R. J. D. GRAHAM 217 



may distinguish two characters which aro dovelopod owing to tlio 

 special environment in which the plant grows. The first is the time 

 of ripening and the second the water requirements of the plant. 

 The first, however, is largely determined by the second. In a large 

 area with markedly different climatic conditions in the North a;id 

 South like the Central Provinces, where the crop is not en tire Iv 

 dependent on seasonal rainfall, and where many different systems of 

 cultivation are in vogue, it is obvious that no hard and fast system 

 of classification based on these agricultural characters can be laid 

 down. This will be made clear by taking up the agricultural 

 characters in detail. 



Time of rifening. — ^The rices are l)roadly dividoc] in iheso 

 provinces into three main classes, viz., early, medium and late, 

 which correspond with the sub-divisions mentioned by Kikkawa.(7) 

 Roxburgh, on the other hand, in classifying the Bengal rices recog- 

 nises only early and late rices. (8) These terms refer to the time of 

 harvesting of the rices. Early rices, many of which are ready for 

 harvest by September, are sown on the higher fields where the water 

 does not collect to a great extent, owing to the catchment area being 

 small and their receiving comparatively little drainage. These are 

 also the only rices sown as catch crops and in unembanked fields. 

 The earlier the variety the poorer and more exposed the field it is 

 sown in. Late rices are always sown on heavy soils, in embanked 

 fields, and in low-lying places ; as the name implies this is the last 

 rice to be harvested, at times being on the ground until the middle 

 of December, and unless the field is protected by irrigation, the suc- 

 cess of this crop depends on the rainfall of September and October. 

 Generally the late rices are grown in the fields that command the 

 most assured and continuous supply of water. Medium rices are 

 sown on land intermediate in character. They are longer in matur- 

 ing than the early rices, but not so long as the late rices. Taking 

 the average of the rices grown under observation an early rice 

 matures in 121 days, the range being from 106 to 145 days ; a medium 

 in 125 days, the range being from 110 to 169 days ; and a late rice in 

 133 days, the range being from 119 days onwards. The period be- 



