30 RECENT FOREI&N EXPLORATIONS. 



It is noted that no account is made of manure and straw. Very 

 little manure is generality used, and in many districts none. In the 

 interior, where the above estimates were received, the straw and manure 

 have no commercial value. While wages are low the price of rice is 

 also low only 32 cents for 82f pounds of paddy, or 61i cents per bar- 

 rel of 162 pounds. When the rice crop is handled in the usual way — 

 the plants grown in a seed bed and transplanted to the field — there is 

 an additional cost of 6i cents for preparing the seed bed; and the cost 

 of pulling plants find transplanting into the field, which requires five 

 men and twenty-eight women one day, is ^6 cents. There is, how- 

 ever, a saving of 40 cents for weeding and also a saving in spreading 

 manure and other small items, which reduces the total cost of an acre 

 of transplanted rice to 30 cents more than that of broadcast, leaving 

 a net profit of 29i cents per acre on the crop. 



In the above estimates no account is made of the Government assess- 

 ments on rice, which are considerable. These are sufficient at least to 

 wipe out all profits in this class of farming. 



The following estimates of the cost of raising rice under high-class 

 conditions are furnished by Hon. James Mollison, inspector-general of 

 agriculture for India: 



Preparing and tilling seed bed $0. 64 



Manure used on seed bed, 6 loads; on an acre, 20 loads -1.16 



Cost of seed, 80 pounds ^0 



Plowing, puddling, and leveling 1-52 



Transplanting ^^ 



Weeding seed bed '^° 



Top dressing with castor cake, 200 pounds per acre 96 



Cutting, thrashing, and winnowing 1-44 



Tying and stacking bundles of straw 24 



Cost of irrigation ^-28 



12.32 

 Add Government tax per acre 4. 80 



Total cost per acre -*- - - 17. 12 



Probable crop, 3,000 pounds, valued at $24. 00 



Value of straw 4- ^^ „^ ^^ 



25. 60 



Net profits per acre 8. 48 



The above estimates are based on wages in the Surat district, which 



are higher than in the Himalayan, but still very low. 



Under good cultivation the cost per acre is equal to that in the 



United States. 



NORTHERN LIMIT OF CULTURE. 



The question is frequently asked how far north rice can be produced 

 profitably. Hon. C. L. Dundas, director of agriculture for the Punjab, 

 stated that he could not tell, but assuredly as far north as his adminis- 

 tration extended, 34° 15' north latitude. 



