Rice Irrigation 371 



because of the tendency of the waters to become 

 stagnant and poisonous to the rice. So important is 

 the complete removal of the stagnant water that pro- 

 vision is made at the farther corner of each field, by 

 means of a trunk in the dyke, to permit the water 

 which has been left standing in the ditches after 

 draining to be forced out by the incoming water into 

 another ditch leading to a canal or creek, and careful 

 watch is kept until the yellow river water has finally 

 reached the extreme corner and forced out all of the 

 standing water which has been " bagged " in the 

 ditches. 



When the rice crop reaches maturity and is ready 

 to harvest, a few of the topmost kernels are more 

 advanced than the balance of the head and certain to 

 shell and fall upon the field. These tip kernels, too, 

 are liable to be red, and if allowed to germinate the 

 next season would mature heads with kernels still 

 more highly colored, and tend in a short time to 

 develop the " red rice " which so seriously lowers the 

 grade and market price. 



To avoid the development of red rice on the 

 marshes, it is the practice, after the harvest has been 

 removed, to again flood the fields and germinate at 

 once all of the shelled rice which has fallen upon the 

 ground, so that the winter frosts shall kill the plants 

 and thus remove the red rice. It is stated that if the 

 seed is placed in the ground where it cannot ger- 

 minate, it may retain its vitality for five years, and 

 hence where the practice of fall flooding cannot be 

 resorted to it becomes necessary to adopt some system 



