Edible Products, 



316 



[April, 1910. 



will be quite as responsive to manu- 

 rial treacment as soils in general are. 



Cultivation Begins by Ploughing 

 usually about the last week in May, 

 the implement used being of a very 

 primitive type and more of a harrow 

 than a plough: The first field culti- 

 vated is the nursery. This is carefully 

 selected and generally the one in which 

 an early abuudant supply of water is 

 obtainable. After the bunds have been 

 carefully repaired and the soil is found 

 to be sufficiently softened, it is ploughed 

 by the htun, a Burmese harrow, con- 

 sisting of a log of wood in which are 

 inserted a varying number of teeth — 

 generally about six — the ground being 

 gone over six to eight times until it 

 is of the consistency of fine mud, and 

 on this the seed paddy is broadcasted 

 at the rate of about one to one and a 

 half baskets or more per acre. Should 

 the soil be too stiff for the harrow to 

 break up, the hte, or Burmese plough, 

 is used. This consists of a wooden sole 

 with an iron share and with a handle 

 and a pole for attachment to the yoke 

 of the bullocks ; but in the deltaic lands 

 it is only used when the soil is found 

 too stiff. These implements cultivate 

 only to a depth of 3 or 4 inches, it 

 being argued by the natives that the 

 soil is so shallow that deep working 

 implements produce harmful effects. 

 Manure, when used, is only applied to 

 the nursery, and consists of either cow- 

 dung or paddy husk in small quantities, 

 about a month before cultivation com- 

 mences, and is subsequently ploughed. 



While the Young Plants are Growing 

 in the nursery, attention is turned to 

 their fields, by which time the mon- 

 soons have fairly set in, producing a 

 rank growth of grass and weeds. To 

 get down the latter, the settun, an 

 implement drawn by two bullocks, and 

 consisting of a pole of hard tough wood, 

 about 2h inches in diameter, is used. 

 To this pole are fixed a series of very 

 sharp steel blades which revolve when 

 the machine is dragged by the bullocks 

 and cut down the grass. The grass 

 being got rid of by the settun, the htun 

 or harrow is then employed to get the 

 ground into suitable condition for the 

 transplants. These are taken out of the 

 nursery about a month after sowing 

 when they are about a foot and a 

 half high. 



Transplanting is generally done by 

 women who, taking little clumps of three 

 or four plants, thrust them into the 

 ground at distances of about 6 or 8 

 inches apart. Recent experiments in 

 Bengal, it is said, seem to prove that 



one plant per hole gives as good results 

 as four or five, and it is therefore 

 worth ascertaining whether similar re- 

 sults could be obtained in Burma. As 

 a general rule, a paddy nursery, in Lower 

 Burma, is reckoned to plant out from 

 eight to ten times its area. If one plant 

 per hole gives as good results as three 

 or four, it naturally follows that a con- 

 siderable saving of seed might be effect- 

 ed. Prom the time the paddy is trans- 

 planted, up to about a fortnight or three 

 weeks before it is reaped , the fields are 

 submerged in water. But this water 

 must be got rid of when the grain is 

 ripening, otherwise the proper degree of 

 hardness of grain cannot be obtained, 

 and where this object is not attained 

 by evaporation the surplus water is run 

 off into marginal ditches. 



Harvesting begins about November, 

 and goes on to as late as January. Be- 

 fore this commences, and when the crops 

 are ready for reaping men go through 

 the fields and "fell" the standing crop 

 flat to the ground with bamboo poles. 

 As all cutting is done by means of the 

 sickle, this telling in one direction faci- 

 litates the work of reaping. 



The grain is threshed out, in the 

 primitive way, by bullocks and by hand, 

 threshing machines and winnowers 

 being unknown. The usefulness of such 

 machines is quite unknown to and un- 

 realised by the Burman cultivator. 



There are said to be about 120 varieties 

 of paddy in Burma. The greatest de- 

 mand at present, by the large rice 

 mills, is for those known as Ngatsein 

 and Ngachau/e, the former especially 

 being considered best for export pur- 

 poses, as a harder graiu and better able 

 to stand a voyage without deterioration. 



Mr. McKerrall puts down the cost of 

 cultivation, including rent at Rs. 6 per 

 acre, at Rs. 21 per acre, the average 

 yield per acre being taken at 40 baskets. 

 This would bring the cost of production 

 per 100 baskets to Rs. 52-8. Sold at Re. 1 

 per basket by the cultivator the net 

 profit per acre is Rs. 19. Taking the 

 holdings or farms at an average of about 

 20 acres this would give a yearly 

 profit to the cultivator 



of Rs. 328 



Deducting from this interest 

 on loans from Chetty, say 

 20 per cent, for 8 months ... ,, 66 



leaving as net profit Rs. 262 



or barely Rs. 22 a month for the support 

 of the cultivator and his family. 



It can thus be realised how the culti- 

 vator fared when, for two years, in 1894 



