10 TIICE CULTIVATION. 



for about five miles directly towards the foot of the 

 hills, the ground gradually rising and undulating a 

 little, but still completely cultivated to the very 

 foot of the mountains. The crops were sugar- 

 cane, maize, some of which was in flower, and rice. 

 The latter was to be seen in almost all stages, some 

 of the fields being fallow, in some the crop was 

 half-grown, while in others it was just springing up. 

 The rice fields are peculiar, from their being divided 

 into many small square plots, or pans, as it were, 

 about ten yards in the side, bounded by small ridges 

 of earth eighteen inches high. These ridges are 

 for retaining the water, which is always kept two or 

 three inches deep over the roots of the grain till it is 

 just ready to ripen. On every slope these little 

 embankments are still more numerous, the greatest 

 care being taken not to lose a drop of water more 

 than is absolutely necessary. The half-grown rice 

 looked something like short oats. In some of the 

 fields, where either rice or maize was coming into 

 ear, small sheds were erected on posts in the centre 

 of the field, from which strings radiated in every 

 direction over the crop, with feathers attached to 

 them. A boy or a girl was stationed in the shed to 

 keep the strings in motion, in order to frighten 

 away the flocks of Java sparrows, many of which 

 were careering about in large flights over the fields. 

 We saw several of the little plots in which the rice 

 or paddy is first set. In some of these it was spring- 

 ing up as close as possible, looking like close grass. 



