Chowtsun, Oct, 14.
Plentiful rains have fallen during this week, after a dry interval of nearly two months. Last week thick dust Was on the ground, flies and mosquitoes abounded, and summer clothes were still being worn. Now after the rain, it is cold and damp, but the spring wheat is coming up wonderfully.
Two months ago the beans promised, well and showed tall stalks and plenty of leaves, The ensuing drought prevented the bean pods from filling out, so the harvest was only a moderate one. However, taking the year as a whole, farmers have little of which {o complain, save perhaps the cost of maintaining the irregular and guerilla troops. Districts vary a good deal in the methods by which support of these forces is secured. In some there is strict supervision, and excellent order is maintained. In others conditions [are much less satisfactory, and occational factional collisions occur amongst the troops themselves. The area under cotton is less this year, &nd rumour has it that still less land will be used for this purpose (next year.
On the Shantung Railway, trains [are running regularly and keeping pretty good time. The results of interference at night with some of the [rolling stock, can be seen by the day traveller. Coloured posters have been put up exhorting the people to care ior the track. Between Changtien and Poshan many of these posters were noticed recently.
A slight local disturbance caused our gates to be shut for about four days, but they were opened again on the 12th instant. I saw a number of beggar children vainly waiting one morning for admittance. The number of beggars continues to increase and so does their difficulty in getting food. Various kinds of relief work are in operation in this area, and more are planned for the winter months.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.