Chap. XVI. 
WASTE LANDS. 
279 
in China, have religious scruples as to using such 
animals for food. 
It has been frequently repeated, by writers on 
Japan, that “ hardly a foot of ground, to the very 
tops of the mountains, is left uncultivated.” I 
have already shown in a previous chapter that 
such is not the case ; that thousands of acres of 
fertile land are lying uncultivated, and covered 
with trees planted by nature, and brushwood, of 
little value. One naturally asks why these lands, 
which are capable of cultivation, should he allowed 
to lie in this unproductive condition. Is it because 
there is more than enough to supply the wants of 
a people that, for ages past, have been shut out 
from the rest of the world, and have therefore, 
while they have not contributed to the wants of 
others, been accustomed to rely entirely upon 
themselves for food and clothing ? * 
I cannot conclude this description of Japanese 
agriculture without noticing the remarkable con- 
nection which exists between the climate and the 
productions of the country, and how well they are 
suited to each other. The rainy season does not 
come on until the dry winter and spring crops are 
ripe, and ready to be harvested. When the rice- 
planting begins, and when the cuttings of the 
sweet potato are being put out, the air becomes 
loaded with moisture, and the rain comes down in 
* The land in question is suitable for the dry crops only— not rice- 
land. Rice in considerable quantities is brought from the Loo-choo 
islands to Nipon. 
