November, 1912.] 



361 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF RICE. 



The classification of rice has baffled all those who have attempted the 

 work. Among others may be mentioned Bretschrj eider, Roxburgh, 

 Griffith, Louleiro, Heuze, Sato and Inabu, besides Tanaka (father and son), 

 Koerniche and Watt who contributed towards the work. 



In a reprint from the Journal of the College of Agriculture, Tokyo, 

 Prof. Kikkawa sets himself this great task, and gives one some idea of the 

 enormous labour involved in the examination and description of an 

 almost unlimited number of specimens. 



In classifying plants, he says, we should consider morphological 

 character, but at the same time we have also to examine their qualities 

 from an agricultural point of view. 



In regard to the matter of cultivation he considers the rice plant 

 under the following heads : — 



(1.) Aquatic and upland, or, as we should say here, wet land and 

 dry land paddy, the former (as in Tissa) depending chiefly upon a liberal 

 supply of irrigation water, the latter (as in Jaffna) depending on a com- 

 paratively scanty rainfall. The auttor is inclined to the belief that these 

 two classes of rice were at one time the same but acquired special charac- 

 ters as the result of continuous cultivation under special conditions. 



(2.) Early and late rice, so named according to the difference of season 

 of growth or days of growth. This is what is spoken of locally as the 

 age" of paddy which generally varies from 2 to 6 or even more months. 



The defect in this detail of classification is that it cannot be applied 

 to all the rices of the world or even to any one country with widely 

 different climatic conditions ; but in circumscribed areas it is useful. 



(3.) Giant rice. The kinds falling under this head possess the natural 

 character of growing high and keeping above the level of rising water. 

 The author quotes Sir George Watt to the effect that in India some of 

 the Roro (or swamp) varieties grow to a length of 10 to 15 feet, and that 

 the grain is harvested by means of boats. 



(4.) Salt rice. The varieties in this class have the power of with- 

 standing the effects of salt when the fields become inundated by, or are 

 irrigated with, saline waters. Such rices should prove of the greatest 

 utility if introduced into certain parts of the Jaffna peninsula, Jaela, and 

 elsewhere. 



(5.) Tall and Short rice. The author calls all the forms that exceed 

 1*7 metre tall rice and those which fall below one metre short rice. He 

 further associates height with tillering power and weight of ear and vice 

 versa. Incidentally he mentions the "dwarf rice" which does not reach 

 2/3 metre in height. 



(6.) Awned and Aivnless rice. This he refers to as one of the most 

 important distinctions in rice. According to Watt, who bases his con- 

 clusion on chemical analysis, the value of rice depends upon the absence 

 of the awn and colour, 

 46 



