Farmers of forty centuries; or, Permanent agriculture in China, Korea and Japan . , nor as well as we could have done with a two-handled Oliveror John Deere, but it was better than the old man had expectedand won his respect. This plough had a good steel point, as a separate, blunt, V-shaped piece, and a mouldboard of cast steel with a good twistwhich turned the soil well. The standard and sole were of woodand at the end of the beam was a block for gauging the depth offurrow. The cost of this plough, to the farmer, was $, gold, and CHINESE PLOUGH 199 when the days work is done it is taken
Farmers of forty centuries; or, Permanent agriculture in China, Korea and Japan . , nor as well as we could have done with a two-handled Oliveror John Deere, but it was better than the old man had expectedand won his respect. This plough had a good steel point, as a separate, blunt, V-shaped piece, and a mouldboard of cast steel with a good twistwhich turned the soil well. The standard and sole were of woodand at the end of the beam was a block for gauging the depth offurrow. The cost of this plough, to the farmer, was $, gold, and CHINESE PLOUGH 199 when the days work is done it is taken home on the shoulders,even though the distance may be a mile or more, and carefullyhoused. Chinese tradition states that the plough was invented byShennung, who lived 2837-2697 and taught the art of agri-culture and the medical use of herbs. He is honoured as the Godof Agriculture and Medicine. Through my interpreter we learned that there were twelve inthe mans family, maintained on 15 mow of land, or 2-5 acres,together with his team, consisting of a cow and small Fig. 106. - A Shantung plough, simple but effective. besides two pigs. This is at the rate of 192 people, 16 cows, 16donkeys and 32 pigs on a 40-acre farm; and of a population densityequivalent to 3,072 people, 256 cows, 256 donkeys and 512 swineper square mile of cultivated field. On another small holding we talked with the farmer standing atthe well in Fig. 23, where he was irrigating a little piece of barley30 feet wide and 138 feet long. He owned and was cultivating butIf acres of land, and yet there were ten in his family and he keptone donkey and usually one pig. Here is a maintenance capacityat the rate of 240 people, 24 donkeys and 24 pigs on a 40-acre 200 IN THE SHANTUNG PROVINCE farm; and a population density of 3,840 people, 384 donkeys and384 pigs per square mile. His usual annual sales in good seasonswere equivalent-in value to $73, gold. In both these cases the crops grown were wheat, barle
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
