Whether anything can be done for the farmers surrounding Shanghai Who are likely to suffer from the prolonged absence of rain, as 8 Fesult of which the country is badly tying up, remains to be seen, though at frst blush it would seem that the task of caring for them would be larger than the writer of the letter in to-day's correspondence columns would appear to realize, The difficulty which immediately presents itself is to decide how far such a fund could be applied, if stantial sum could' be for those close to. town' would inevitably lead to @ plea for assist ance from more distantly situated, and it would be sy to decide the limit ich help should stop. Ped trians who take their exercise in the country bring in tales which" normally "contain 0 four or even tive feet of water, being, Feduced either to complete dryness, or to nothing more than the merest trickle, The chances of—Irrigation have consequently been reduced almost to nothing except along. those creeks where water may be always expected despite the state of the weather. Even there considerable labour is required to tift the water on to the fields and the outlook for the farmer generally may be considered poor. Whether the typhoon' which is reported by Siccawei will come close enough 10 this part of China' to" give it the benefit of the rains which usually accompany such disturbances remains to be seen, and ther sequently a possibility that monetary. assistances will oe required. for the Jocal farmers to carry them ver until better and wetter times,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.