JAPANESE HUSBANDRY. 397 



able, and thus to give immediately fidl crops. It is not, how- 

 ever, the interest that we obtain in sncli crops, but the capital 

 itself of tlie soil upon which we are drawing. The more largely 

 our system enables us to draw upon this capital, the sooner it 

 will come to an end. The term ' culture ' applied to such a 

 proceeding is a misnomer. The peculiar method of manuring 

 alluded to consists merely in our endeavouring to feed the soil 

 of our fields with the largest possible supply of azotised matter. 

 Now, ammonia and the other azotised compounds may no doubt 

 be looked upon as excellent agents to stir up the hidden and 

 slumbering forces of the soil. But after all, these agents may 

 be regarded somewhat in the light of a banker, who kindly ex- 

 changes the pound we have to spend for thirteen shillings ; and 

 then we can spend the change fast enough. This accounts for 

 the large party amongst us who love and cherish the obliging 

 banker. 



This is the great difference between European and Japanese 

 culture. The former is simply a delusion, which will be detected 

 sooner or later. Japanese cultivation, on the other hand, is 

 actual and genuine ; the produce of the land represents indeed 

 the interest of the capital of the soil's productive power. As 

 the Japanese knows that he has to live upon that interest, his 

 first care is devoted to keeping the capital intact. He only takes 

 away from his soil with one hand, if he can make up the loss 

 with the other ; and he never takes more than he can return. 

 He never endeavours to force the production by large supplies 

 of azotised matters. 



The fields in Japan do not, therefore, as a general ride, present 

 that liuxuriant aspect which gratifies our sight occasionally at 

 home. There are no impenetrable forests of straw from six to 

 eight feet high, to be seen, nor turnips weighing 100 lbs., with 

 99 lbs. of water in them. There is nothing extravagant in the 

 sight of Japanese crops. But ivhat distlufjuishes thevi most 

 favourably as comijared to ours is their certainty and uni- 

 formity for thousands of years. The real produce of land 

 can be calculated only by the average crops of a long number 

 of years. 



If additional proof were needed to show that the state of cul- 

 tivation is very superior, and that the land yields abundant 



