the low countries o f China, in their préfent ftate, are fubjcct,
may perhaps hâve driven them, in certain fituations, to the
neceflity o f levelling the fides o f mountains into a fuccelfion o f
terraces ; a mode o f cultivation frequently taken notice o f by
the miffionaries as unexampled in Europe and peculiar to the
Chinefe ; whereas it is common in many parts o f Europe. The
mountains o f the Pays de Vaud, between Lanfanne and Vevay,
are cultivated in this manner to their fummits with vines'.
“ This would have been impracticable,” fays DoCtor Moore,
“ on account o f the fteepnefs, had not the proprietors built
“ ftrong ftone walls at proper intervals, one above the other,
“ which fupport tne foil, and from little terraces form the botr
“ tom to the top o f the mountains.” But this, method o f teiv
racing the hills is not to be coniidered, by any means, as a common
praCtice in China. In our direCt route it occurred only
twice,' and then on -fo fmal.l a fcale as hardly to deferve notice.
The whole territorial right being veiled in the fovereign, the
wafte lands o f courfe belong to the crown ; but any perfon, by
giving notice to the proper magiftrate, may obtain a property
therein, fo long as he continues to pay fuch portion o f the efti-
mated produce as is required to be collected into the public magazines.
When I faid that the Chinefe might claim a confiderablefhare
o f merit as horticulturifts, I meant to confine the obfervation to
their ikitl and induftry o f railing the greateft poifible quantity
o f vëgetables from a given piece o f ground. O f the modes
praCtifed in Europe o f improving the quality o f fruit, they feem
to have no juft notion. Their oranges are naturally good and
require
require no artificial means o f improvement, but the European
fruits, as apples, pears, plums, peaches and apricots are o f indifferent
quality. They have a common methodof propagating feveral
kinds o f fru’t-trees, which o f late years has been praCtifed with
fuccefs in Bengal. The method is limply this : they ftrip a ring
o f bark, about an inch in width, from a bearing branch, fur-
round the place with a ball o f fat earth or loam bound fall to
the branch with a piece of matting; over this they fufpend a pot
or horn with water having a fmall hole in the bottom juft fuf-
ficient to let the water drop, in order to keep the earth conftant-
ly moift ; the branch throws new roots into the earth juft above
the place where the ring was ftripped off; the operation is performed
in the fpring, and the branch is fawn o lf and put into
the ground at the fall o f the leaf; the following year it bears
fruit. T h e y have no method o f forcing vegetables by artificial
heat, or by excluding the cold air and admitting, at the fame
time, the rays o f the fun through glafs. Their chief merit con-
fifts in preparing the foil, working it incelfantly, and keeping it
free o f weeds.
Upon the whole, i f I might venture to offer an opinion with
refpeCt to the merit o f the Chinefe as agriculturifts, I fhould not
hefitate to fay that, let as much ground be given to one o f their
peafants as he and his family can work with the fpade, and he
vyill turn that piece o f ground to more advantage, - and produce
from it more fuftenance for the ufe o f man, than any European
whatfoever would be able to d o ; but,- let fifty or one hundred
acres o f the bell land in China be given to a farmer, at a mean
rent, fo far from making out o f it the value o f three rents, on
4 D which •