Oryza. hexandria digynia. 203 



air. The soil is generally of great depth, many feet pure 

 mould without the least mixture of sand, small stones, 

 &c. It is of a darker colour than garden mould in general. 

 During the dry hot seasons these liclds retain the water 

 long upon the surface, allowing but little to escape 

 through, so that most of the waste is by immediate eva- 

 poration. 



The Hindoo farmers divide the numerous varieties 

 into two orders ; the first they call the Poonas, or the 

 early sorts ; the second the Pedda, and Worloo, or Ped- 

 da Pauta, which means the late or great crop. 



Division First. 



Teling. Poonas. Sungskrit, Asoo. Beng. Aus. 



The varieties of this order are generally, if the weather 

 admits, sown thick in June, or early in July, on such small 

 well laboured spots as are a little above the level of the 

 common rice lands, for fear of their being too long inun- 

 dated by heavy rains ; at the same time it is necessary that 

 those spots should be so situated, as to admit of be- 

 ing watered, in case of too dry weather. In about forty 

 days, if the season has been favorable, the young plants 

 will have attained to the height of from nine to eighteen 

 inches ; by this time fields are flooded, slightly plough- 

 ed, and made level by dragging by a pair of bullocks, or 

 buffaloes, a long flat piece of wood. The fields being now 

 in the state of very soft mud ; the plants are taken up and 

 transplanted by the hand. It is astonishing to see how 

 soon a few labourers, men, women, and children, will 

 plant a field, nothing more is now requisite to bring the 

 crop to maturity, than keeping the fields constantly wet, 

 more or less flooded, according to the sort of rice up- 

 on it, for some sorts require very little water, while others 

 require a great deal. When nearly ripe, the water is 

 drained off some days before they cut down the grain, 



Z 2 



