Jan. i, 1895.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
441 
BICE GROWINO AND ITS PREPARA- 
TION FOR MARKET. 
By R. W. McCulloch. 
(Published by Department of Ayriculture, Queensland.) 
(Concluded from paye 373.) 
EICE SOILS. 
Provided the water supply, be it rainfall or 
irrigation, is ample, rice can be gro *n on almost any 
eoil, and throughout tin ye u\ But the "beau ideal" 
of a good ric 1 soil is a naturally stiff clay, having 
an abundance of silica and p Hash. The roots of the 
rice plant are very delicate; goo 1 tilth is absolutely 
necessary to ' liable the tender root'ets to push their 
wty down. The Ca olina rice has much longer roots 
than 'he ordinary Bengal varieties, due entirely to 
the deeper cu! tivation, he ee perm-ability of the soil 
enabling the roots to g-t lower down. In the Bengal, 
methods of cultivation 3 to 4 inches is the loweit 
depth of tilth, and under this is a har ) p>d, hence 
the roots are shorter and travel laterally in search 
of food, and w re no water provid j d the pi nits could 
not survive. It is certain that varieties of paddy im- 
ported fr mi B ;ngal and treated to scientific farming 
would develop eood mot growth, and in the course 
of time with care r ul seed selection, a va iety could, 
be p oduced which would really be a dryland crop 
— that is, entirely indepeud-nt of added moisture, 
and one not likely to fail w th a m 'derate brought, 
as by having longer ro 'ts, and g >o 1 tilth being 
provided, the plant would r ceive nou ishment from 
the subsoil, which in the driest of seasons has a 
sufficiei cy of moisture if get-at-able by the plant. 
There need be no fear when entering on rice culti- 
va io 1 at the wan' of a market ; the existing demaid 
is ample to guarantee a financial success. Where 
it is seei that rice cultivation is being taken 
up, the mill-owner wi'l not be i ng in followi >g. 
In th i event of our far me s having 'o consume their 
own crops or pu it into pigs for a tirn ), they would 
still be th • gainers. Further on i' will be hhown 
how small quantities of paddy may be prepared for 
home consumption. 
CULTIVATION OF KICE. 
The farmer having decided on the variety of rice he 
intends goi <g for — say any one of the virieties of the 
" ans " or "aman" crops — will proceed to get his 
land ready. If in'endi >g >o plant the " aus," or so- 
called " upl nd " varieties, all he his to do is to 
select a piece of land, from a quarter to one acre 
in area, on the highest part of his farm, on a slope 
if possible, or even on a level bit if the country 
behind is higher, so as to catch the rainwater, if 
necessary, by raising nn embankment. H-i will 
plough, cross-plough, and harrow this lau 1, and bring 
it to as flue * degree of tilth as p ssible. The land 
should be got ready against the first rains, say the 
en I of Sap. ember or begiuniug of October. 
swing seed. 
There are three methods of doing this: (1) Broad- 
cast; (2)in dril's; (3) t ansplanting from a nursery. 
Of the three system! the laot is by fir th» best, as 
it imures a greate- regularity in the crop, is a 
great saving of seed, and what is of infinite importance, 
superiority in weight and fulness of grain is attained 
by it, hence increas d nutri ive qui'ities. This third 
method is necessary with the " ainan " varieties 
Having got th • land ready as obovemention d, as 
soon as possible after th 1 first rain falls the land 
should bo immediately cross-p'oughed again and 
harrowed, and if broadcasting or drilling be decided 
on, the seed immediately sown, and the land harrowed 
ovor with a bush lurrow. If he sows broadcast, 60 lb. 
of seed will be p'enty: if in d ills, 12 inches or more 
apart, 4) lb. will be ample. Noth n^ m ire need be 
done. If the lind was clean, the weeds will not 
trouble. Ai beforo slid, the "am" varietios are 
quick growers, and wi I soon cover th ) ground. 
If t \o f vrmar docida on planting " amm " varieties, 
aul by trvmpUn'.inj, he uiuit prjpj.ro a nursery, 
the area of which, to plant an acre from, should 
be 30 feet square, or tw > or three tuch beds 10 feet 
or 12 feet square may be made near the field to 
be planted. If only a quarter of an acre is to be 
plant d, then a bed 19 f et square, or three beds 
6 feet square, will be necessary. The amount of seed 
required for a nursery to plant one aci'e will be about 
8 lb , and for a quarter of an acr^ 2 lb. That these 
n'irseries must be thoroughly ploughed and the soil 
well pulverised need ha dly be said. As the space 
required is so small, this work should be thoroughly 
done, the object being to get vigorous plants. 
The seed shou d be steeped in water for twelve 
hours to assist germination; it i * then sown in the 
beds and lightly raked over. The seed beds must 
be kept moist, in the absence of rain, by the use 
of the watering-can. In making a nursery, it is 
always best to use a little extra seed, and select the 
best plants for transplanting. The nursery will be 
ready for transplanting in three weeks. Some judg- 
ment will have to b ■ exercised in getting thi3 
nursery ready, so as to hit off the proper time; 
for it will not do to have the nursery ready too 
early, and b fore enough rain falls to enable its being 
planted ou". But should this occur, on no account 
should the transplanting be delayed longer than a 
w-ek more; for if the field is in good tilth it is 
better to put the plan s oat when three or four weeks 
old than to wait five or six w eks for rain ere doing 
so. In lifting th* plants from the nursery they are 
simply pulled up by the hand and tied in bundles 
and carried on to the field, where they are d bble 1 
in, putting two or three pla its in each of the holes, 
which are about 6 inches to 9 inches apart. Regularity 
of lines is not essential. Three uoen should plant an 
acre in a day. N) fu th r attention is required till 
the crop begins to ripen. If the farmer has had to 
transp ant from the nursery to save the s edlings 
getting too old, he will be wise if he raises an 
embankment about 4 inches high all round the lower 
end and two sides of the field, so as to catch the 
rainwater and give the la d a good soaking. Thi) 
can be done cheaply and speedily by turning up a 
couple of furrows with the plough. In transplanting, 
it is ofien the custom to crop the tops as well as 
the roots of the seedlings, when pulled from the 
nursery, before planting them out, the reason being 
that it not only makes the plants handier for trans- 
plan ing, but prevents their falling down and the 
remaiuiug leave 1 withering, as growth begins at once. 
This system has a good deal to recommend it, and 
is advicated. 
To sum up, the " aus " or dry land rice requires 
a moderate rainfall to insure success, and can be 
treated in exactly the same way as wheat is cultivated, 
wher as the " aman " or wet rice requires to be 
planted just before the heavy rains set in, requires 
wet weather during tho whole pe iod of growth, and 
should, if possible, have au inch or two of water 
a'ways on the field, best secured by raising a low 
embankment all round the field to retain the rain- 
water or irrigatio • adopted. The lan I for the '■aman" 
does not require to be exactly a swamp, as for the 
" boro " varieties; bnt should be next door to a 
swamp — very wet during the whole period of growth. 
Possibly a spell of dry weather may be experienced 
about the time nursery is ready to transplant, or 
shortly after transplanting has been effected, in which 
case toe prospects of the crjp may bs jeopardised. 
The following cut is a modification of what is known 
here iu Queensland as a "wihp." aud in Oriental 
countries as the " Picco'ta " or lever water-lift, used 
(ill over tho E'ist for irrigating land, aud consists 
simply of one forked sapling to which is fastened 
an >; hur sap ing, having a bucket attached at one end, 
and a counterpoise in the shape of a long or a bag 
of sand at the other. This primitive appliance ne<da 
no en ineering skill to set up or work, aud rather 
than stand y and a'low one's crop to perish, might 
with advantage be adopted. 
The appl ianee works well and cheaply for lifting 
water from a depth of 12 feet, over that depth it 
becomes cost ly. 
Tho folio wing calculations from " 1'rofessional 
T npors," Vol. I., will illustrate what can be done jn 
