56 CULTIVATED VALLEYS. Chap. III. 
and having leaves of a fine dark-green colour. 
They are imbricated, or overlap each other on the 
stems, and look almost as if they had been plaited. 
Beneath they are of a silvery hne, which gives 
them a somewhat remarkable appearance when 
blown about by the wind. We could observe some 
bunches of seeds on some of the higher branches. 
These were not very easily reached; but both 
Tomi and I being good climbers, we pulled off our 
shoes and mounted the trees, much to the astonish- 
ment of our good friend the priest, who stood 
quietly looking on at our proceedings. 
The afternoon was far advanced before we had 
completed our researches in the vicinity of To- 
rin-gee, and therefore, bidding adieu to the priest 
and priestess, we took our departure, choosing on 
our homeward journey, a different road from that 
by which we came. As this road led us through a 
number of highly-cultivated valleys, I noted the 
state of the crops. The low rice-lands were now 
covered with that grain, yellow, and nearly ready 
for the sickle. On all the higher lands the young 
wheat and barley crops were now (Nov. 10th) 
above-ground. The seed is not sown broadcast as 
w.th us, but in rows two feet three inches apart. 
It is dropped in the drills by the hand, in patches, 
each containing from twenty-five to thirty grains 
of seed, and about a foot from each other in the 
dnll The land is particularly clean, and the 
whole cultivation resembles more that of a garden 
than of a farm. 
