Cuar. XVI.]J SUMMER CROPS. 303 
assuine a yellow ripening hue, when the water being 
no longer required, it is turned back into its natural 
channel, or led to a different part of the hill, for 
the nourishment of other crops. These mountain 
streams, which abound in all parts of the hilly dis- 
tricts, are of the greatest importance to the farmer; 
and as they generally spring from a high elevation 
in the ravines, they can be conducted at pleasure 
over all the lower parts of the hills. No operation 
in agriculture gives him and his labourers more 
pleasure than leading these streams of water from 
one place to another and making them subservient 
to their purposes. In my travels in the country the 
inhabitants often called my attention to this branch 
of their operations, and I pleased them much when 
I expressed my admiration at the skill with which 
they executed it. The practice is not confined to 
the paddy fields ; for 1 remember once, when su- 
perintending the planting of some large trees and 
shrubs in the garden of Messrs. Dent & Co. in 
Hong-kong, after I had given them a large supply of 
water at the time they were put into the ground, I 
desired the gardener to repeat the dose next morn- 
ing. But, on the following day, when I returned to 
the spot I was surprised to find a little stream di- 
vided into many branches, and meandering amongst 
the roots of the newly planted trees. As there 
was no stream there before, I went up to examine 
its source, and found that it had been led from a 
neighbouring ravine; a work more easy than car- 
rying a large supply of water in buckets, and at 
the same time more effectual. 
