JUNIS 1908.J 



539 



Scientific Agriculture, 



readily adopted is Pappankulam and the; 

 adjaceut villages where the ryots have 

 long been familiar with the system 

 known as Pathiyam or Sathu, i.e., having 

 a second nursery before transplanting 

 and of economising seed and seedlings. 

 It is a noteworthy fact that both in 

 Sankaranayanarkoil and Ambasamu- 

 dram Taluks wheuever the second nur- 

 sery is used, a smaller quantity of seed 

 is sown within a given area as compared 

 with other Taluks. The seedlings are 

 consequently thick and strong and the 

 ryots have understood the advantage of 

 planting a smaller number of seedlings 

 about 3 to 5 in each tuft, while the prac- 

 tice is to plant from 10 to 20 seedlings iu 

 other parts of the district. The ryots 

 being already familiar with the economy 

 of seed and seedlings have readily adopt- 

 ed the system of single planting even 

 in Pathiyam, (i.e.,) when transplanted 

 from second nursery which is a further 

 improvement iu the economy of seed. 



Objections- — The chief objections raised 

 by the ryots to this system are :— 



(1) The transplanted seedliugs will 

 rot and decay if there be an excess of 

 rain or an excess of water-supply, and 

 that the system cannot therefore be 

 successfully adopted in low-lying lands. 



(2) Single planting will give room to 

 the abundant growth of weeds. 



(3) Unless the land is naturally rich 

 or is heavily mauured, the system can- 

 not produce good results. 



(4) The yield of grain would be less ; 

 because the popular belief is, that, one 

 grain planted would yield only 21 grains 

 in an average crop, on which supposition 

 the standards of measures and land 

 measurements have been regulated iu 

 this district. Twenty-one marakals are 

 therefore taken to constitute one Kottah 

 — which is the highest standard of 

 measurements— (112 Madras measures) of 

 grain, and the extent of land from which 

 this quantity of grain is ordinarily 

 obtained is taken as 1 marakal (i.e.) 8 

 cents. So the popular belief is that the 

 less is the quantity of seed sown the less 

 should be tne yield. 



(5) The yield of straw will be less. 



(0) A larger extent of nursery would 

 be necessary for the single planting 

 system to produce vigorous plants. 



(7) The central stock which was 

 planted first matures quicker than the 

 subsequent tillers, and consequently 

 there is much loss sustained by shedding 

 of grain. 



(8) The system will entail more labour 

 for planting as detaching of single seed- 

 lings would take more time. 



(9) There is a greater risk of the single 

 plants being damaged to a larger extent 

 by insect pests and diseases. 



The above are very frivolous objec 

 tions as has been proved by experience* 

 Owing to their sowing in nurseries, seed" 

 lings are always thick and vigorous, and 

 when planted singly Avithstand any 

 amount of rain and stagnation of water. 

 A single stool has, on an average, ten 

 tillers all bearing ear heads, and the 

 number of grain in each ear-head-being 

 on an average 150. Thus lor each seed, 

 1,500 grains are obtained. This proves 

 the absurdity of the popular belief as to 

 yield. It has to be admitted that the 

 expenses of weeding are a little higher 

 in single planted area than elsewhere; 

 but the idea that the cost of transplant- 

 ing would be greater is incorrect. From 

 experience, no special damages result 

 from the late maturity of the ear heads 

 from tillers. On the other hand all the 

 ear-heads are of uniform length in single 

 planted area and the grain is close 

 packed. The number of grain in each 

 ear-head of ordinary planting averages 

 100, in places where single planting 

 yields on an average 150 per ear-head. 

 The system of the ordinarily planted 

 paddy being thin, the crop lodges when 

 the grain is ripening, while the single 

 planted crop stands erect even after 

 maturity. Experience has also shown 

 that the gross yield of a particular area 

 is in no way less than that planted in an 

 ordinary way. The quantity of straw 

 appears to be less in single planted lands, 

 but the yield of straw by weight is 

 almost equal to that of the crop planted 

 in the ordinary way. The popular fear 

 that single plants are liable to be des- 

 troyed or damaged by disease or insect 

 pests, has been proved to be incorrect ; 

 the reason being that the single seedlings 

 are sturdy and healthy and consequently 

 resist attacks of disease and uests. 



The system of single planting has been 

 in practice only for the last two or three 

 years. Within such a short time it has 

 spread well and is being appreciatad by 

 ryots. There is not the slighest doubt 

 that this system would spread through- 

 out the district within the near future. 



H. E. HOUGHTON. 



P. RAJARATNA MUDAL1AR, 



Honorary Secretin ies. 



