and Eternal
Rice Field.

There are several thousand _cho_ in the vicinity of Tokyo where, owing
to the low temperature of the marshy soil, the seed is sown direct in
the paddies, not broadcast but at regular intervals and in thrice or
four times the normal quantities.

RATE OF PLANTING [XXII]. I have been told that an adult who has the
seedlings brought to his or her hand can stick in a thousand an hour.
The early varieties may be set in clumps of seven or eight plants;
middle-growth sorts may contain from five to six; the latest kind may
include only three or four. The number of clumps planted may be 42 per
_tsubo_, which, as a _tsubo_ is nearly four square yards, is about ten
per square yard. The clumps are put in their places by being pushed
into the mud. A straight line is kept by means of a rope. The success
of the crop depends in no small degree on skilful planting.

HOW MUCH RICE DOES A JAPANESE EAT? [XXIII]. The daily consumption of
rice per head, counting young and old, is nearly 3 _go_. (A _go_ is
roughly a third of a pint.) A sturdy labourer will consume at least 5
_go_ in a day, and sometimes 7 or even 10 _go_. The allowance for
soldiers is 6 _go_. These quantities represent the rice uncooked. In
recent years more and more rice has been eaten by those who formerly
ate barley or mainly barley. And some who once ate a good deal of
millet and _hiye_ are now eating a certain amount of rice. The
average annual consumption per head of the Japanese population (Korea
and Formosa excluded from the calculation) was: 1888-93, 948 _go_;
1908-13, 1,037 _go_; 1913-18, 1,050 _go_. The averages of 25 years
(1888-1912) were: production, 42,756,584 _koku_; consumption,
44,410,725 _koku_; deficit, 1,984,970 _koku_; population, 45,140,094;
per head, 0.980 _koku_. In 1921 the Department of Agriculture,
estimating a population of 55,960,000 (see Appendix XXX) and an annual
consumption per head of 1.1 _koku_ per year, put the national
consumption for a year at about 61,550,000 _koku_. See also Appendix
XXVI.

IMPORTED AND EXPORTED RICE [XXIV]. "Good rice" is imported from Korea
and Formosa. The objection is to "Rangoon" rice. But most of the
imported rice does not come from Rangoon but from Saigon. The figures
for 1919 were in yen: China, 283,011; British India, 1,012,979;
Kwantung, 15,053,977; Siam, 29,367,430; French Indo-China,
116,313,525; other countries, 39,918; total, 162,070,840. The exports
in 1919 were in yen