| Show reaUMe I je c L LIsle e Isle s sM sR M R a i Type Typo of Cart Used In Sugar Cane Districts District t of Formosa Prepared by the National Geographic Society Washington D D. C. C One of ot the important of ot the slices of China taken by outside nations nations na nn- na- na but ono which t iere has been no mention of ot restoring Is the Island which the world know as ns Formosa but which the Japanese since they pained gained possession of ot It through ugh the Japanese ChIno war have named Taiwan Tai Tal- wan Ihla Formosa Formosa Beautiful Isle the Isle the early Portuguese voyagers c called It and never was a more appropriate name given to an Isle of at the sea If you care car to confirm this In one of ot several pleasant W ways S 'S soil sail along the te I west of coast ast- ast ot Formosa In a n tek pal or I bamboo raft on a clear day and you will witness a n pageant of ot mountain mountain mountain moun moun- tain scenery that will haunt the memory memory memory mem mem- ory for many a day Beyond the fertile plain with Its emerald paddy fields and Its picturesque picturesque esque little villages mages dotted here and there on the banks of ot meandering streams foothills with unending variations varia varIn- dons Hons of at contour silhouette their tree- tree fringed summits against the pa paler r screen en of more distant mountains Of th these se sometimes five and sometimes even en six parallel ranges are visible at once each a separate ribbon of ot color shading from flom the deepest sapphire to the tha D palest lest azure and extending In 11 nv an unbroken chain of at beauty ben ty from north nort north to tp 1 south i On the east epst of ot th the thu Island you can see the highest cliffs clift's l known own at some places rising abruptly to an elevation elevation ele ele- atlon of ot about feet teet and affording affording afford afford- ing an en Impregnable wall watt of ot defense to the wild aboriginal nal tribes living In the mountains back of nt them All Kinds of Vegetation Formosan Scenery scenery I Is Is unusual unus n Jn fn its diversity o of Vegetation wIthin such narrow i confines the confines the greatest length of ot the tho Island from nort north to south Bout Is abo about t miles mUes and SO 80 miles is its greatest width From the palms and tropical fruit trees of ot the tho western plain It Is Is only a short shott step t to the slopes S of ot th the lower mountains with wIth th their lr exuberant nt jun Jungles les of various growths the growths the bearded b beard beard- ed cd banyans the graceful graceful tree terns ferns which In sh sheltered t red nooks lOoks attain the height of palms and the ubiquitous bamboo grass Here among strung moss-strung trees is found growl growing the beautiful beautiful butterfly orchid while In e exposed spaces nestling nes nes- tHug among the rocks rose pink azaleas flaunt their gay a blooms A little higher high hIgh- er are plateaus co covered r d with camphor the largest hugest tracts ts of at these valuable valuable able trees In the w world w while l still higher grow the forests of ot coniferous the trpe trees the trees the giant similar to the redwoods of ot California the r ll largest est trees In the East and the second largest In the w.- w. id the valuable or cypress and the he t e pine cedar and anal spruce of ot the New Nev England n land states and hl higher her yet et the Craggy rl J Y peaks peaks ks of ot the tallest mountains jut nt sparsely sl covered ered with WWI vegetation lon I of ut an any sort t where eagles engles build their nests t ar which ch for the greater grenter part of at the year yar ar lie beneath a mantle of The U Ual al approach ch to the Island Is Ie he port of Ot In the extreme e trem forth Almost any t time me one arrives h tt the rain will be found comIng coming coming com com- ing down lown In sheets obscuring the hill hill- created ted harbon Board a train for th the capital capi capt tal city which on most maps still stilt bears Its old Chinee name of at and In n about ten minutes will Wilt pass through h a long tunnel under a n mountain mountain moun moun- tain ridge e on the other sIde aide of ot which you w will 11 In nil all probability find the landscape Hooded flooded with sunshine Rain seems as us put oat of or place in this new v world as stars in the broad daylight Here and there the train passes the thelow low mud thatched dwelling of at some Chinese homesteader with n a pool of ot water by hy way of front yard where huge slate colored buffaloes take their noonday siesta Is a Fine City The distance of or 20 miles to Is covered cred In a little more than an hour and there the traveler Is sure to tobe tobe tobe be amazed at the westernized appearance appearance appear appear- ance of ot the city the city the broad streets the beautiful parks and the Imposing public pub puh- public lic lie buildings Only the gateways of the old wall watt which surrounded the ancient Chinese city remain looking is 18 out out of ot place ce In their rejuvenated jetting as the EgYPt Egyptian n obelisk In Cena Cen- Cen enal ul al a 1 p park rl Even ib e of at is IB unnaturally l tm un for a Q Chinese Chines city I 5 The Japanese insist upon two official am cial house cleanings a n year and as the they are x e.-x-e executed under undera a policeman's vigilant eye there there Is nothing slipshod In the undertaking All a mans man's chattels chattels chat chat- his lares Tares and pennies his wives and children even to his cherished opium pipe are heaped unceremoniously In front of his dwelling and tho work of ot scouring begins During the summer months presents Its b busiest face for It Is then that the tea season Is In full swing The colonnades of the tea If such an Imposing architectural term termas as colonnades can be fittingly app applied ed to such unImposing structures are aro with the staccato accents of ot chattering tea ten pickers These are generally young girls as ns old hands are too numb for the tho deft dett manipulation tion of the tea ten leaves Seated on low stools before wide wicker trays these eyed bright maids in their peacock-blue peacock smocks their front hair clipped In bangs and with witha a gay posy or two tuck In the braided braid braid- ed knots at nt the of ot their necks are In animated contrast to their rather drab surroundings Everywhere one sees coolIes packIng packIng packing pack- pack Ing the gayly flowered lined lead boxes that carry their sensitive freight of ot tea ten to America About nut 90 00 per cent of ot Formosa Oolong goes goos to the United States The pop population n on of ot Formosa Fl Is mainly mainly mainly main main- ly agricultural The cultivation of rice and more especially sugar cane Is' Is encouraged by the government and these are grown grow in to great quantities Monopoly in Camphor However itlie ithe most Interesting Indus Indus- Industry Industry try Is the production of camphor and It If Itcan can truly be said sad to be p peculiar to the island when It Is remembered that Formosa holds a pru practical m lop lyo lyoth th the the- Worlds World's market of ot this valuable drug I 1 Shortly after alter the Japanese came to For Formosa osa 25 25 y years rs ago So the camphor Industry be became ame a government monopoly monopoly oly Before that Rt h re e had been beena o a gr great t deal pf of Q ruthless waste both Inthe in inthe inthe the cutting down of ot trees and in ex extracting camphor from them At first th the Japanese too were careless eless c in this respect t for the supply of ot camphor trees seemed practically limitless ss but the great great Increase In the demand for f l the pl duct In late years years' has made scientific rl es sary Now Kow large larg tracts tracts' ci dt cf land ar are given o er over to the of cu cultivation I ot the c camphor laurel The oldest of ot of the these cultivated trees are Bre pow noir B some D e twenty years ears of age In Iu point of view of value few trees can cnn rival the Ole camphor An An average tree say say with a basal circumference of ot 12 feet will yield about 50 of camphor approximately f laGGO pounds which at ut the present market price 13 la worth several thousands of ot dollars Native stills grills ar are oro scattered here and andere were ere throughout te districts where crude camphor Is collected packed In tins Uns and C carried down precipitous mountain paths on coolies coolies' backs to the nearest nearest- railway line whence when e Ii it goes to the refinery at Ever since we have any authentic record Formosa has been peopled with wild tribes of ot probably Malayan and Polynesian origin They arg nearest In point of ot resemblance to the of Borneo and although their origin has hns never been proved pro beyond a doubt they arc are s sufficiently like certain of ot the South Sen Sea tribes to Justify us In ascribing as as- to them a common ancestry They rhey are found on the Island today In all nil stages staKes of ot development The raw savages as the Chinese term them live much as their ancestors did centuries ago ugo while white the ripe savages suy- suy ages 4 living on the between their wild kin and Chinese settlers have han more or less assimilated Chinese wa ways s 's of life Ute The savage population of or Formosa is estimated at about At present Formosa enjoys greater fre freedom dom from s savage sage age attacks than ever eyer before in her history This Is due to the fact that the Japanese have In Installed Installed Inv In- stalled a wire live-wire barrier from Karen ko shout about midway on the east coast const to Plum in In Inthe the south a n distance of ot about a hundred mites miles to serve as a protection against savage raids The future of at Formosa under its present benevolent paternal government govern goern ment looks bright Indeed M. M N Naver er h before before be be- fore tore has hns this Island so beautiful tithe ti tt the eye enjoyed such a degree o of pro prot pes-I pes parity t |
