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lasting 7 ; yet with all our wise provision for the 

 future, how far are we now behind the Japanese, 

 who seem -to calculate always upon the next harvest 

 only ! As they manure for each fresh crop and 

 the term f fallow' in our acceptation is entirely 

 unknown to them they are forced to distribute 

 their yearly production of manure equally over the 

 entire area of their land, which can be accomplished 

 only by sowing in drills or furrows, and by top- 

 dressing. 



The contrast between this rational system, and 

 the profuse application of our long straw manure 

 over the entire field, is truly glaring. 



I may also add here that manure in Japanese 

 towns is never artificially converted into guano 

 or poudrette, but is sent every night and morning 

 in its natural form into the country around, 

 to return after a time in the shape of beans or 

 turnips. Thousands of boats may be seen early 

 every morning laden with high heaps of buckets 

 full of the precious stuff, which are carried from 

 the canals in the cities to the country. These boats 

 come and go with the regularity of the post ; it 

 must be admitted, however, that it is a species of 

 martyrdom to be the conductor of a mail-boat of 

 this kind. In the evening, long lines of coolies are 

 seen on the road, who, having carried the produce 

 of the country to the town in the morning, return 

 each with two buckets of manure, not in a solid, 



