Another advantage of opium over hemp seed is the shorter growing season, Poppies require but 100 days to mature and local bankers _are more willing to finance an opium crop, both because of its rapid growth. and because of its ready market. All all, it is not diMeult to understand why agricultural crops have been re-Tegated to the less desirable lands and why some writers have even said that Suiyuan has mo agriculture all Turning (o the subject of smoking, Mr. Fong says that the consumption fof opium in the province is universal (He uses the same expression in Chinese which we would use for: universal education in the West). Rich families smoke as they tradi. tionally did." The only change in the last ton years is the great majority of coolies who have contracted the habit, In the course of his journey; Mr. Fang noticed many coolles who were too poor to buy shoes, but who frequented opium dens. A'coolic In that province earns from 20 to 30 cents a day, but fortunately his food costs only 10 cents a day, the rest Usually going for opium or clgar-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.