but approximately 10,185,500 tons of green herbage grown and gathered from the hills contributes much of its organic matter and all of its ash to enrich the cultivated fields. Such wild growth areas in Japan are the commons of the near by villages, to which the people are freely admitted for the purpose of cutting the herbage. A fixed time may be set for cutting and a limit placed upon the amount which may be carried away, which is done in the manner seen in Fig. 115. It is well recognized by the people that this constant cutting and removal of growth from the hill lands, with no return, depletes the soils and reduces the amount of green herbage they are able to secure.
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Fig. 115.— Father and children returning from genya lands with herbage for use as green manure or for making compost. The daughter carries the tea kettle to supply their safe, sanitary drink.
Through the kindness of Dr. Daikuhara of the Imperial
Agricultural Experiment Station at Tokyo we are able to
