1038 



AMERICAN F( )RESTRY 



iKj.Mi-; iji' A cuiNiiSic cuLoMsr 



This family has 

 the picture, 

 of this class 



been estalilisl^ 

 The house is 

 of Chinese. 



ed in ilie stand of pine. .i few trees of which are to be seen in 

 built of stones, reeds and grass and is typical of the residences 



went nut of existence. The fertile lands 

 King both in the north and in the we.st 

 were then laid waste, to say nothing of 

 the already barren regions where culti- 

 vation and improvement were never 

 thought of. With natural resources thus 

 undeveloped, our people have Lieen led 

 friim idleness to poverty, which is mainly 

 ros]i(iiisible for China's weakness — a con- 

 dition truly deplorable! 



"It is for this reason that we ha\-c 

 started the Colonization Association with 

 a view to relieve the poor through the 

 cultivation of the waste plains and val- 

 leys. Under the guidance of Joseph 

 Bailie, an English professor specializing 

 in agriculture, the colonists shall be 

 taught farming along modern lines. The 

 details of our scheme are contained in 

 our regulations. All the executive offi- 

 cers of our Association are elected from 

 among the Chinese Committee. Four 

 thousand iiioiv (700 English acres) of 

 land have been secured on Purple Moun- 

 tain, outside of Nanking, for the pur- 



livelihdiid. They were, therefore, given 

 the task of building roads to and around 

 Purple Mountain and of putting the 

 waste land on its slopes and foothills 

 into a productive condition. The intro- 

 duction of agricultural crops on the 

 rich land at the base of the mountain 

 was the first object, but it was soon found 

 that as such areas were naturally lim- 

 ited, reforestation must be depended 

 upon for the utilization of the great 

 body of land on the upper slopes. It wa^ 

 also realized that in order to make the 

 plans permanent and adequate. Chinese 

 sympathy and cooperation must be (ib- 

 tained. The formation of the "Coloniz- 

 ation Association of the Republic ol 

 China" was the first natural outgrowlb. 

 Readers of American Foui^STin- will 

 doubtless find much of interest in the 

 following petition sent to Governor Gen- 

 eral Cheng of Kiangsu Province by His 

 Excellency, Chang Chien (at that time Minister of Agri- 

 culture and Commerce and still chairman of the Coloniza- 

 tion .Association), and others: 



"]'our B.vccllciwy : 



"We (Chang Chien, .\la Liang, Chin Chiheng, Ku Chi. 

 and Chang Tzu-lin). representing the Hoard of Trustees 

 of the Colonization As.sociation of the Republic of China, 

 respectfully present this petition, re(|uesting your exami- 

 natinn and permission for registration. 



"The Chinese nation was Iniill up nn farming. As 

 early as the medieval times, the "well" system of land ili- 

 vision had been organized on a soimd basis conforming to 

 the principles of modern socialism. I 'n fortunately, with 

 the wars and the feudal states and the tyrannical rule of 

 the Chin Dynasty, this system degenerated and finally 



CHINESIC FORliSTRV STUDENTS 



I'lie type of bright enthusiastic young men who are being trained to be the future foresters 

 of China. They are making rapid progress in their studies. 



pose of experimentation, which, if successful, will lead 

 to further extension. 



"We therefore enclose our Regulations for your exam 

 ination, with the request that proper registration be per- 

 mitted to us, that order be given to the local officials to 

 issue proclamations, and that the r>oards of .\gricidture 

 and Finance be notified to that effect, so that all pnu ince- 

 mav know what we aim to accomplish. 



"This is nur I 'etition." 



The ('.()\ernor General replied as follows: 



"To Chang Chien and other Trustees of the C"oloni/:i- 

 tion Association of the Republic of China: 



"Your petition has had my attention, ll i> irne that 

 the Chinese nation was built up on farming. The "Well" 

 System, so well org;inized during the Medieviil .\ges, 

 found some tr.iees in the two Hans when they luade 

 efforts to encourage jigriculture. It w;ls not nnlil :ifter 



