I. 



' Nihil est agricultura melius, nihil uberius, nihil dulcius, nihil homine libero 

 dignius." — Cic. de Off., lib. I. 



AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. AGRICULTURAL 

 INDUSTRIES. 



I. Japanese Agriculture in General. 



Possession and Taxation. — Area and Division of Ctdtivated Lands. 

 — Climate and Soil. — Efforts of the Government to elevate 

 Agriculture. — TJie Kaitakushi^ or Colonial- office. — Fertilization 

 and Preparation of the Soil. — Terrace-culture. — Planting in 

 Rows. 



In contrast with the nomadic races of Central Asia, the inhabit- 

 ants of the monsoon region have for thousands of years been tied 

 to the soil. They are intensely devoted to agriculture, especially in 

 China and Japan. Little opportunity is left in these countries for 

 cattle-raising ; and since meadows and pastures are wanting, milk, 

 butter, and cheese — the principal food of the nomadic Mongolian 

 peoples — were unknown to the Chinese and Japanese. Eggs, and 

 the products of fishing and the chase, play a far more important 

 role than the flesh of domestic animals, which is not eaten by many 

 millions. Since sheep were but seldom found in China, and not at all 

 in Corea or Japan, wool was formerly of small consideration in the 

 matter of clothing. Hemp and cotton goods, and silk among the 

 rich, especially in the winter, are the stuffs with which the popu- 

 lation is clothed. 



In the countries of Chinese civilization, the dwelling is a more or 

 less solid house, built of wood or bamboo-cane, and roofed with 

 straw, shingles, or tiles. It is airy and pleasant in summer, but 

 less comfortable in winter, when the occupants exercise their skill 

 in protecting themselves against cold by the increased quantity and 

 better selection of their clothing, rather than by solid walls and 

 suitable heating apparatus. In internal arrangement, the dwellings 

 of the Chinese, Japanese, and Coreans differ very considerably 

 from one another. Common to them all, however, is the use of 

 bark-paper for window-panes. From the reports of travellers in 

 Central Asia, it appears that there too, as in the monsoon region, 

 glass panes are not used, but that the paper pane over the window 



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