164 HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE. Part I. 



their hands small wooden rakes to pick up the dung of animals, and offals of any kind, that may answer 

 the purpose of manure: this is mixed sparingly with a portion of stiff loomy earth, and formed into 

 cakes, dried afterwards in the sun. It sometimes becomes an object of commerce, and is sold to farmers, 

 who never employ it in a compact state. Their first care is to construct very large cisterns for containing, 

 besides those cakes, and dung of every kind, all sorts of vegetable matter, as leaves, or roots, or stems of 

 plants ; mud from the canals, and oHiils of animals, even to the shavings collected by barbers. With all 

 these they mix as much animal water as can be collected, or of common water, as can dilute the whole ; 

 and, in this state, generally in the act of putrid fermentation, they apply it to the ploughed earth. In 

 various part^ of a farm, and near the paths and roads, large earthen vessels are buried to the edge in the 

 ground for the accommodation of the labourer or passenger who may have occasion to use them. In 

 small retiring-houses, built also upon the brink of the roads, and in the neighborhood of villages, reser- 

 voirs are constructed of compact materials, to prevent the absorption of whatever they receive, and straw 

 is carefully thrown over the surface from time to time, to prevent evaporation. Such a value is set upon 

 the principal ingiedient, called ta-feu, for manure, that the oldest and most helpless persons are not 

 deemed wholy useless to the family by which they are supported. The quantity of manure ccHlected by all 

 means is still inadequate to the demand. 



992. Vegetable or wood ashes, according to Livingstone, are esteemed the very best 

 manure by the Chinese. The weeds which were separated from the land by the harrow, 

 with what they otherwise are able to collect, are carefully burnt, and the ashes 

 spread. Tlie part of the field where this has been done is easily perceived by tlic most 

 careless observer. Indeed the vigor of the productions of those parts of their land 

 where the ashes have been applied is evident, as long as the crop continues on the 

 ground. The ashes of burnt vegetables are also mixed with a great variety of other 

 matters in forming the compositions which are spread on the fields, or applied to indi- 

 vidual plants. 



993. The plaster of old kitchens is much esteemed as a manure ; so that a farmer will replaster a cook- 

 house for the old plaster, that he may employ it to fertilize his fields. 



994. Of night-soil (ta-feu\ the Chinese have a high notion : and its collection and formation into cakes, 

 by means of a little clay, clay and lime, or similar substances, gives employment to a great number of indi- 

 viduals. They transport these cakes to a great distance. This manure in its recent state is applied to the 



. roots of cauliflowers, cabbages, and similar plants, with the greatest advantage. 



995. Tlie dung ami urine qf all animals is collected with great care; they are used both mixed and 

 separately. The mixture is less valuable than the dung, and this for general purposes is the better, the 

 oraer it is. Horns and bones reduced to powder, the cakes left after expressing several oils, such as 

 of the ground-nut, hemp-seed, and the like, rank also as manures. Small crabs, the feathers of fowls 

 and ducks, soot, the sweepings of streets, and the stagnant contents of common sewers, are often 

 thought suificiently valuable to be taken to a great distance, especially when water carriage can be 

 obtained. 



996. Lime is employed chiefly for the purpose of destroying insects ; but the Chinese are also aware of 

 its fertilizing properties. 



997. The Chinese often manure the plant rather than the soil. The nature of the climate in the 

 southern part of the empire seems to justify fully this very laborious but economical practice. Rain com- 

 monly falls in such quantities and force as to wash away all the soluble part of the soil, and the manure 

 on which its fertility is supposed to depend ; and this often appears to be so effectually done, that nothing 

 meets the eye but sand and small stones. It is therefore proper that the Chinese husbandman should 

 reserve the necessary nourishment of the plant to be applied at the proper time. For this purpose reser- 

 voirs of the requisite dimensions are constructed at the corner of every field, or other convenient places. 



998. With the seed or young jylant its proper manure is invariably applied. It is then 

 carefully watered in dry weather night and morning, very often with the black stagnant 

 contents of the common sewer ; as the plants advance in growth the manure is changed 

 in some instances more than once, till their advance towards maturity makes any further 

 application unnecessary. 



999. The public retiring-houses are described by Dr. Abel, as rather constructed for 

 exposure than concealment, being merely open sheds with a railway, over the reservoir. 



1000. The mixture of soils is said to be a common practice as a substitute for manure : 

 " they are constantly changing earth from one piece of ground to another ; mixing sand 

 with that which appears to be too adhesive, and loam where the soil appears to be too 

 loose, &c." 



1001. The terrace cultivation is mentioned by Du Halde and others, as carried to great 

 perfection in China ; but the observations of subsequent travellers seem to render this 

 doubtful. Lord Amherst's embassy passed through a hilly and mountainous country for 

 many weeks together : but Dr. Abel, who looked eagerly for examples of that systein of 

 cultivation, saw none that answered to the description given by authors. Du Halde' s 

 description, he says, may apply to some particular cases ; but the instances which he ob- 

 served lead him to conclude that terrace cultivation is in a great measure confined to their 

 ravines, undulations, and gentlest declivities. 



1002. Rows, or drills, are almost always adopted in planting or sowing ; and for this pur- 

 pose the lands are laid flat, and not raised into ridges with intervening furrows. They 

 are said to be particular in having the direction of their rows from north to south, which 

 other circumstances being suitable is certainly a desirable practice. Before sowing, seeds 

 are generally kept in liquid manure till they germinate. Barrow frequently saw in the 

 province of Keang-see a woman drawing a light plough with a single handle (Jig. 156 a), 

 through ground previously prepared ; while a man held the plough with one hand, and 

 with the other cast the seed into the drills. 



1003. Forests of immense extent exist on the mountains of the western districts of 

 China, and abound in almost every species of tree known in Europe, and many others 

 unknown. Besides timber and fuel, these forests supply many valuable products as 



