ON LAND UTILIZATION AND AGRICULTURE SLOPES OF MT. YATSUGATAKE

Abstract

1) The land utilization on the western slopes of Mt. Yatsugatake has greatly changed since the economic panic in 1930 and World War IL Most of the wide grasslands has grown into forests, and part of it has been cultivated. In the southern region, which is a horse-breeding center, dairy farming has developed and taken the place of the old serf-culture. But, as for the northern and the middle region, “Kokuso-shiki farming” defined by K. Misawa in 1929 as the farming based on rice production and sericulture is carried on without suffering a structural change, though hortculture of flowers and European vegetables has developed in some parts. 2) In prewar days, at Nobeyama Plateau situated on the eastern slopes was carried an extensive utilization of land then Nobeyama Plateau was classified underdeveloped areas. But the Koumi line was fully opened1936 and intensive truck farming began. Besides, reclamation on. a large scale has here is made a progress since the War and the landscape has undergone a complete change. Now the agriculture growing into a commercially mixed farming consisting of the organic combination of dairy farming and truck farming of free type. Here rice production is not so dominant and it is a point of difference, compared with a general state of Japanese agriculture. 3) The regional pattern of land utilization on the eastern slopes of Mt. Yatsugatake is contrary to the pattern on the western slopes, but both slopes have the highest productive power as an agricultural area of cold uplands.