﻿2 r.n.I.KTIX 1127, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGincTLTUBB. 



prairie region of southwestern Louisiana, where rice is the im- 

 portant money crop. 



The soil of the experiment station is the Crowley silt loam. It 

 is the typical rice soil of the prairies in this section of the State 

 and contains approximately 4 per cent of very fine sand, 69 per cent 

 of silt, and 23 per cent of clay. It is of a brown or ash-gray color 

 and rather compact in structure, with a tendency to puddle when 

 plowed in a wet state. The subsoil, which lies at an average depth 

 of 16 inches, is a mottled bine and yellow clay winch is so impervious 

 that there is no vertical seepage through it. Levees that contain 

 much of this clay are practically water-tight. 



The varietal experiments were made on tenth-acre plats, measur- 

 ing 2 rods wide and 8 rods long. They were arranged side by side 

 in series, each plat being separated from that on either side by a 

 5-foot alley. The series were inclosed by levees in which were 

 located gates that could be operated to discharge water into or from 

 the plats whenever it was desired. The irrigation water w T as ob- 

 tained from a deep well and conveyed to the series through ditches. 

 These ditches also served for drainage purposes. 



The land used in testing these varieties was plowed in late 

 autumn or early winter to the depth of 5 to 7 inches and well drained 

 during the winter. Under these conditions, the necessary field op- 

 erations for making a good seed bed in spring consisted usually of 

 one double disking and one harrowing before seeding. A float al- 

 ways was used after disking. As a rule, this preparation left the 

 surface soil loose and finely divided to a depth of several inches and 

 made a seed bed which retained moisture so well that irrigation was 

 seldom used to promote germination. 



The varieties were grown each year on land that grew soy beans in 

 the previous year. The beans were sown at the rate of 30 pounds per 

 acre in rows 4^ feet apart and were cultivated. The seed was har- 

 vested and the stems and leaves plowed under. The vegetable matter 

 thus added to the soil greatly improved its physical condition. The 

 frequent cultivations of the soy beans served to control weeds, espe- 

 cially red rice. By the use of this legume, plant food in the form 

 of nitrogen was stored in the soil. No commercial fertilizers were 

 applied to the plats. 



The rice seed was sown with a drill to a depth of 2 inches during 

 the first week of May at the rate of 80 pounds per acre. 



The irrigation water was applied to the plats approximately 

 80 days after the rice plants emerged. At this time the average height 

 of the plants of the different varieties ranged from 8 to 13 inches. 

 Throughout the remainder of the growing season an average depth 

 of 5 inches of water was maintained. Fresh water was admitted to 

 the plats when needed to equal the losses from seepage, evaporation, 

 and transpiration. 



The plats were drained when the panicles were well turned down. 

 The grain was harvested with a hand hook and put in large shocks, 

 where it remained for weeks before it was thrashed. The shocks 

 were strongly built to withstand the wind and so capped that the 

 grain was protected from rain as w T ell as sun. 



