Dependingontheirphysicalattributes,,ofcourse,,anycropmaybeinterplanted,”inter-plantable”,Ieliminatesweetpotatoes,peanuts,barley,,theywerelargelyplantedsinglyandweremonlygrown.[9]Next,;buttheTaiwanSugarCorporation,agovernmententerprise,grewthegreatestportionofthecanecrop,andtobaccoplantingwasregulatedbythegovernment.[10]Remainingarefiveotherinterplantingcrops—orientalpicklingmelons,cucumbers,watermelons,potatoes,,thehighertotalyieldobtainablefromthegivenlandthroughinterplantingmadethesecropsan”ideal”choiceasmarginalcropsontenantfarms.
Thefivecropscite,theairspaceabovethegroundisutilizedbybiningcucumbersandeggplants:
C,thusmakinguseofthespacebetweenridges.[11]
Second,theutilizationofgroun,thecrawli,,thoughunmonintheChinesediet,havetheadvantagethattheycanbeplantedsixinchesdeep.
,theprefecturegroupsarelistedincolumn2,withtheirpercentagechangesincropareasincolumn5,,wefindthat(a)increasesincropareasoccurredmoresignificantlyinprefecturegroupsIandIIthaninIII,(b)theyieldpercrophectaredeclinedingroupsIandII,and(c)theyieldpercrophectareincreasedingroupIII.
Interpretationsfor(a)and(b),theincreasesin,andperhapsthegenerallypoorplantingorganizationgeneratedbythehighrotationrate,contributedtothedecreaseincrophectareyield.[12]Theimplicaction,fa,acropwhichhadpreviouslybeeninterplantedmightnowbegrownsingly,resultinginariseinyieldpercropareaasdiscernedin(c).Thisalsoconfirmsourpredictionthatoutputresponsesinownerandtenantfarmsmoveinoppositedirectionsunderthesharerestriction.
CropsoftheSeasonalMargin
Perhapsthemostpowerfulconfirmationofmyhypothesisisfoundinathirdtypeofmarginalcrop:,mostvegetablesaregrowninwinter—notthatvegetablescannotbegrowninotherseasons,butinotherseasonsfarmersfindmorelucrativecropstogrow.[13]Underafreemarket,intheshortwinterseason(DecembertoMarch)farmerscultivatesmallplotsoflandasvegetable”gardens.”Onlyasmallportionofthebetterland(usuallypaddyfields)ischosenforvegetablesbecausethecostrequiredtocultivatethemisexceptionallyhigh.[14]Thegreaterportionoflandiseitherleftidle,usedtogrowgreenmanureatverylowplantingcost,[15]orusedtogrowwheatandIndiancornintheappropriatefields.
Therelativelyhighcostofplanting,associatedwiththerelativelyhighmarketvalueofvegetables,[16]togetherwiththeidletimemargininwhichtheycouldbegrown,madethem,thecropareaofvegetablesincreasedthemostofallcropclasses,[17]
Intable7,croparea(column4).Themajorprefecturescontributingtothepercentagechangesincroparea(increaseordecrease),withTaichungandTaipei(groupIprefectures),9,13,and14,forwhichthecrophectareyieldcouldnotbeputed,,thecrophectareyieldsforallbuttwocrops(garlicandwaxgourd)decreased.[18]Ourinterpretationisthesameasbefore:thegradualuseoflesssuitableland,theurgencyofthetimemarginwhichmustbereleasedformoncropplantations,andperhapsforsometheunfitseason,allcontributedtothediminishingreturnstotenantinputresourcesincultivatingadditionalcrophectares.[19]Overthesameareaof(physical)land,thehighertotalyieldgeneratedbyafasterrateofplantingimpliesthatthemarginalproductoflandundertenantcultivationwashigherthanelsewhere.