The famine regions of southern Chihli-and western -Shentung are suffering from past and present political and military unrest as well from the aftermath of fractional crops for several -years. This autumn the harvests were much "spotted," three tenths of a crop in arts of some counties, rather more than half a crop in a number of the twenty counties under review, and rts of a few with yields eoneerning which there was no complaint, Interropted communications and the {fear of allowing the few remaining animals and carts to get far from the home base are responsible for'a rather low market price everywhere for most of the staple foodstuffs, This also applies to cotton of -which there has been a fair yield. Re-Presentatives from a score of counties have recently held an agriculture al conference at Hsiachinhsien, Mr. Outerbridge, Agricultural Secretary, for the International Famine Relief Commission, and other relief workers being present. Much is hoped for from the introdgetion of Jdrought-resisting seed. However, fear is expressed that the farmers /may not realize just how to cultivate this seed, and a number of small experiment stations are recommend Silver Only Needed The silver dollar reigns. Bank notes and bills of all kinds are looked at of late through an interrogation mark. The military fractional currency is used with the utmost difficulty, and largely because the merchants are forced to take it. The public has been caught 0 often that no wonder they prefer the bulky silver dollar to doubtful jeurrency of the paper variety, Some contrast to the time some years ago, when the dollar was new, and the only way the writer could feet rid of his dollars in an inland town was to permit them to be chopped up and weighed as silver.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.