The last three weeks of bright weather have been good for the farmers to garner in the wheat crop. The wheat yield has been largely a disappointment, on the whole a scanty harvest. The earth is very dry and the seed for the autumn harvest cannot be sown unless sufficient rain comes to soak the land.
Some weeks ago several districts were uneasy owing to bandits operating and having carried off some well-to-do citizens. One man is reported to have died in captivity. Another man, while being! guarded in an underground pit, took his guard unawares and was able to give an alarm that led to his rescue. In this case some of the bandits were captured, the hsien official himself helping to make the. capture. The bandits captured were beheaded while others took warning and have left the district quiet at least for a few weeks.
The Honan International Famine Relief Association has recently made it possible to begin some famine prevention work in three hsiens Chinyang, Wenhsien and Tsiyuan. Chinyang has used keveral thousand dollars on an irrigation ditch about 100 li long. The people, benefited by this ditch, hava given and work as well. A great part of the ditch is now completed and the fields are being irrigated from the Chin river with great saviefecdion: for thousands of people.
Wenhsien is working on part of the Yellow River dyke, some ten li in length. Two thousand dollars have been granted as a beginning and the scheme would require about another $8,000.
Tsiyuan hsien is opening a big irrigation ditch from the Chin river. The blasting in the foot hills is already finished and about $20,- 000 has now been spent: $1,000 more will be required to let the water out over the plain, where small ditches will enable the people to irrigate several hundred thousand acres. $3,000 has been granted for the completion of this work and more is promised if the work properly proceeded with.
During the past year in these three hsien many poor have needed assistance. Hence the above-mentioned schemes are not only giving relief now to thousands of hungry people but making it possible for them to prevent such famine conditions in the future.
Ping-sung (3% #9 #) and Wong San-zien (Eq sR). Let all live peacefully and carry on their business. Don't be alarmed or disturbed. Let all obey.
Yuan Hua-nan,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.