84 



THE FARMER AT HOME. 



peasants. Most of the plains present an endless succession of rice 01 

 paddy fields, which, in the early stages of the crops, exhibit a vast 

 surface of bright green, but turn yellow as the grain ripens. The 

 seed is first sown in small patches, flooded with a particular prepara- 

 tion of liquid manure, which promotes its immediate development, 

 so that in a few days the shoots are five or six inches in height, 

 when they are transplanted to the fields, some of the laborers being 

 employed in taking them up, others in making holes to receive them, 

 and a third party in dropping them into the holes, about six together. 

 All these men stand up to the ankles in water, for it is requisite that 

 rice should be kept constantly wet, or it would be spoiled ; but when 

 the rice is ripe, the fields are drained, so that the reapers, whose labors 

 commence about midsummer, work on dry ground. 



CHINESE HOG. 



CHINESE HOG. The Chinese is among the smaller varieties, 

 and without doubt is the parent stock of the best European and Ameri- 

 can swine. They necessarily vary in appearance, size, shape, arid 

 color, from the diversity in the style in breeding, and the various 

 regions from which they are derived. The animal is too small for 

 general use, and it requires to be mixed with larger breeds to produce 

 the most profitable carcase, especially for the market. For the pur- 

 pose of refining the coarse breeds, no animal has ever been so success- 

 ful as this. They are fine-boned, short, and very compact, with 



