372 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dfx. i, 1894. 
consumption over 3,200 tons, valued at £45,889. The 
greater portion of this rice came from Hongkong. 
Australasia imports annual y nearly 20,000 tons, worth 
£250,000. Allowing 30 bushels as the average yield 
per acre of paddy, i* will require close in 18,000 acres 
of land ui)der paddy to produce the quantity of rice 
at present a .nual y imported into ihess colonies. 
Bice cu'tivation has been in e:;istouce in Queensland, 
principally in the hands of Chinamen, for some years 
past. In 1886 there w^re 837 acres uod^ rice in the 
Colony ; in 1889 this area decreased to 249 a?rc8, and 
in 1890 a slight inci - eare is observed, the area being 
300 acres, - 16 acres in the Southern portion of the 
Colony and 284 in the Northern. The produce of 
887 acres in 1886 amounted to 1,711,320 lb., in 1888 
249 acres yielded 230,781 lb., while in 1890 300 acr s 
yielded 590,989 lb. Since 18S<; there has beeu a very 
great fal ing off. The cause is not far to seek — a 
want of judicious seed selectim, the c op produced 
from inferior or old seed being liable to parasitic or 
fungi attacks, which was the case in 1HS7 and 1888, 
Of the total amount of rice produced in 1890, Cairns 
supplied 367,520 lb. from 164 acres. Port Douglas, 
with an are* of 61 acres furi-hed 77,680 lb. Cooktowo, 
62,445 lb. from 37 acres, and Mackay, 57,581 lb. from 
22 acres. It will be seen from these figures that 
the average yic d per acre at Cairns was just 1 tOD, 
Port Doughs just under j of a ton, Cooktown just 
over \ of a ton, and Mackay, ov r 1 ton. The 16 
acres in the Southern porti n of the C dony yielded 
25,760 lb. of rice, or an average of nearly zl uushels 
per acre. 
SUITABLENESS OF QUEENSLAND FOR RICE CULTIVATION. 
There can be no two questions about this. Queens- 
land, as the above statistics show, is eminently 
suited to the growth of this cereal. We have here 
the rainfall, temperature and soil best adapted to the 
growth of the plant. The average yield per acre 
obtained in 1890 was over 32 bushels, whi e the average 
obtained in Iniia does Dot exceed 12, Within the 
last few years the Indian Government have spent 
a Jarge amount of money, time, and patience in 
trying to educate the nitives out of their prehistoric 
methods of culi iva' ing rice, wi h the result that where 
n proved ploughs were used and deeper cul iv-»tioj 
given, a yield of 40 bushels per acre ha^ loeen ob ained. 
This onl> serves to show ihat with lur rich soils 
and modern farming methods and appliances an 
average yield of from 60 to 70 bushels per acre cm 
and should be obtained. Mr, McPherson, in his ex- 
peiiments in Brisbane, ontaiued at the rate of 68 
oushels per acre. t«i the Mackay district 2 J tons to 
the acie, value £20 per acre, W8ji got by Mr. Thomas 
in 1887. In the previous year, 84 bushel per acre was 
the return. Queensland possesses immense trao's of 
what are commonly designated wretched swamps, 
and there is scarcely a farm in the whole Colony 
which has not a few acres of this sort of couuiry; 
but it is not fully recognised that these v^ry s>me 
swamps can be made to produce untold wealth ; were 
the value of rice cultivation more generally knowD, 
thousands of acres of sacb. swamps would in a short 
while be transformed into waving i a idyfields, sur- 
rouuded by the cottages of a prosperous and contented 
community. The knowledge requisite for rice-growiii g 
can be easily imparted, no very great agricultural 
skill being wanted. On the Herbert Kiver innumer- 
able acres of the fines, pad^ laud tbe writer ever 
saw are lying fallow, and the same is to be said of 
almost every district in the North. AYhether the 
cultivation of rice in Queensland will stand by itaa f 
or not, there can be no doubt ahout its being a 
valuable adjunct to other products. Bice is an article 
for which the demand is not at all likely to decrease, 
a nd with an increased cheap produc ion an increased 
consumption must come about. 
PROLIFIC NATURE OF RICE. 
The following extract from the Florida Despatch is 
sufficiently interesting to warrant insertion in this 
paper, as showing the prolific nature of rice; — "There 
came up in my garden in a hole of water, may be 
6 inches deep, a single grain of rice. It produced 
piore than ninety heads at tin first crop, and over 
110 at the second. The first crop was stripped from 
the heads, and the grain poured into water, and tbe 
imperfect grai' s floa ed < ff . Then the ruasa was 
measured with a spoon. The spoon was filled three 
time" and each spoonful counted by itself. The hree 
were then added and an average struck. Equal care 
was bestowed on the 6econd cop. The wh^U nauber 
of grains from tha*. one grain I found to be 25,706." 
VAHIKTIE8 OF BICE. 
The varieties of rice cultivated nowadays are so 
numerous it is utterly impoBsib'e 'o specify them. In 
India alone there are several hundred varie ies, the 
classifying of which is further complica'ed by their 
having different names in d fferent localities. Tue 
prevalent cus oni has been to classify them according 
to the reasons in which they are sown. AH these 
enumerable varieties, therefor*, have been classed 
under the following th ee heads :—" Aus," "amaa," 
and " boro." 
The "aus." early crop, so cal'ed been use it is sown 
in the sprin?, c mprises all the varieties that do not 
r. quire Hooding and are grown cn higher lauds. 
Tliese varieties are known in European countries no 
"upland or mountain ric»." Ar ry mistaken notion 
is previl»nt abou- this " upland " rice, some people 
b-ing under the inipressiju thit it ia entirely a dry 
land rice — tha*. is to say, it is independent of water 
either in the shape of rain or irrigation, fh greater 
delusion can be imagined. Hie is au aquatic plant, 
pure and simple, and requires a fair amount of water 
or moiture for its successful cultivation, Be it 
planted on the top of a mountain or ii a swamp, 
moisture it must hive, either in the shape of rain, 
irrigation, or a naturally moi tsoil. It is tru*. bow* 
ever, that there are certain varieties of "suj" rice 
which require les6 water 'han others, notablv the 
"jetka" and "chally," cultivated principally n the 
Bankura district in India. S me highly valued 
varieties are also raised in Burmah. In Biam a variety 
known as " na moong " procurable in Bangkok, is also 
said to possess this proper. y. and is highly prized ; 
in addition to requiring less water it is said to need 
less attention during growth. In Assam, on the Garo 
Hills, a variety is grown which is as ne-rly a dry 
land rice as can be grown. In Madagascar, again, 
a variety known as •' rajafat-ky " as also the eame 
properti s. The famous Carolina rice, so much 
thought of in the Unit d Stttes, is nothing more 
nor Ussthan this same " rajafatsky " variety, altered 
by car<ful setd selection and improv.d cultivation; 
till now some of the choicest ludian varieties of 
rice aregroAn from Ca>ol na ;eed. Another curious 
point about tlrs so-call-d ' upland " rice is that it can 
be grown under exactly the same conditions as tha 
swamp lice and give exactly the same results — thai 
ti io say, "upland'' r ce planted in a 6w-.mp will 
produce as good a crop as if planted on a dry ijdge 
and the same can be said of the swamp rice «hen 
planted on a dry ridge. This is no iheory but actml 
fact, as anyone who k ows anything about rice culiiva- 
tion can prove. The "aus," as its name implies, ia 
an early crop, and is a quick grower, some va ieties 
ripen'ns in two months. The quantity of this crop 
grown in India, is limited, being very much smaller 
than any of 'he others. These extra, dry vaiieties 
a e not considered quite so nourishing as the swamp 
or wet rice, nor so palatable. 
The "amiu" — literally cold weather — is a late crop, 
and is reckoned the most important — in fact, it is the 
staple crop, and where this fails famine is the result. 
The varieties grown under this head all requ re a 
good deal of water in the shape either of rain or 
irrigation to insure successful crops. A variety in 
Siam known as " na soon" is said to be far superior 
to > ny of the Indian varieties, commanding the 
highest pricj in Siam. This would be worth import- 
ing here. All the " aman " varieties are firsi crown 
in nurseries, and transplanted when three we ks old 
on to the fields, which are prepare! by being puddled 
— that is to say, after the land is well ploughed, and 
just before the time for planting arrives, water islet 
on to the field, and the soil puddled, by tramping 
about on it. However, this pudiliugis not absolutely 
easeutialj provided the soil is soft and moist when. 
