DAHOMEY 246 DAIRY northward to the French Military Terri- tories. The long lagoon which, shut in from the ocean by a protecting bank of sand, affords an easy route along nearly the whole of this coast, extends in Da- homey, from its W. frontier almost to the Denham lagoon, in the E. About mid- way is the port of Whydah, whence a road extends inland to Abomey, a dis- tance of 65 miles. Dense forests and dis- mal swamps cover nearly two-thirds of this distance, but from the Great Swamp of Agrime vast undulating plains rise for many miles, in the direction of the Kong Mountains. The Avon and Denham la- goons receive the rivers of the country, none of which are very important. The soil is a rich, red-colored clay, and is extremely fertile. Groves of oil-palms encircle each town, and palm-oil is made in large quantities. Maize, beans, and peas, as well as cassava, yams, sweet po- tatoes, limes, oranges, pineapples, and other tropical fruits, grow in splendid luxuriance; cotton, sugar, and spices of all kinds are also grown, and sheep, goats, swine, and poultry are raised, thovigh not in large numbers. Cotton cloth is made, and weapons and tools are forged from native iron. The imports in 1918 amounted to 12,819,239 francs and the exports to 13,690,478 francs. The people are negroes, of the Ewe group, generally of small stature, but very robust and active. The Dahoman kingdom dates from the beginning of the 18th century, and reached its zenith under Gezo, who ruled from about 1818 to 1858. The Amazons (devoted to celi- bacy), who are distinguished for their bravery and ferocity, may perhaps be limited to 1,000. Fetich-worship prevails, taking the form of serpent- worship along the coast; a temple with over a hundred of these sacred snakes exists in Whydah. The king is the most absolute of despots. Wholesale murder is one of the chief features in religious and state cere- monies; but, acording to Sir Richard Burton, who visited Dahomey in 1863, the number of the victims has been greatly exaggerated, and they are principally foreign captives. Still, as many as 500 human victims have been sacrificed at one of the grand "customs" which take place every October. The revenue for- merly depended greatly upon the sale of slaves; but the vigilance of the cruisers employed to prevent the traffic has ruined the trade. Hence the monster slave- hunts which periodically took place are a thing of the past. In 1876 the coast of Dahomey was placed under a strict block- ade by Great Britain, on account of an outrage on a British subject, for which the King of Dahomey refused satisfac- tion. DAINGERFIELD, ELLIOTT, an American artist, born at Harper's Ferry, Va., in 1859. He was educated in the public schools and privately, studied art at the Art Students' League in New York, and first exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1880. After spending several years in Europe in the study of art, he became a public lecturer on art subjects and head of the Perma- nent Art School at Blowing Rock, N. C. He received medals at several expositions and numerous prizes for excellence in painting, was a member of the National Academy and of the Fine Arts Federa- tion, wrote monographs on George In- ness and R. A. Blakelock, and was a fre- quent contributor on art topics to news- papers and magazines, DAIBEN, or DALNY, a port on the peninsula of Liao-tung, Manchuria, about 19 miles N. of Port Arthur. The large harbor is ice-free and affords anchorage for ocean-going vessels. Considerable trade passes through it between Russia, Japan, and China, and the trade contin- ually increases. The Japanese occupied it in 1904 and it was included in the lease to Japan of the Liao-tung peninsula in 1904 (extended in 1915 to 99 years) be- coming in 1906 a free port. The port serves as the eastern terminus to the Si- berian Railway, and is connected by rail with Mukden, Harbin, and the East China railway system. Dalny is the cus- toms port for all leased territory, and the seat of the Japanese governor-general and administration. Imports (1918), 83,521,131 haikwan taels (tael=about $1.00) ; exports, 91,301,399 yen. During 1920 it figured in the Japanese operations against Russia. Pop. about 55,000. DAIRY, the department of a farm which is concerned with the production of milk and its manufacture into butter and cheese. As a rule, the soil and climate of a country, and the nearness of suitable markets, determine in a great measure the choice between tillage and dairy hus- bandry. For milk dairies cows that yield abundantly are selected, while for butter and cheese dairies the rich quality of the milk is the principal point. Regularity in feeding is very important, and the na- ture of the food given has a great effect on the quality of the milk. The younger the cow is the richer is her milk, and the second and third years, therefore, are generally the most profitable, both quan- tity and quality being taken into account. In general, after the seventh or eighth year it is not considered advisable to con- tinue the cow longer in milk, as her milk is fast deteriorating and she consumes more food than a young one. In the United States the cattle erf Ayr-
