A similar confusion arises in connection with the great festival of the “autumn full moon,” in which certain grasses also figured. By the lunar calendar it fell about the 15th day of the 8th month, which never comes in the Western 8th month, August. It came in 1902 on September 18; and 1903 it will not come until early in October! It may now be readily seen how difficult it is in Japan to run on schedule time!
But, taking all these difficulties into consideration, and harmonizing them so far as possible, we have been able to construct the following modern Japanese floral calendar:—
| January | Pine. |
| February | Plum. |
| March | Peach. |
| April | Cherry. |
| May | Wistaria. |
| June | Iris. |
| July | Morning-glory. |
| August | Lotus. |
| September | “Seven Grasses.” |
| October | Chrysanthemum. |
| November | Maple. |
| December | Camellia. |
Japan and Siam[232]
Mr. Inagaki, Japanese Representative in Bangkok, has been making strenuous efforts to bring about the establishment of a direct line of steamers between Japan and Siam. He maintains that there cannot be any substantial development of trade without some improvement of the means of communication. Tōkyō newspapers report that the Ōsaka Shōsen Kaisha has been induced to undertake the extension of its Formosan line to Siam, and that arrangements are now under discussion with the Formosan officials.
In a lecture delivered by Mr. Inagaki before the Japan Economic Society, he insisted that Siam could be of the greatest service to Japan in supplying raw materials and food stuffs. Her production of sugar, hemp, and gum is very large, and whereas her export of silk ten years ago was only 250,000 yen, it is now 10 millions. The Siamese government has decided to devote a quarter of a million yen to agricultural experimental stations, and there can be no doubt that if Japan sent seeds of raw materials to be grown in that country, fine results would be obtained. It is important that a country like Japan should have a source of supply which would certainly remain neutral in time of war, and Siam is essentially such a source. This question of food supply will one day be as important for Japan as it is already for England, and its solution seems to lie in the direction of Siam.
Formosa under Japan
Concerning Formosa under Japanese rule the following additional items are worthy of notice. The Governor-General, 1913, is Count Sakuma.
It has been pointed out by the “Japan Mail” that the revenue of the new territory in the first six years after its cession to Japan has increased by 600 per cent, as shown in the following table:—
| Yen. | |
|---|---|
| 1896 | 2,710,000 |
| 1897 | 5,320,000 |
| 1898 | 8,250,000 |
| 1899 | 11,750,000 |
| 1900 | 14,900,000 |
| 1901 | 16,370,000 |