Jan. 1908.] 



45 



Edible Products. 



opposite side. Face ditches usually measure about 3 feet in width and 3 or 4 feet 

 in depth. The cauals are smaller than formerly. Some of the old canals, however, 

 measuring 6 feet deep and 40 feet wide are still extent. 



The state of the land, the kind of soil and the nature of the subsoil determine 

 the size of the held, which varies from 5 to 35 acres. Fields are laid off iu such a 

 way as to be well flooded and effectively drained. If the slope is considerable the 

 field is small. If the slope is gentle the field is large. Effective drainage, however 

 is not the only consideration in laying out the rice field. The land must be so graded 

 that the water will stand at about equal depths in all places. Canals and ditches 

 must be so constructed that each division may be independently flooded or drained- 



The surface, to be properly irrigated, should have a uniform grade. An 

 uneven surface requires more labour, produces smaller crops, and in the end damages 

 the crop itself. Too much water in some places, and too little iu others, soon show 

 injurious effects on the soil. On each field the crop does not ripen uniformly ; the 

 field shows alternate patches of yellow and green, and the grain when harvested is 

 found very inferior in quality. The planter whose crop is uniform in quality knows 

 the value of applying water evenly over the entire surface. The rice lands of the 

 Gulf and Atlantic State have a very gentle slope, and do not, as a rule, require 

 much grading. 



Drainage is very essential to rice culture. Planting, cultivating and 

 harvesting all depend, to a considerable extent, on drainage. On grounds insuffi- 

 ciently drained planting is never well done, for the ground cannot be put in con. 

 dition. Cultivation is greatly impeded, men cannot go on the fields to work, the 

 ground cannot be stirred, and weeds and noxious grasses flourish. 



Before the crop can be harvested it is necessary that the field be drained. 

 When the land is wet the harvester works at a great disadvantage ; the fields are 

 dug up by the labourers ; the surface becomes sodden and sour. On account of the 

 insufficient drainage the grain is often taken from the fields to some high place 

 where it is stacked and cured. 



Preparation of the Land.— In the Carolinas and Georgia the lands, as a 

 rule, are prepared for planting in December and January. The ground is ploughed 

 3 or 4 inches deep, run over with a disc harrow, and then a roller, breaking up the 

 clods and making the surface level and compact. In different sections the time for 

 ploughing varies and the methods differ. In some instances the soil is so stiff that it 

 is necessary to flood the fields before they can be ploughed. 



Rice is a shallow feeder. Some planters are, therefore, of the opinion that deep 

 ploughing is unnecessary. It might appear, however, that deep ploughing would 

 give new land each year for the plant. In upland culture the ground is prepared as 

 it is for corn, and in North Carolina the crop is raised in much the same way. 



On lands that are flooded by river that carry a rich sediment, sufficient 

 nutritive material may be deposited to insure its continued fertility. On lands not 

 so favourably situated the soil becomes greatly impoverished if some fertiliser is 

 not used. Many different kinds of fertilisers are in use in the rice belt. Among 

 these are cotton seed meal, blood and bone, kainit and tankage. The last named is a 

 special mixture for these lands. Most fertilisers contain a large percentage of potash, 

 and are spread with very satisfactory results. 



In North Carolina, where the upland rice is grown, fertilisers are little used. 

 But where they are used the product is heavier and the yield per acre greater. On 

 o le plantation in this State, where acid phosphate was experimented with, the 

 yield was 12 bushels more to the acre, and weighed 4 lb. more to the bushel. The 

 amount spread per acre was 300 lb. As a rule the application of fertilisers has been 

 followed by gains in the crops sufficient to make it a paying investment. 



{To be continued.) 



