of the 

 water system. They have set water-plants on the water-sides to 

 strengthen the marshy soil and gain new tracts of land, whereby 

 the fields have been enlarged at the expense of the canals, while 

 the farmers have not taken heed of the contraction of the liquid 

 arteries. Then, in time, the water, not having sufficient outlet, 

 would overflow. Our efforts are now devoted to making such 

 things impossible, and to preventing the canals being obstructed 

 by the encroachments of the land. 



