Farmers of Forty Centuries; Or, Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea, and Japan

The author records a travel-based study of agricultural practices in China, Korea and Japan, describing how centuries of continuous cultivation are sustained by meticulous recycling of organic wastes, intensive small-plot husbandry, irrigation, canalization and field surface fitting. Chapters examine rice, silk and tea production, fuel and building materials, and local customs that shape labor and land use. Detailed observations emphasize composting, use of urban and human wastes, and other fertility-conserving measures, and conclude by drawing practical comparisons with Western methods and urging adoption of conservation principles rather than import-dependent fertility systems.