Edible Products. 



410 



(May, 1912. 



When the young plants are 18 to 24 

 in. high they are ready for transplant- 

 ing to the fields ; they are dug up and 

 made into small bunches ; these are eet 

 out after cutting off the top of the stalk, 

 care being taken to bury the root 

 thoroughly. The distance between each 

 bunch is 4 to 8 in. 



After planting the' rice field is left dry 

 for three to four days. It is then once 

 more flooded. If the rice is yellow in 

 appearance, the field is dried for some 

 time, and about seventy-five days before 

 the crop it is let dry for good. The atten- 

 tions required consist in keeping the 

 banks in good repair and weeding two or 

 three times. It is advisable to clear 

 away plants growing on the bank to 

 get rid of vermin. 



Rice-growing in Wet Fields,— This 

 method is applied where there is not 

 enough water for regular flooding. The 

 field is flooded at the start of the rainy 

 season. When the soil is soaked the 

 water is run off. The soil is then plough- 

 ed deeply two or three times and har- 

 rowed down. The rice seed is sown in 

 the plough furrows and immediately 

 covered by harrowing. The soil is kept 

 cool by surface cultivation. If the 

 weather is dry and water is at hand, 

 the field is flooded from time to time. 

 During the heavy rains the rice grows 

 very rapidly. By means of well-de- 

 signed banks the water is then kept 

 as long as possible on the field ; it is 

 however necessary to provide for a 

 slight current in the water, because in 

 stagnant water rice is largely attacked 

 by a caterpillar which gets inside the 

 stalk and makes the plant £wilt. 

 Cultivation oj Rice in Dry Fields.— This 

 method is only practised in mountain 

 regions. The soil is tilled with the 

 plough or spade, or sometimes not at 

 all. For sowing, all that is done is to 

 dig holes with a hoe or spade 6 to 8 

 inches apart, and put down a few grains. 



Oryza montana and O. sativa are the 

 two species ganerally grown. The for- 

 mer is issued for dry rice fields and the 

 latter for flooded or wet rice fields. The 

 most frequent diseases of rice are caused 



by Leptocorisa acuta, an insect which 

 attacks the young ears and thus pre- 

 vents the formation of the grain ; 

 Tylenchus oryzce, a nematode which at- 

 taches itself to the roots ; the cater- 

 pillars of Nymphula stagnalis, Hesperio 

 philliona, etc., are likewise very fre- 

 quent; to prevent, their metamorphosis, 

 it is recommended to leave the field 

 flooded. 



For harvesting the rice, the ears are 

 cut one by one and then tied up in bun- 

 dles. These bundles are stacked and 

 conveyed to the storehouses. After the 

 crop, the land is very often allowed to 

 lie fallow for six months, or earth-nuts, 

 sweet potatoes and other quick grow- 

 ing vegetables are cultivated. 



Under native cultivation the average 

 yield per acre is 900 to 1,080 lb. of paddy. 

 With improved methods, yields of 2,700 

 to 3,600 lb. per acre are obtained, pro- 

 ducing about 80 % of dry rice. 



YIELD AND COST PRICE OF 

 CASSAVA ROOT IN REUNION 

 AND MADAGASCAR. 



(La culture du manioc) Colonie de Mada- 

 gascar et Dep.ndances. Bulletin econo- 

 mique, lOe annee, No. 1, p. 141-151. 

 Tananarive 2e semesstre 1910 (Receiv- 

 ed 24th August, 1911.) 



(Bulletin of the Bureau of Agricultural 

 Intelligence and Plant-Diseases. 



2nd Year— Numbers, 8, 9, 10. 

 August— September— October, 1911). 



Cultivated Cassava belongs to several 

 species of the genus Manihot or Jatropha. 

 The two best known species are the 

 Manihot utilissima and the M. aipi (or M. 

 Dulcis).* There are several varieties 



* The difference between the species Manioc 

 utilissima and aipi, based on the toxicity of the 

 former species, is far from being absolute. It 

 is certain that both contain hydrocyanic acid, 

 and, other conditions being equal, the Manihot 

 utilissima more than the aipi. Those interested 

 mclice to the view, however, particularly in 

 Reunion, that methods of cultivation and 

 habitat exercise a very great influence on the 

 formation of the poiion, and that the Manihot 



