CO>fJ)'iUlPTION OF WATER IN RICE FIELDS. 



409 



on the same area ; but this apparent mystery must be due, as Dr. 

 W. Detmer says/'Ho the error above pointed out of calculating- the 

 quantity of evaporation from the results of experiments made in 

 small plots with isolated plants, by simple multiplication. If we 

 equalize as much as possible the conditions of the plants used for 

 experiment and those of the plants in ordinary fields, the quantity 

 of evaporation from the plants used for experiment will perhaps 

 decrease, and the result of multij^lication of this quantity by the 

 number of plants contained in a certain area in the field will not 

 show such a great discrepancy with the quantity of rain that falls 

 on the same area. This remark I owe to Prof. Dr. D. Kitao, my 

 teacher. 



The rice experimented on last year was Shiratama, a sort of var. 

 Japonica, the seed of which I selected by a salt solution having the 

 specific gravity of 1.12. The selected seeds were steeped in water 

 on the 25th oT April, and were sown on the 5th of May. I planted 

 15 seedlings in one batch in a pot on the i8th of June. As already 

 stated no water was drained in this experiment through the soil in 

 the pot. The plants grew, however, apparently in a normal 

 condition, sending out 19 shoots between the ist and the 9th of 

 September, and ripening on the 20th of October. The quantity 

 of water evaporated from the plants and from the ordinary water 

 surface during the experiment was as follows : — 



Date, 

 (noon — noon) 





1 Evaporation of water /rom 



Weather. 



ordinary 

 water 

 surface. 



one batch- 



(=15 

 plants) of 

 rice, 

 (nne; 



18. 



June— 20. June. 



Clear. 



12.4 



0054 



20. 



)) — 22. ,, 



Cloudy and a lilllc rain. 



3-S 



0.021 



22. 



„ -24. 



Clear. 



8.6 



0.057 



24. 



„ —26. 



Clear except one single shower. 



10.8 



0.046 



26. 



—28. 



Clear. 



1 1.2 



0.034 



28. 



—30- 





10.7 



0.088 





„ — 2. July. 



it 



12.2 



0.040 



2. 



July — 4. 





12.6 



0.170 



(I) Die Naturwissenschaftlichcn Grundlagen der allgemeinen Bodenkunde, P. 245. 



