^2 



rice, uniform in quality and size of kernel, well filled, flinty, free from 

 8un cracks, and free from all foreicrn seeds. Uniformity of kernel is 

 more essential in rice than in other cereals, because of the polishing 

 process. 



Drilling. — The rice should be planted with a drill. It will be 

 more equally distributed and the quantity used to the acre will be exact. 

 The seeds will be planted at a uniform depth and the earth packed over 

 them by the roller. It also prevents the birds from taking the seeds. 

 The roller should precede the drill. If it follows the drill the feet of 

 the horses, mules, or oxen drawing the roller will press some of the 

 planted rice 4 or 5 inches deeper into the earth than the general average. 

 Furthermore, the lumps of earth will prevent the uniform operation of 

 the drill. In rice farming too much emphasis can not be placed upon 

 the importance of thoroughly pulverising the soil to a considerable depth; 

 levelling with a harrow as perfectly as possible ; crushing all the lumps 

 and packing the surface to conserve the moisture, and planting the seed 

 at a uniiorm depth. 



Broadcast sowing. — Broadcast sowing of rice should be discontinued; 

 the seed is never scattered with uniformity; some grains remain upon 

 the surface and the remainder is buried by the harrow and the tramp of 

 the team to depths varying from 1 to 6 inches. Rice sown broadcast 

 does not germinate with any uniformity. Some seeds are taken by the 

 birds, some are too near the surface and lack moisture to germinate, 

 Y^hile others are buried too deep. In some instances the variation in 

 the germination of the rice in the same field has been as much as eight 

 weeks. Then at the harvest when the main portion is ready for the 

 reaper, quite an amount of the rice is still immature. The product 

 commands ;i very low price in the market, because the merchantable 

 grain must sell at the price of the low grade. Care must be taken to 

 plant the several fields at different periods, so that the harvest will not 

 be too crowded. It requires much more care to produce a strictly first- 

 class quality of rice than is found necessary in the production of any 

 other cereal, and nearly every fall prime offerings are the exception. 



INJURY TO BLOOM. 



If it is very showery during the period of bloom, pollination is 

 frequently incomplete with consequent reduction in the crop. This 

 rarely occurs with early planted rice. Occasionally the rice crop suffers 

 from severe storms about the period of ripening. Fortunately these 

 disasters are mainly local and limited to the equinoctial period. Other- 

 wise nee has few enemies and may be regarded as the most reliable of 

 all cereal crops. On this account, as well as for its food value, it has 

 been adopted as the staple cereal in countries having a dense population, 

 where any considerable failure of the crop would involve starvation for 

 thousands. 



FLOODING. 



Depth of water. — Except where water is necessary for germinating 

 the seed, flooding is not practiced until the rice is 6 to 8 inches high. 

 If showers are abundant enough to keep the soil moist it is better to 

 delay flooding till the rice is 8 inches high, as there is considerable 



