lU Aug., 1916. j Rice Cultivation, Koyuga. 493 



RICE CULTIVATION, KOYUGA. 



By Temple A. J. Smith, Chief Field Officer. 



Mr. Montague Shan, who resides on an area 3 miles from the Koyuga 

 railway station, has lately been experimenting with rice cultivation. 

 The land on which the rice is growing is partly red land and partly 

 low-lying black land, and was cultivated before sowing much as wheat 

 land is prepared. The land was watered before seeding, and the seed 

 drilled in in rows 14 inches apart at a depth of 1 inch, the quantity of 

 seed sown being 30 lbs. per acre. The date of sowing the 26th November, 

 1915 — the variety being that known as " Takasuka." 



Water was applied once a week from the time of seeding until a 

 week before harvesting, which operation was in progress at the time 

 of my visit (1st June). Superphosphate at the rate of 120 lbs. per 

 acre was applied. 



The crop, when ripe, was 2 ft. 6 in. in height, and very uniform, 

 but had ripened unevenly, some of the heads and stalks being green, 

 while others appeared fully matured. Patches of the crop had not 

 filled well, Avhich will have a bad effect on the yield as a whole. 



The stooling capacity of rice is very great, from 30 to 40 stalks 

 growing from one seed. 'No sign of disease was noticeable in the crop. 

 A portion had been harvested with a stripper-harvester, yielding at the 

 rate of seven bags per acre of rice with the hull on, which, when hulled, 

 would leave 60 per cent, of marketable rice, viz., 756 lbs. per acre. 



This system of harvesting was wasteful, in that the harvester was 

 not a suitable machine for the purpose, leaving some of the rice on the 

 stalks, and slielling a portion on the ground. The straw also was left 

 on the ground, and as this i.^^ useful for stock-feeding, thatching, &c., 

 such a system of harvesting is not desirable. 



Mr. Shan has had constructed a special dam which is filled from 

 the channels, and in which applications of water can be made when 

 water is not available from the usual sources. This is higlily necessary, 

 as the land on which the rice is growing must not be allowed to dry out, 

 but must be kept moist at all times. The amount of water per acre 

 used in this experiment was 5 acre-feet, and Mr. Shan makes the 

 suggestion that rice could be grown in seasons when water is plentiful, 

 and fodder crops in dry years Avlien they have a higher market value. 

 Ho is of opinion that rico-groAving would utilize low-lying land that at 

 present is too wet for the successful cropping of wheat and other 

 cereals. There is a considerable area of such land along the Murray 

 RiA^er and in A'arious otlior parts of the State. 



Mr. Shan gives the following estimate of the cost of growing rice: — 



£ s. d. 

 Ront of land . . 10 



liitficst oil cost of pradinp 



Water eharpos 



Seed and labour . . 



Cultivation, manures. Iiarvesting, &c. 



10 



1 5 

 1 15 

 1 10 



£.5 10 



756 lbs. at 2d. per lb. would return j£6 63. per acre — leaving a balance 

 of 16s. i)cr aero. The average return from rice is a]iproxiniatoly 



