Prom Our Own Correspondent, Mukden, March 2 The money market has*been much inflated of late and a great demand for silver in Shanghai, owing, it is said, to the need of purchasing goods for import. As beans mean the money of Manchuria the greatest source of imports will be that to which the beans go. Hen li small wonder that the yen is at a very high price. The rouble, which has been very low, owing to lack of trade through Vladivostok and to the fact that gold could not be obtained on demand, jumped up with a rush a week ago, as there was strong buying in Tientsin, sing some wild speculations, but it is down somewhat again.
The political situation is quiet and peaceful and, outwardly, at any rate, no concern is felt about affairs in southwest China Two very pretty aeroplanes hovered over this city at various times last week, with white wings and the flag of the Rising Sun beneath, they looked very graceful in the sunlight and against the blue sky, As, however, this is the season for flying huge kites, often of grotesque shapes, the new arrivals caused but little excitement. Indeed it is hard to believe that this is the same people who, not so many years ago, would not allow a telegraph wire to pass over the city.
The weather which was unusually mild up to the end of January, is now very cold indeed. Farmers, expecting an early break-up, had gone ahead early and rushed out their manures into heaps on thei land, in readiness for the Apri sowings. It is not generally known how scientific the Manchurian farmer is with regard to his fertilizers. The custom is to gather everything in this line all through the winter and early spring, and then, when all is well thawed and a little heat started, the materials are all made into solid heaps and at once sealed in with a heavy coating of earth, moistened and made air-tight. TI is left thus for months, until late autumn, and then it is opened and all turned and mixed together and heaped again ready for future use. The nitrates, ammonia, phosphates ete, are all saved and nothing wasted as it would be if the heating process took place in the open.
The unfortunate town of Hsin-min fu is expecting further trouble, when the thaw sets, in, as vast bodies of frozen water are waiting! to be released and to rush down on this ill-fated areca. Very many of its more able-bodied farmers, (and this holds good of the great Liao plain) have emigrated to the northern provinces, leaving the wastrels and less physically fit to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.