Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 37.djvu/845

Rh works constructed in pursuance, of them proved to be of great practical value.

The first emperor of the Ming dynasty, in 1360, gave orders to have the obstructed canals restored and reopened, so as to show that his first act was to think of the food and clothing of his people. When another flood occurred in the reign of Yung Lo, the work of repairing damages and providing permanently against future disaster was carried on day and night under the direction of the Minister of Finance, who mingled with the people and shared their labors. Under another emperor the very difficult and expensive works of what is called the "canal of multiple benefits" were completed, so as to furnish water to more than a million acres. The present dynasty, besides continuing the work of maintaining the canals, has published,-under the Emperor Kien Lung, in 1737, a grand encyclopaedia of agriculture and horticulture in seventy-eight volumes. The preparation of the work was intrusted to agriculturists and literati, who were careful to announce in the introduction that they had no intention of promulgating new ideas, but only to collate the most valuable methods and observations contained in the former works of the wise men of the empire. This cyclopædia is a store-house of valuable information concerning the utilization of water, and demonstrates the advance which the Chinese had made in extreme antiquity in that important branch of agriculture.

My country is essentially agricultural, and, in order that agriculture might prosper, we have applied ourselves, as you see, to give the land drink. The Emperor Yu, after he had delivered us from the flood, planned courses of water to flow over the land, as the Creator has furnished us with vein's carrying the blood through our bodies. Confucius, speaking of Yu, said that all his efforts could be summarized in the creation of the canals. They were the motive force of the empire, and also an effective means of diminishing the destructive action of torrents and avoiding inundations. These prosperous times have continued the model and the ideal of China. The successors of Yu, whenever they deviated from the road that he marked out, saw all their dynasties extinguished in consequence of disasters caused by their neglect. The people have contributed their part to the depreciation of the water system. They have set water-plants on the water-sides to strengthen the marshy soil and gain new tracts of land, whereby the fields have been enlarged at the expense of the canals, while the farmers have not taken heed of the contraction of the liquid arteries. Then, in time, the water, not having sufficient outlet, would overflow. Our efforts are now devoted to making such things impossible, and to preventing the canals being obstructed by the encroachments of the land.