Ancient Legend of the Transport of Seed to a Province Without Rice From Qur Own Correspondent, Mienchow, Sze., Aug. 26, The rice harvest has now begun and there has been an appreciable drop in price. In Yegard to th new rice I heard a story the other day, which may be new to some of. your reatlers. It is the custom that, when the new rice is gather ed and cooked, the first bowl is given to the dogs, and the practice seems general in this province at any rate.
The story goes that there was a time in the long past ages whet no rice was grown here and, in fact, they had no seed and could procure none. There was imported grain, but this had been roasted before despatch and so was no good for seed. Eventually, a dog went over to a rice producing district at the time of harvest and rolled himself in the newly threshed grain, which of course clung to and' embedded itself in his thick coat of fur. Then off he set for home again:
Unfortunately, he had to swine across a big river (presumably either the Yellow River or the Yangtze) and so the grain ' was washed away, but not entirely, for his tail had not been completely immersed and so, when he shook out his tail, out fell the unroasted precious seed, which, being planted, gradually produced all the seed necessary, as well as supplying food for his masters, So the dogs of to-duy eat the first bow! of new rice as a reward for the deed of their famous ancestor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.