SEED SELECTION CONDITIONS IN CHINA. 37 



American supremac}' in the rice indu.strv deiXMuls upon more eco- 

 nomical production. This may bo accomplished by divor.sitied farm- 

 ino- iind by an increased etticiency in machin(>ry . Improved machinery 

 in the rice field is of recent introduction, and it Avill undout)t(Hlly be 

 made more efficient and the rice farmers Avill handle it with p-reater 

 economy. 



sp:lection of seeds. 



No rices were seen in India that appeared to be an improvement on 

 those grown in the United States, except possildy some very early 

 varieties. In Bengal there are varieties that mature in sixty days. 

 While it nuist not be expected that the}' will mature as quickly in 

 America, thev are nevertheless worthy of trial on account of their 

 ra[)i(l maturing- (|ualities. 



India produces some good wheats and shows a large and profitable 

 yield in the latitudes corresponding to our Southern States. Out of 

 150 varieties 5 were selected as worthy of trial. A few yood soil- 

 renovating plants were found. The sunn hemp {Crotalariajuncea) is 

 highly recommended by the Poona State Farm for its luxuriant and 

 rapid growth. If planted inunediately after the rice harvest, it will 

 make a growth of 2 feet before frost. Some valualile sorghums and 

 vetches for the semiarid portions of the United States were found. 



CHINA. 



In scholarship, energy, and business qualities the Chinese take very 

 high rank among the nations of the earth. They are bright, apt, of 

 indefatigable perseverance, and instinctively grasp the financial bear- 

 ings of business transactions. They soon become the merchants and 

 bankers of every country in which they settle. Thev have such 

 marvelous tact along business lines that Europeans doing business in 

 China uniformly employ Chinese agents or compradors in all dealings 

 with the Chinese. 



A(iRICULTURAL CONDITIONS. 



It is difficult to deal with the agricultural conditions in China in a 

 comprehensive way, because there are no reliable statistics published, 

 and the traveler is limited to his observations and the very meas-er 

 information to be obtained from Chinese farmers. The farmer, too, 

 is not disposed to give information to a stranger, thinking that some 

 advantage will betaken of it. In traveling through the rural districts 

 of China the large areas of unused lands were observed with surprise. 

 Along the Yangtze in particular the cultivation of the highlands has 

 been largely abandoned and tillage has been limited to the fertile 

 alluvial lands. Even in the vicihit}- of Nankin, the old capital of the 

 Ming Dynasty, there are thousands of acres of land, evidently fertile 

 if properly tilled, which lie neglected as commons. The rainfall is 



