MISCELLANEOUS CROPS 603 



ing the flooding period the ditches and canals become more or lees 

 filled by the mud which flows into them with the water. As soon 

 after harvest as possible the ditch banks should be cleared of foul 

 grasses, weeds, or brush, and the ditches cleaned. The levees should 

 be examined to see if they are in repair. 



Preparing the Ground. The time of plowing differs with dif- 

 ferent lands and circumstances, but in general it may be said that 

 for wet culture plowing is done in the spring shortly before planting 

 time. In the South Atlantic States, however, the land is often 

 plowed or dug over with a hoe early in the winter. In some parts of 

 southern Louisiana the land is so low and wet and the soil so stiff as 

 to necessitate plowing in the water. 



Deep Plowing. Some planters advocate shallow plowing for rice, 

 because it appears to thrive best in compact earth. Even if this be 

 granted, it does not prove the superiority of shallow over deep plow- 

 ing. It has been demonstrated that the better the soil and the more 

 thoroughly it is pulverized the better the crop. The roots of annual 

 cultivated plants do not feed much below the plow line ; it is there- 

 fore evident that deep cultivation places more food within the reach 

 of the plant. If pulverizing the earth deeply be a disadvantage, by 

 reason of the too great porosity of the soil at seeding time, it can be 

 easily remedied by the subsequent use of a heavy roller. If the soil 

 is well drained deep plowing will be found profitable. Deep plowing 

 just before planting sometimes brings too much alkali to the surface. 

 The remedy for this is to plow a little deeper than the previous plow- 

 ings just after harvest. The alkali will then be washed out before 

 the spring plowing. The plow should be followed in a short time by 

 the disk harrow and then by the smoothing harrow. If the land is 

 allowed to remain in furrows for any considerable time it will bake 

 and can not be brought into that fine tilth so necessary to the best 

 seed conditions. This is particularly true of rice land. If the best 

 results are desired it will be advisable to follow the harrow with a 

 heavy roller. The roller will crush the lumps, make the soil more 

 compact, and conserve the moisture for germinating the grain, ren- 

 dering it unnecessary to flood for sprouting. For dry culture the 

 land is prepared very much as it is for a crop of oats. 



Drainage. Perfect drainage is one of the most important con- 

 siderations in rice farming, because upon it depends the proper con- 

 dition of the soil for planting. It may appear unimportant that a 

 water plant like rice should have aerated and finely pulverized soil 

 for the seed bed, but such is the case. Thorough cultivation seems to 

 be as beneficial to rice as to wheat. Complete and rapid drainage at 

 harvest time allows the crop to be reaped under the best conditions 

 and reduces the expense of the harvest. 



Thorough drainage is even more essential for rice than for 

 wheat, because irrigation brings the alkali to the surface to an extent 

 that finally becomes detrimental to the rice plant. Alkali sometimes 

 accumulates in the soil just below the depth of the usual furrow to 

 such an extent that any plowing is dangerous to the crop. Experi- 



