work did not begin ower ox tonal arena until October 1* Threshing 
oomosnoed et onoe* Many fajjlldt of lut* rice were slow in maturing owing 
to Into sending, scarcity of water or for other reasons* ions of this 
weald not ripen at all while other fields would oome in during Koweaber* 
The balk of the harvest come in October and the first part of Hovember* 
In rice fields grown on the low lying alkali lands there wore 
many places that did not drain properly for-sori^ open lakes and ponds in 
the rice fields* Around and in these were abundant growths of weede 
« • 
known to the rice growers att "Water gross." The aost coarnon of these 
were the Barnyard grass ( Kehiaoohloa crus - gulll ) and Psatbor grass 
■ 
( Laptoohlos fasoioularis ). Joint grass ( Paspolum diatiohun ) was less 
i\ • \ - * f . *. , . & 4* > *■ L r • 1 ^ . 
•* *. • * . - .* > ».* ' ( r -> " *. , # .* t , • ■ . 11 I , | I 
abundant* In land used for rice for the first season those grasses 
were not abundant, bat unless carefully cut out greatly increased the 
following year* 
Land used for the thrl4 year v-as often so foul with these weede 
■ 
that at tines they predominated over the growth of rioe* The seeds of 
• , ■*, * L / • * , , *-'ir • * i 
•”* 7 .• r , - . , f' ’ ’ , , » * ' I 4 '» 
these grasses began to mature by the first of September* 
Damage to Bios by Ducks. 
. 
Large Tracts of rice planted on tbs "alkali" or goose lands ad- 
■ , •' • * • 
,n. - ' ■- •' 2 ' "?• • : : 
Joined sloughs and swamps that are more or less permanent and that her- 
• \ <*• ‘ r V , ■ *• •*-,*- • • * •' • »4" \ • • V , • e •' ' * f />• I uW • I 
* • - > • • .« • * •s *» »■ : r - .• ♦ - .•*, .] v t* -i ij.- & ■ . * 1 is* ^ 
bor many duoke. Many ducks are reared in extensive marshes bordering 
* 
the Sacramento Biver and during late summer many more come in here after 
breeding elsewhere to rest and feed. The bulk of the latter ere Pin- . 
tails* In September from 16,000 to 20,000 pinteils wore to be found 
on a broad area of wster known as the "Though" six miles eeet of Maxoell, 
and a similar flook of perhaps 10,000 birds rested on the Butte Creek 
