POPULOUS AND BEAUTIFUL SZECHUAN 
TALL 
ae 
Photo by Rollin T. Chamberlin 
WHEELING THE PRODUCE OF THE FIELDS INTO CHENGTU 
“We passed an almost continuous procession of half-naked, perspiring men, pushing sacks 
of grain on wheelbarrows toward Chengtu. Other wheelbarrows were loaded with large cakes 
of coke from the mines and coke-ovens along the Min River, near Kuan Hsien” (p. 1109). 
tain side is truly impressive, and sets 
forth in a vivid way the almost worship- 
ful reverence which the Chinese entertain 
for those whose labors have conferred 
lasting benefits on the community. We 
remember no finer temple in all China. 
ONE OF THE MOST PRODUCTIVE REGIONS 
IN THE WORLD 
With rich soil, thus splendidly watered, 
and a mild climate, the Chengtu plain is 
made to yield as many as three or even, 
by special handling, four or five crops a 
year Rice is the staple summer crop 
and is, of course, grown in flooded fields. 
It is preceded by the poppy and the rape 
flower, which thrive in March and April, 
and followed in the fall by wheat, maize, 
barley, and buckwheat. Peas and beans 
are grown at various seasons of the year 
and are often planted between the rows 
or hills of other crops, especially wheat. 
This is partly to economize space, but 
also because the Chinaman fully appreci- 
ates what a benefit the cereal derives 
from the legume. In those fields where 
beans were grown amid the wheat, the 
latter almost always appeared much 
thriftier than in the fields where it was 
grown alone. 
When a Chinese farmer was asked 
why he planted the beans in with the 
wheat he responded, “Because it im- 
proves the crops.’ Upon inquiring as to 
which crop, beans or wheat, was im- 
proved by the combination, his answer 
was, “Both.” It may be that the Chinese 
farmer was right, and that the legume 
derives specific benefit from the cereal, 
as well as the cereal from the legume, for 
the Chinese have been experimenting for 
many centuries, being keen observers. 
