the cost of producing rice "is now 40 yen per
_koku_." The accuracy of the figures on which the Ministry's estimates
are made is frequently called in question.

CULTIVATED AREA IN JAPAN AND GREAT BRITAIN [XVIII]. In 1919 there were
in Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the
Channel Islands) 15,808,000 acres of arable, 15,910,000 of pasture and
13,647,000 of grazing, or a total of 45,365,000 acres out of a total
area of 56,990,000 acres. In Japan there were 15,044,202 acres of
paddy and of cultivated upland, 46,958,000 acres of forest and
8,773,000 acres of waste; total 70,775,000, out of 90,880,000 acres.
The area of the United Kingdom without Ireland is 56,990,080 acres;
that of Japan Proper, 75,988,378 acres. The population of the United
Kingdom without Ireland (in 1911) was 41,126,000, and of Japan Proper
(in 1911) 51,435,000. (See also Appendix XXX.)

HUMAN LABOUR _v_. CATTLE POWER [XIX]. The Department of Agriculture
stated in 1921 that "from 200 to 300, sometimes more than 500 days'
labour [of one man] are required to grow a _cho_ of rice." The area of
paddy which is ploughed by horse or cattle power was 61.89 per cent.
The area of upland so cultivated was only 38.97 per cent. The "average
year's work of the ordinary adult farmer" was put at 200 days. The
Department estimated an average man's day's work (10 hours) as
follows:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Nature of Work | Tools used |Output by one
| | Man per Day
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| |hectare
Tillage of paddy |_Kuwa_ (mattock) | 0.06
" " " |_Fumi-guwa_ (heavy spade) | 0.1-0.15
Transplanting rice |Hand work | 0.07-0.1
Weeding |Sickle and weeding tools | 0.1
Cutting the rice crop |Sickle | 0.1-0.15
Mowing grass |Sickle (long handle) | 0.5
" " |Scythe | 0.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------

But I have never seen a scythe in use in Japan!

MANURE [XX]. The value of the manure used in Japan in a year has been
estimated at about 220 million yen, but for the three years ending
1916 it averaged 241 millio