52 INTRODUCTION. 



shabbiest part of the dress of the Japanese. As they are of straw, they consequently last but a 

 little time. But they are made in immense numbers, cost but a trifle, and may be bought in 

 every town and village in the Empire. The pedestrian, therefore, throws away the old ^mir by 

 the road side, and buys new ones as he goes along ; while the more provident man takes two or 

 three pairs with him on starting. Immense numbers of these discarded shoes may be found on 

 the sides of all the roads. In wet weather they wear under the shoe a wooden clog, which is 

 attached to the foot by ties of plaited straw. Dignitaries sometimes wear slijipers made of fine 

 rattan slips neatly plaited. 



Agriculture. — Japan is very mountainous, as we have already stated ; but with the exception 

 of that portion of the ground covered by the roads, and by the woods left to supjily timber and 

 charcoal, nearly every foot of ground, to the very tops of the mountains, is cultivated. Of 

 animals to assist in culture they have the horse, ox, and a large species of buffalo, which they 

 train to draw carts and carry heavy goods on the back. They plough with both the ox and cow. 

 Of milk and butter they make no use. When they cannot use cattle to plough, as on the steep 

 sides of hills, men are substituted ; and sometimes the plough is laid aside and all the labor in 

 preparing the earth is done by hand. Generally, their soil is rather poor ; but by means of the 

 immense labor they bestow upon it, by irrigation, and, especially, by the use of manures, which 

 they understand well, they make very large crops. 



Their chief grain is rice, of which they are said to produce the best in all Asia. They also 

 make barley and wheat. The first is used for feeding the cattle ; the other is not much valued, 

 and is chiefly used for cakes and soy. This last is made by fermenting, under ground, wheat 

 with a peculiar kind of bean and salt. 



Next to rice, in imjjortance, is the tea plant. This was not cultivated in Japan before the 

 beginning of the ninth century, when it was introduced from China. Immense quantities of it 

 are now produced, for its use is universal. Beside the plantations devoted to it, the hedges 

 on the farms are all of the tea plant. Siebold says the finer kinds require great care and skill 

 in the cultivation. The plantations are situated, as far as they conveniently can be, from all 

 other crops and from human habitations, lest the delicacy of the tea should be impaired by 

 smoke or any other impurity. They manure the plants with dried anchovies, and with the 

 juice pressed out of mustard seed. The harvesting is a process of great nicety. Dr. Siebold 

 thinks that the green and black tea are from the same plant, and differ only in the mode of 

 preparation ; though others have said the plants themselves differ. Neither, however, is ever 

 dried on copper, but both are dried in an iron pan. 



Beans of various kinds are produced, and some other vegetables. Several edible roots are 

 carefully cultivated. They grow the mulberry tree in large quantities for the sake of the silk 

 worm, and also for making paper. In Loo-Choo they make a coarse sugar from the cane ; in 

 Nippon they manufacture it from the sap of a tree. Our farmers deem it a part of their business 

 to rear such animals as we use for food ; but the Japanese farmer is most frequently a Buddhist 

 and cares nothing for animal food. The Dutch, a great while ago, introduced some sheep and 

 goats, and some few may, possibly, still be found in the Kingdom. If attended to they would 

 thrive very well ; but the religion of the natives forbids them to eat the flesh, and they do not 

 know how to manufacture the wool and hair ; hence the animals are little valued. They have, 

 also, a few hogs, which were originally brought from China. Some of the country people near 

 the coast keep them, but not to eat. They sell them to the Chinese junks which are allowed to 



