Area of the Land under Cultivation and Crops Cultivated.— Though agriculture is con ducted very intensively, and especially in the warmer part of the country, terracing is .em ployed on an extended scale* on account of the predominant mountainous character of the country and on account of the method of farm ing which is based principally on rice cultiva tion. Mixed farming is almost entirely known except in the mountainous districts, and the percentage of the land under cultivation is therefore very small. Indeed with the excep tion of Hokkaido, which may be regarded as a colony, and where a large extent of land is not yet broken, and Formosa and Chosen, which were recently annexed, little more than 17 per cent may be taken as a fair estimate of the cultivated land. If we compare this percentage with 43 per cent for Belgium, 59 per cent for France, 49 per cent for Germany, or even 17 per cent for Switzerland, it will be seen how low is the percentage in Japan.
The following figures, according to recent statistics, will show how much agricultural land is under cultivation (excepting Hokkaido, For mosa and Chosen): Percentage of Cho* whole area Land under crops 5,205,163.4 17.0 Forests 13,903,801.7 59.5 Harat and grass land 1,950,582.0 1.5 • Cho 10 tan 2.5 acres.
used. Grass land for forage and for manure is but very little The land under cultivation is divided into (paddy fields) and (hate (dry-land fields), the former amounting to 2,857,509.1 cho and the latter to 2,347,554.3 cho. Paddy fields are almost entirely devoted to rice. But rice is not the only crop which is cutivated in ta, i for the climate in the larger part of the country is such that two crops a year can be obtained if the soil is sufficiently drained; indeed the recent government report shows that the area of ta under two crops is about 40 per cent. So called aaftercrope of rice consist now-a-days mainly of barleys, rape cultivation which for merly was extensively practised being now much decreased; and Gengeso or Rengeso (Astragalus siricus) cultivation, used as green manure, came gradually into use.
Dry-land fields are more variously culti vated. Their principal use is of course for the cultivation of food crops such as wheat, barley, upland rice, Indian corn, soybean, adzuld, Indian millets, buckwheat, sweet pota toes, potatoes, taro, radish (which is very dif ferent from the occidental radish, being much larger and longer), etc. Barley is mainly di vided into two varieties, naked and with husk, the former being suited especially for warmer districts and that with husk for colder parts, but as naked barley is easier to handle, its culti vation seems to increase more and more, sup planting common •barley. Common barley is much used as food for live stock and for other purposes, but its principal use is for human food; naked barley, on the other hand, being almost exclusively used for human food.
Industrial crops are cultivated with few ex ceptions, such as i (Juncus effusus) and Schichito i (Cyperus tegetiformis) in dry-land fields. Sugar-cane, cotton (which decreased from 55,541 cho in 1895 to 2,4022 cho in 1914. on account of the amount of cotton imported), tea plant, ai (Polygonum tinctorium), hemp, tobacco, paper mulberry, rape, sesamun, wax tree, ginseng, lacquer tree, peppermint are the principal industrial crops. The area of crops under cultivation and their productiveness in 1914, according to the government statistics (1916), are as follows: _ .
One of the most important crops, mulberry, was estimated in 1915 at 371,298 cho, and the number of lacquer trees at 918,092.
On dry-land fields, two crops may generally be taken and even three crops a year are not exceptional, especially in the warmer provinces. It may be remarked that most cereals can be, and indeed are,. generally cultivated year after year in succession without fallowing, not only on paddy fields, but also on dry-land fields. In deed rotation of crops is not much practised unless it is absolutely necessary with certain crops which will not bear cultivation succes sively. At present the area of fruit trees is fast mcreasing, among which may be mentioned milcan or Japanese oranges, pears, peaches, Kaki (Diosporya Kaki) apples, grapes, etc. Apples were introduced in the beginning of the Meiji era, and they are extensively cultivated, especially in the northeastern provinces and Hokkaido. Vegetables and flowers are much cultivated especially in the vicinity of towns and cities, but not within enclosure as in Europe, market gardens being all in open fields and not to be distinguished from common farms. There are special gardens. commonly within enclosures, where specialists called Wuyekiya (tree growers) raise ornamental trees and shrubs, flowers, special dwarf trees in pots, etc. These gardeners are distinguished from agriculturists.
Agricultural Implements.— Under so small and so intensive a farming it is no wonder that the implements used are so simple and so rude. The plow (Karasuki) aresembles in its commonest form that of Egypt, which is made and used to-day just as in the time of the Pharaohs?' This statement by Professor Rein is true, but it is also true that it can cut very deep, even a foot or more, and for making high ridges it is very serviceable. There are many kinds of plows but they are seldom used on dry-land fields, the reason being that the (between crops)) and (catch crops" make plow ing very difficult; and besides the common forms of plows are not suitable for use on dry land fields. Even on paddy fields plowing is not general, for there are yet many fields, especially in the northeastern provinces, which are undrained and covered with water the year around.