28 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ July 11, 186S. 



on the laud on -which they grow vegetables. The Chinese are 

 universally acknowledged to be the best agriculturists in the 

 world. They may not be able to understand the chemical 

 properties of the soil or of maum-es, but a Liebig could not 

 surpass them in selecting the one, or in choosing and in pre- 

 serviug and improving the qualities of the other. Probably, 

 for more than a thousand years, they have carried on the same 

 systems that they carry out now, and have learned, by expe- 

 rience, what modes of culture and what manures, &c., are most 

 effective ; and the analyses of the European chemist confirm 

 the practices they have adopted as beiug the best. The China- 

 man does not know what are the scientific causes, but he 

 laiows that, by certain processes, he can produce certain results. 

 If any unexpected difScuIty arises, the Chinaman endeavours 

 to overcome it by the most natural and simple means, however 

 laborious. If blight afflicts his Cabbages, he washes it off the 

 leaves with soap and water ; it he be troubled with grub, 

 caterpillars, beetles, or other insects, he does not attempt to 

 destroy them by any solution, or with kerosene and other 

 substances that have been tried by Europeans, but he gathers 

 them all carefully and destroys them ; sometimes before sowing 

 or planting, putting blades of any vegetable into the groimd to 

 entice them, hi order that they may be caught. Steady, patient 

 labour is the only means of which he can conceive by which to 

 overcome such obstacles. He has never thought of adopting 

 means to save time and labour. The necessities of the case, 

 no doubt, led the Chinese to discover methods by which they 

 could get their comitry to grow a sirfficiency of agiicultural 

 products to ifeed the teemiug millions of their population. 

 Agriculture has received much encouragement from the Chinese 

 Govermnent, and at an early period in Chinese history the 

 various modes of cultivation were taught to his subjects by an 

 emperor named Nung, so that a husbandman, or farmer, is 

 designated in Chinese by the word Nunggin. As every one is 

 aware, the Chinese are divided into a number of grades, castes, 

 or classes, in accordance with the profession or trade ia which 

 they are employed. The second place on the list was given to 

 agriculturists, " the learned men," or members of the learned 

 professions, as we would saj-, alone taking precedence of them. 

 This fact shows vrith how much res))ect the husbandman is 

 regarded by the poijulation who are dependant on his labotors 

 for the means of subsistence. Every house or tent in the 

 district inhabited by Chinamen is suppUed by the gardeners 

 with jars, to be used for the same purpose as the tanks re- 

 ferred to in China. The gardener goes roimd every day and 

 collects the contents ; and, so much is it valued, that serious 

 quan'els wUl sometimes arise if one gardener attempts to ap- 

 propriate anj-thing of this nature which another considers 

 to be his. 



While on this subject, it may be mentioned that such Uquid 

 manirre as the Chinaman collects in his jars is, perhaps, more 

 valuable than any other description, the quantity of nitrogen 

 contained in 100 parts of it being, according to chemical 

 analysis, equal to 1300 parts of stable manure or (300 parts of 

 manure fi'om the byre. The latter lands of manui-e are like- 

 wise used by the Chinese gardeners, and when they come into 

 town after disposiug of their vegetables, they coUect the 

 compost, and carry it home ivith them. Wherever they can 

 find any, they pick it up, and may sometimes be seen gather- 

 ing it on the commons. The bulk of their supply, however, 

 they obtain fi-om such of their coimtrymen as keep horses for 

 ■working then- puddling machines, giving some vegetables in 

 exchange. It is used chiefly as a top-dressing, and the effect 

 of its being so used, along with the straw in it, is that, as is 

 ■well known to most horticulturists, it prevents the stu-face of 

 the soil fi'om being baked by the heat of the sun, and cracks 

 and fissures formed. It likemse assists in retaining moisture. 



The Chinese display much skill audintelhgence in the choice 

 of their garden ground, both as regards the character of the 

 soil, and the natiu'e of the situation. The first consideration 

 ■with them is the supply of water, and they choose a site there- 

 fore on the bank of a creek, in which they may obtain water in 

 the driest seasons. Failing this, they must have wells dug in 

 their gardens, from which they can get a constant supply of 

 pure water. The gardens are models of neatness, and i:x tmo 

 (Usee omiu'i:. for they all exactly resemble each other. They are 

 thoroughly clear of weeds, and all the vegetation is so fresh and 

 verdant in appearance that, in a warm season like the present, 

 they are most refreshing to the eye. The ground is preijared 

 by being trenched to a depth of from 2,{ to 3 feet. The 

 garden is divided by a number of narrow walks into long beds 

 or plots, which are of sucli a width that the gardener, sitting, 



or rather crouching by the side of it, as the Chinese do, 

 can easily stretch half-way across the plot, so that he can weed 

 it -without having to step on the plot. The beds are raised to a 

 height of about 8 inches above the level of the walks. It has 

 to be observed that the soil is always beautifully pulverised, 

 and it may be presumed that it woiUd be sufficient to di-ive a 

 Chinese gardener frantic if any one were to tread and leave a 

 footprint on his plot. If the reader would wish to see how a 

 Mongolian can run, and how thoroughly his habitual equan- 

 imity can be disturbed, he must have an opirortunity of seeing a 

 goat break thi'ough the fence and get into his garden. They 

 have a pride in their gardens, and respect for them amounting 

 almost to reverence, and will take off their shoes before walking 

 tlu'ough them. A careful housewife cotdd not be more proud 

 and jealous of the furniture of a fashionable drawing-room. 



An observant visitor to a Chinese garden might observe what 

 would appear to be a careless mistake — namely, that while the 

 most of the paths dividing the plots are of unswerving straight- 

 ness, a few are slightly ciuved. The intention appears e-vidently 

 to be that each series of plots should, by the natiu'e of the 

 Unes that di-vide them, represent the character or symbol 

 which is used for the Chinese word signifj-ing a " field." The 

 outhne of the symbol referred to is a square with two lines 

 running from side to side and from top to bottom of it, and 

 crossing each other at right angles. The upward line and the 

 sides of the square are perfectly straight, but the horizontal 

 line is sUghtly curved, corresponding in this respect exactly 

 with the cmTed paths refeiTed to in the garden. There can be 

 no doubt as to the intention of Chinamen in this respect, but 

 when questioned as to their motive or object for adopting such 

 a fanciful arrangement, they either cannot or wiU not under- 

 stand. Indeed, although naturally poUte and apparently fi-ank, 

 at least to an acquaintance or customer, the Chinese gardener 

 is not a communicative gentleman. Probably he fancies that, 

 having been from childhood familiar with all those things on 

 which he is questioned, his interrogator miist also know of 

 them, and he may assume that the ignorance is feigned. If 

 surprise be expressed or displayed, it is amusing to observe the 

 cm-ious smile which lights up the face of the Chinaman ; good- 

 humoured it is imdoubtedly, but there is a certain air of conde- 

 scension, mingled with satisfaction, and he seems to be amused 

 with the idea that his immense superiority should so astonish 

 the ignorant " barbarian." 



The most of the Chinese gardens in the Castlemaine district 

 are on land that has been ahenated from the Crown, and for 

 which they pay tolerably high rents. They do sometimes 

 occupy Cro-wn lauds under business Ucenses, and then- objection 

 to doing so more generally is that they consider the charge for 

 a business license to be too high. They cultivate most of the 

 vegetables with which Eiuropeans are famiUar, and some 

 novelties which they have introduced from China. They prefer, 

 however, such vegetables as the Lettuce, which come rapidly to 

 maturity, so that they may have a number of crops off the 

 same gi'onnd every year, and get rapid returns for their outlay 

 and labour. For example, they would rather grow and sell 

 green Onions, or, as they are termed sometimes, "young 

 Onions," in preference to the same esculent brought to matu- 

 rity and dried. They will not plant fruit trees, because they 

 would have to wait too long for the fruit, and besides they all 

 entertain the hope of being able to retuini to China in a few 

 years, and wiUnot invest cajiital in this colony on " permanent 

 improvements." But this is not their only objection. A 

 gentleman recently offered to let a large and excellently-stocked 

 orchard to a company of Chinese gardeners, on very advan- 

 tageous terms, as his chief object was to get them to take 

 proper charge of the garden ; but they obstinately refused to 

 have it at any price, for they did not think one crop of fruit 

 a-year would pay them for the labour that would have to be 

 bestowed on the trees, although they could also grow vegetables. 

 In the same way they are averse to growing Potatoes, as they 

 occupy the groimd too long before the crop is obtained. They 

 are very successful in gro-wing Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Vege- 

 table Marrows and such like, and their Melons are specially 

 remarkable for their superior exceUenee. It may be mentioned 

 that the Chinese preserve the seeds of the Melon, salting and 

 di-;i-ing them, and they are afterwards cracked between the teeth 

 and eaten by Chinamen as Europeans eat nuts. Wheii a 

 Chinaman has had a few whiffs of opium, or is otherwise 

 enjoying a leisure hour, it becomes as natm-al to him to crack 

 and eat Melon seeds as it is for an English gentleman, after 

 dinner, to associate Walnuts with wine. 



Among the best known of the novelties which have been 



