39i 



chine, which with an action of revolving beaters will knock the 

 grain from the straw. The paddy will then pass straight into a 

 gunny and be dispatched to the store, where it will be sun-dried, 

 winnowed, weighed and stored in wooden bins. For drying we 

 have made shallow trays, the bottom being a sheet of corrugated 

 iron, each holding one gunny. I his we find very convenient for 

 handling and also the heat given out from the iron expediates the 

 drying. The winnowing machine driven by power is one supplied 

 by the Engelberg Huller Co., of Syracusse, U. S. A., which makes 

 the paddy pass through a set of sieves, and, at the same time, the 

 wind from a rotary fan contained in the machine and driven at a 

 high velocity clears off all husk, straw, etc , the sieves retaining 

 any pieees of stone, earth, wood, etc. that may have got in. The 

 yield last season was 175 to 200 gantangs (22 to 27 bushels) per 

 acre and this season we hope to get a better average partly by the 

 fields being clearer of wood and partly by planting at increased 

 intervals which should give a larger grain. 



To have a stock of paddy is no doubt good, but it will not feed 

 coolies and to have a gang of contracfors on an estate with paddy 

 is not advisable as a good deal of their time would be taken up 

 husking it with the time immemorial pestal and mortar. To ob- 

 viate this the hulling is done by machinery which I will explain 

 hereafter. 



As soon as the contractor has handed in all his grain, the divi- 

 sion takes place and he receives a receipt for rice on his portion at 

 the rate of 60 catties for each pikul of paddy. This is based on a 

 10 % reduction for machine expenses, viz., a yield of 66 catties of 

 rice per pikul of paddy. In some cases if properly handled the yield 

 may be greater. To this remuneration must be added the value of 

 the pollard or residuum which finds a ready sale amongst Chinese 

 for feeding pigs, poultry, etc. 



The hulling machine is also a production of the Engleburg Huller 

 Co. and is called the "Engleburg Huller and Polisher " of which 

 I can speak in the highest terms. The paddy being run into the 

 hopper of the machine, falls on to a cylinder which revolves at a 

 high speed and most effectually " hulls" — that is, rubs off the 

 cuticle or outer skin and polishes the grain in one operation. The 

 machine is capable of giving two tons of dressed rice per day. 

 To this we have added a grader which is worked and fed automa- 

 tically from the "huller" above. 



Is it worth while to grow rice as a " catch crop " ? I can only 

 judge from our short experience here and the answer is in the 

 affirmative. We have no occasion to import any rice now having 

 more than sufficient until the next crop comes in and the surplus 

 finds a ready sale locally. It will be understood that in being able 

 to supply a good rice at a cheap rate is some help in getting and 

 keeping coolies which perhaps is of more importance in an isolated 

 position such as this, than in more favoured districts as regards 

 labour and communications. 



I have refrained from making any remarks as to the method and 

 season of planting as this has been so often touched upon, but 



