Drug a and Medicinal Plants. 



504 



[December, 1910. 



could probably be gradually raised to 

 about m. 400 per kilo, in three or four 

 years. The cost of a plant for extract- 

 ing cocaine is estimated at m. 540,000, and 

 of a factory large enough to produce 

 10,000 kilos, of pure cocaine per annum 

 at another m. 20,000. The necessary 

 capital should be provided by the 

 planters themselves, so that they may 



have complete control, though an import- 

 ant French firm is stated to be willing 

 to provide the necessary capital, in 

 which case Dr. de Jong's correspondent, 

 who describes himself as having given 

 up cocaine-manufacture owing to the 

 present low prices, offers to undertake 

 the management of the factory and to 

 take preliminary trials in his own plant. 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



REPORT ON RICE AND COTTON 

 INVESTIGATIONS IN CHINA 

 AND JAPAN. 



By P. G. Krauss. 



(From the Hawaiian Forester, Vol. VII,, 

 No. 6, June, 1910.) 



(Continued from page hlk-) 

 To make the data here presented mor e 

 accessible, it has been arranged unde r 

 the following headings ; — 



1. Varieties of Rice and their Improve- 

 ment. 



2. Diseases and Pests of Rice. 



3. Fertilisation and Experiments. 



4. Agricultural Practice. 



I. Varieties op Rice and Their 



Improvement. 

 One of the main objects of the investi- 

 gation in Japan was to study their 

 varieties of lice at first-hand, and to 

 secure, if possible, varieties better suited 

 to Hawaiian conditions from cultural 

 and consumers' standpoints. After tra- 

 velling through the principal rice-grow- 

 ing sections and consulting rice special- 

 ists in several Experiment Stations, the 

 following four varieties were determined 

 upon as most likely to meet our require- 

 ments : — 



No. 1. Considered the best variety 

 grown in Japan. Fairly early and a 

 fair yield er ; 100 clumps gave an average 

 of sixteen fruiting culms per clump ; 

 shows inclination to lodge. 



No. 2. A most promising new variety, 

 considered of finest culinary quality. 

 Bears heavy, compact panicles ; yields 

 well and matures rather early. Aver- 

 ages eighteen fruiting culms per clump. 

 On the whole this rice impressed me as 

 one nearly ideal. 



No, 3, The standard varidty of Japan, 

 and the rice principally exported to 

 Hawaii. Goodyielder; maturing some- 

 what late. Bearded, a type not liked 

 by the Hawaiian grower, but so strong- 

 ly recommended by the Experiment 

 Stations that it was included. 



No, 4. Another standard variety of 

 more recent development than No. 3. A 

 late variety ; stands up well and pro- 

 duces twenty to thirty fruiting culms 

 per clump. Considered by the writer 

 cne of the most promising varieties- 



With the assistance of the Kyushu 

 and Yamaguchi Stations, 100 pounds of 

 select seed of each of these varieties 

 was purchased for general distribution 

 among Hawaiian planters. The seed 

 is expected here by the transport due 

 December 5th, and should arrive in 

 ample time for spring planting. 



In addition to securing the above 

 stocks for general planting the Kinai 

 and Yamaguchi Stations offered the 

 privilege of selecting a number of indi- 

 vidual breeding plants from among their 

 pedigree plots. This collection, together 

 with stocks secured subsequently, con- 

 sists of about 150 varieties, and will be 

 grown in comparative tests during the 

 coming year. 



Our hope of producing a rice accept- 

 able to the large Japanese population of 

 the Islands, which now imports 750,000 

 of rice annually from Japan, would 

 seem to rest upon some one or several 

 of these varieties. It is intended to 

 grow pedigree stocks from the selec- 

 tions which were thus secured, and to 

 develop superior strains as rapidly as 

 possible, distributing them among the 

 rice growers as soon as sufficient seed 

 is available. 



The rice breeding work conducted at 

 the Kinai Branch Station seemed to the 

 writer unique in its extent, thoroughness 

 and achievement. With the view of 

 establishing the identity of the numer- 

 ous varieties of rice grown in Japan, 

 and to clear the nomenclature, in 1909 

 a systematic collection of rice seed from 

 all parts of the Empire was undit taken. 

 Four thousand different lots of seed 

 were collected. The plants grown from 

 these various seed lots were studied and 

 compared for a period of six years, and 

 have finally been grouped under 660 

 more or less constant varieties or 

 strains, which are believed to be suffi- 

 ciently distinct to be classified. 



