82 EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. 



to which their country is so much subject. And this profession is, no doubt, true, from the 

 specimens of beautiful workmanship that we saw in stone. We observed very extensive quar- 

 ries, close by Simoda, that must have been recently worked, and perhaps are still open. The 

 stone appears to be used for foundations, piers, &c. 



Where not occupied by woods, the slopes are mostly set in a tall, coarse, strong grass 

 (arundd), which was being cut during the winter and carefully made into bundles. No animal 

 could think of eating this; it is, however, of great value, being used in thatching. Avery 

 considerable business is carried on in furnishing the cities with this article. Many houses are 

 covered with tile, (and beautiful tile they have, too ;) but by far the larger portion are thatched. 

 It would be difficult to find a better material, and the thatching is very neatly executed. 



On the remaining slopes, many patches of bright-yellow flowers may be seen. These are 

 the blossoms of a kind of turnip, or cole, with either none or a very diminutive bulb at the root. 

 Small lots of it are also sometimes cultivated in the richer bottoms. It is grown for the sake 

 of its oil, expressed from the seeds, and this oil is used in lamps. The Japanese have can- 

 dles, but of inferior quality and in insufficient quantities ; and as, from their customs, they 

 require many lights, this plant is of great importance to them; insomuch that, when they 

 were requested to furnish the tops as a vegetable for the squadron, in a hygienic point of view, 

 they declined, upon the plea of its great necessity to themselves. 



Upon the uplands, extending back from the brow of the bluffs, I unfortunately had no means 

 of making observations. But, by those who went there, I was told that the same patches of 

 turnip or cole were noticed, and also fields of wheat. By the way, let it be remarked here, 

 that fields in Japan are very different things from what they are in America. They may 

 extend from a half or a whole acre up to several hundreds ; these latter, however, being made up 

 of any number of the former in juxtaposition. Each laborer, or family, seems to have a small 

 allotment, or holding, divided from those adjoining by only a furrow, or even an imaginary 

 line drawn from one landmark to another. These allotments are all very small, being from 

 a half up to one or two acres, apparently. 



While the climate was thus mild near the water, and the vegetation thus forward, the range 

 of mountains beyond the uplands was covered with snow, which, from time to time, came down 

 quite low towards the bay, but would speedily melt away. 



I had an opportunity of landing at only one of the villages or bottoms on this bay, and that 

 was adjoining the treaty-house, Yokubama, about ten miles below the city of Yedo. The soil 

 was a beautiful black mould, with some clay and gravel intermixed. It was in a high state of 

 tillage, and had upon it principally cereal crops, with some cole or turnips, and other vegetables. 

 The young wheat here was more thrifty and luxuriant than I saw anywhere else, or perhaps 

 than I ever saw before. Like the other crops, it was drilled? The distance between the rows 

 was about twelve inches. It had been recently worked with hoes or rakes, though I saw no 

 rakes in the country, and probably also recently manured with liquid manure, or guile. The 

 earth was light and well pulverized, and drawn towards the plants into small ridges. As 

 already stated, the plants were in the most flourishing and vigorous growth. This lot of wheat 

 (and the cole) was the only one I saw thus cultivated in Japan. The liquid manure is very 

 conveniently situated for distribution, being held in vats or pits, dug at suitable intervals on 

 the sides of paths and roads. These are sections of a tolerably wide and deep ditch, and are 

 covered by light thatched roofs, which exclude too much heat and restrain excessive evaporation. 



Upon our arrival at Simoda, in April, (where most of my observations were made,) the wheat 



