231 
REPORT ON RICE AND COTTON INVESTIGATIONS 
IN CHINA AND JAPAN- 
By F. G. Krauss. 
( Continued from July issue.) 
IV. AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE. 
Rice is the staple product of Japan, and over fifteen million 
acres are devoted to its cultivation. Owing to the low tem- 
peratures of winter and spring, it is grown only as a sum- 
mer and fall crop, except in restricted areas.* The land, how- 
ever, is cultivated continuously, wheat and barley, as a win- 
ter crop, alternating with rice. 
The rice used for seed is usually taken from selected plants 
of the previous season. Before it is sprouted it is subjected to 
the ‘"water-selection” test; the seed is immersed in a salt 
solution of 200 to 500 grams of salt to a liter of water. Only 
those seeds that sink are used. The seeds are allowed to soak 
in fresh water until sprouted, when they are sown broadcast 
in nursery beds. This is done in the latter part of April, for 
slow-maturing varieties; for quick-maturing varieties, in the 
early part of May. 
The nursery beds are carefully prepared beforehand and 
are usually fertilized with a compost consisting of night soil, 
oil-seed cake and superphosphate. The following formula 
was furnished by the Fukuoka Demonstration Station: 
GENERAL MANURE FOR RICE SEED-BED OF ONE TAN.* 
Kwan. 
N. 
P2O5. 
K 2 O. 
Compost Manure — Horse, 
cow and pig manure; 
with about 1/10 human 
excrement and in bulk 
of loam 
160 
0.800 
0.416 
1.008 
Fgeces — Night soil 
80 
0.456 
0.104 
0.216 
Oil Seed Cake— Rape seed 
cake 
5 
0.252 
0.100 
0.065 
Superphosphate of Lime. . . . 
5 
0.750 
Total 
250* 
1.508 
1.370 
1.978 
* 1 tan = .245098 acres. 1 1 
! A kwan = 
9.264462 lbs. 
* In southern China two and even three crops are grown annually as 
in Hawaii 
