108 PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE 



places. Standing water is always left on the ground a 

 considerable part of the time while the rice is growing. 

 When the water gets too hot, or becomes full of harmful 

 plants or animals, it must be run off. After the time of 

 flowering, the fields are permitted to become dry. While 

 the rice is ripening, dryness helps the maturing of the 

 grain, and makes it easy to harvest it. Each plot or 

 field of rice must be very level ; for otherwise the differ- 

 ent parts will not be equally watered, and will not mature 

 together. 



CULTURE 



Methods of Planting. Ground in which rice is to be 

 planted must always be made thoroughly fine and 

 smooth. It is not necessary that the ground should be 

 worked especially deep, but no crop needs finer soil. 

 There are three very different systems of planting rice : 

 scattering or broadcasting the seed, drilling the seed, and 

 transplanting. 



Broadcasting. Broadcasting is the Italian method of 

 planting, and is used with upland rice in almost all 

 countries. It is the experience of farmers in the Philip- 

 pines, however, that water rice sown broadcast requires 

 1 6 per cent more seed, and will yield at least "20 per cent 

 less than could be obtained from the same ground by 

 transplanting. 



Transplanting. Transplanting is known as the Chinese 

 method of rice culture. It is in general use in the Philip- 

 pines and throughout the Orient. The seeds are planted 

 in thoroughly worked and enriched seed beds. This 



