ORYZA 



SATIVA 



Panjabl 



Karnal. 



Manure. 



Kashmir. 

 White and Ked. 



Methods 

 Pursued. 



THE EICE PLANT 



In the Karnal districts, rices are divided into two well-defined classes 

 fine, known by the name of ziri, and coarse, of which the principal 

 sorts are munji and sdnthi. Of ziri, the principal varieties are ramdli 

 and rdmjamdni. Sunkar and ansari are coarser and grown chiefly where 

 there is fear of too much water. Rice is grown only on stiff soil. The 

 seed-beds are ploughed four or five times and carefully prepared, manure 

 is spread on them, and the seed sown broadcast. More manure is then 

 spread over the seeds and the whole watered. Four days after they are 

 again watered, and after the fifth or sixth day they must be kept wet 

 till ready to plant out. The rice-field is ploughed twice, and such manure 

 given as can be spared. It is then flushed with 3 inches of water, and, if 

 there are weeds, a plough is driven about under water. When the plough 

 has worked the mud to a fine pulp, operators take the seedlings (pod) in 

 handfuls (juti) and plant them one by one in the water. The field is weeded 

 once at least and must at first be kept under water, but not more than 

 about 6 inches deep. When the ears begin to form, the ground must be 

 kept well wetted, but not too slushy. Reaping must be done directly 

 the grain is ripe. 



Coarse rice is of two kinds, mentioned above, viz. munji and sdnthi. 

 The former is sown in spots liable to be flooded, since it cannot be drowned, 

 the straw lengthening as the water deepens. The peculiarity of the latter 

 (sdnthi) is that it ripens within an extraordinarily short time from sowing. 

 It requires but little water, if the soil is thoroughly moist, after the shoots 

 are once up. Both kinds are sown in their final positions. After two 

 or three ploughings, cattle are sent into the water to walk about and 

 stir up the mud or a plough is worked under water. The seed is sown 

 broadcast. No manure is used nor is the crop irrigated. [Cf. Pb. Dist. 

 Gaz. ; Pb. Settl. Repts.] 



Kashmir. Lawrence ( Valley of Kashmir, 1895, 326-36) gives a full and 

 interesting account of rice cultivation. The varieties grown are very 

 numerous but may be roughly divided into two classes, the white and the 

 red, the latter being the more alpine form. As a food, the white is more 

 esteemed, and the best are the bdsmati and the kanyun. Though of 

 good quality, the white is less popular from the cultivator's point of 

 view, since it is a more delicate plant and suffers more from changes of 

 temperature and from the chill of snow-water. If the cultivator can 

 obtain water and manure, he will continue to grow rice, and no rotation 

 takes place. Where, however, water is uncertain, the rice land is allowed 

 a fallow, and in some cases may be followed by cotton, maize, wheat, 

 barley and mdh (pulse). 



There are two systems pursued : either the rice is sown broadcast, or 

 first sown in a nursery and then planted out. Results show that the broad- 

 cast system gives the best outturn per acre. Preparatory cultivation 

 commences in March, when the fields are hard and stiff. Where the 

 soil is dry ploughed, cultivation is known as tao ; where wet, as kenalu. 

 Previous to ploughing, all the village litter and farm-yard manure are 

 carried to the fields and ploughed in, or heaped in a place through which 

 the irrigation duct passes, and so reach the fields as liquid manure. 

 In June and July the labour of weeding the rice begins. The process 

 is known by the name of khushdba, and consists in weeding the 

 crop, placing the rice plants in their proper places, and kneading 

 and pressing the soft mud round the green seedlings. Only experts can 



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