idiB.} 



BICE EXPERIMENTS. 



103^ 



The results obtained show that there is a considerable variation in 

 the number of tillers and quantity of seed produced from the plants raised 

 as will be seen in the table below : — 



First Year's Selection, 1917 — 50 Plants. 



Variet3'. 



Number of Tillers 

 PER Plant. 



Weight of Seed 

 PiiR Plant in 

 Grammes. 



Paddy per 

 Acre Brls. 

 OF 1-20 LB. 



o 



so 



a 



S-i 



> 



< 



Jerrahan 



Creole Variant 2 



H. 6 



A.H.C. 



49-54 

 40-35 

 37-74 



From the above it will be seen that the average yield per acre for 

 the 50 selected plants is not much higher than that usually obtained 

 from good varieties in a favourable season, but the yield from the best 

 single plant may be three times as high as that of the average yield 

 of the selected plants. 



In 1918, the seed from the best plant of the previous year was 

 planted in a separate nursery and 200 of the strongest plants were 

 planted singly one foot apart. When these were ripe, 50 of the best 

 plants were again reaped separately, the numbers of tillers counted 

 and the seed weighed with the following results : — 



If the results of the second year's selection are compared with those 

 of the first year it will be seen that not only has a larger average 

 numbers of tillers per plant been obtained but also a larger yield from 

 the best plant and from the average of the 50 selected plants. It is 

 hoped that by continuing this selection of the best plant yearly a strain 

 or strains of rice may be obtained which will give much larger crops of 

 paddy than is now obtained. 



