December, 1909.] 



507 



Edible Products. 



its action as it has to be converted into a 

 nitrate before it is available to plants. 

 It might be mentioned here that 66 

 parts of sulphate of ammonia are equi- 

 valent to 17 parts of ammonia and to 14 

 parts of nitrogen ; this is a point worth 

 remembering, as nitrogen in a manure 

 analysis is often expressed as ammonia. 



Bones treated and untieated have 

 been largely used on some estates, but 

 the results have not been as good as one 

 would anticipate from their analysis. 

 Potash is a fertiliser that is seldom 

 needed for heavy soils, but bhils and 

 light soils are often in need of this 

 constituent. Wood-ashes, some of which 

 contain as much as 10 percent, of potash, 

 and 3 per cent, to 6 per cent, of phosphoric 

 acid, are always valuable as potassic 

 manures ; but they must be protected 

 from rain. The cheapest potash ferti- 

 liser is kainit, but, on the whole, sul- 

 phate of potash appears to give better 

 results on tea soils ; it usually costs more 

 in proportion, but there is less bulk to 

 carry and deal with. 



Artificial manures are generally used 

 because, in most cases, the food they 

 contain is in a readily available form. 

 Curiously enough the ready availability 

 of concentrated artificial fertilisers is 

 sometimes used as an argument against 

 them, when compared with "lasting" 

 manures. But as the plant-food in the 

 manure represents so much capital, it is 

 the object of the planter to realise the 

 interest on his outlay as quickly as 

 possible. A well chosen artificial manure 

 should act decisively on the bushes and 

 should show a balance on the right side. 

 Success in planting in the future un- 

 doubtedly lies in the application of 

 scientific methods, and the planter who 

 would succeed beyond his fellows will do 

 well to ascertain, by confirming facts 

 for himself, by observation and experi- 

 ment, 



Thea. 



RICE CULTIVATION IN LOW-LYING 

 LAND IN BURMA. 



By Khan Bahadur Mirza Abdul 

 Hosain, 

 Moulmein. 



(From the AgriculturalJournal of India, 

 Vol. IV, Pt. III., July, 1909.) 

 There are extensive tracts of low land 

 in Lower Burma which are lying waste 

 owing to their being inundated during 

 the latter portion of the rainy season in 

 August and September. In some places 

 the water rises four or five feet high. 

 When the water subsides, sowing or 



transplanting cannot be done as the rains 

 cease in the beginning of October ; nor 

 are these tracts fit for cold weather 

 cultivation because such crops do not 

 get the few necessary showers. 



It appeared to me that the method of 

 cultivation in vogue amongst Burmans 

 was faulty, and that by altering the 

 method it might be possible to combat 

 the floods successfully. 



The method practised by Burmese in 

 this district is to begin ploughing after 

 the rains have well set in and the land 

 becomes soft. Sowing or transplanting 

 is done generally in July. In August — 

 the month of floods— the paddy plants 

 are only about two feet high, and when 

 submerged for a few days they perish. 



It occurred to me that if the ploughing 

 could be done in the dry weather, and 

 the sowing before or immediately after 

 the setting in of the rains, at least two 

 months would be gained, and the plants 

 might be tall enough in August to resist 

 or survive the floods. But two difficulties 

 were suggested against this change. 

 First, that land could not be ploughed ; 

 and, secondly, if the sowing were early, 

 the crops would mature correspondingly 

 earlier, i.e., before the rainy season was 

 over, and that, therefore, reaping and 

 threshing would be practically im- 

 possible while the rainy season conti- 

 nued . 



It became also clear to me that the 

 country ploughs could not plough dry 

 land, but it might be possible to over- 

 come this difficulty by other appliances 

 or improved ploughs ; besides, if ttie 

 plants got into ear correspondingly 

 earlier, the continuance of the rains 

 would retard their maturity and thus 

 make the grain fuller and richer. 



I accordingly decided to make an ex- 

 periment. I imported a few English 

 ploughs from Messrs. Ransomes, Sims, 

 and Jefferies, of Ipswich, and began 

 ploughing in January. For the first 

 three or four days it was uphill work, 

 and my men regarded the use of the 

 ploughs as hopeless. After some per- 

 severance the men learnt to handle them. 

 These ploughs did good work when 

 yoked each to two buffaloes. My men 

 have since discarded country ploughs in 

 favour of Ransomes' English ploughs 

 both for dry and wet weather ploughing. 

 The kinds marked E. C. and S. R. A. W. 

 in Ransomes' catalogue are most in 

 favour, though we use some of the 

 smaller kinds for lighter work. 



Having finished ploughing, I began 

 sowing. For broadcasting the Burmau 

 soaks the seed two or three days to 

 sprout. The practice, though alright 

 when water is standing in the fields, 



