CEREALS 99 



grains. No amount of milling will eradicate the red 

 tinge from even the better qualities of cleaned rice, while 

 in rough rice and the lower grades of cleaned rice the 

 red colour is only too obvious." 



Improvement of the Crop. 



To bring about the desired improvement in the quality 

 of paddy grown, the Government of Burma have estab- 

 lished two large Experimental Stations of about 400 acres 

 each, one at Mandalay, which includes irrigated rice 

 among other subjects of its programme, and one at 

 Hmawbi, near Rangoon, which deals entirely with the 

 non-irrigated rice crop of the great deltaic region. The 

 latter station has only completed the third year of its 

 existence, but even already some interesting and impor- 

 tant results have been obtained. 



The work at these stations is to consist of (i) the 

 improvement of rice varieties by selection or hybridiza- 

 tion, with the special purpose of meeting the exporters' 

 requirements ; (2) the institution of experiments to test 

 improved methods of tillage and the introduction of 

 improved implements; and (3) manurial experiments. 



In connection with (i), a collection of over 300 varieties 

 of the kinds likely to suit millers has been made at 

 Hmawbi from all the Lower Burma rice districts. These 

 are now being grow r n in single-ear cultures, and will be 

 maintained as a permanent collection for purposes of 

 reference. 



From this collection a number of specially suitable 

 types were chosen last year and subjected to intra-varietal 

 selection by the pure line method. The adoption of this 

 method with certainty and success involves practical self- 

 fertilization on the part of the crop being improved, and 

 this question has been studied by using the colour of the 

 husked grain as an index. The results, of several trials 

 with red and white paddies from different parts of the 

 -province, and containing different proportions of red and 

 white grain, indicate that 2 per cent, is the probable 

 maximum of crossing. By this is meant that if two pure 

 lines of red and white paddy are sown together mixed in 

 equal quantities, the maximum percentage of plants which 



