i66 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1891 
suits him nobly; he can go “half to sleep’’ 
between the hanlles and yet manage to hold a 
pretty straight lurrow. But put him at any work 
that requires the slightest mental exertion or is 
otherwise than absolutely maohaniual, and he is 
at onoe out of hi» element and worri id aooontingly. 
In from ten days to six weeks, aooording to 
the season and temperature, the “ strelob water" 
is put on, and aooording to the exact stage in 
which the young sprout is at the time, is called 
either the "atretoh from the point” or the " strelob 
from the fork.” 
The careful planter always endeavors to atretoh 
from the point. It is well known that in ail 
vegetation certain roots and sets of roots beneath 
correspond with oertain leaves or other portions 
of the plant auove, and this is especially true 
of rice, the greatest care being necessary in 
watching their relative developments. 
As soon as the germ root pushes out under- 
neath the grain in search lor food, a minute 
point is visible above ground, reaching up for 
I’-'-t e d This is the embryo stalk, and 
0 ' ' ' itu the germ root. The plant is 
lu the proper stage tor torciug, and the 
stretch water should be put on at onoe. 
It sometimes happens, however, that the water, 
from tidal or other causes, is delayed, and the 
point, which is similar to that of barley or wheat, 
only sharper and mors delicate, divides and 
assumes the ” fork” stage, and the stretch that 
follows is from the fork instead of from the point. 
The contingency is undesirable, as the plant is 
thereby somewhat lessened In vitality. 
The water is at first turned on deep entirely 
covering tbs sorfaoe of the squares, ano ihj young 
plant, drinking ill ihe life-giving fluid, commeuous 
10 rear its bead aloft and reach up fur light 
and air. The river wat r is seldom clean — always 
more or less tinged with mud — and the tender 
shoot battles manfully with its semi-transluaent 
covering to bask in the comforting rays of the sun. 
After the rice has become sutfloieutly stretched, 
or a few inches high— a period extending through 
from two to ten days — the water is slacked down 
to what is known as “ slack water gauge,” so as 
to show the tops of the plant and give it 
necessary air and sunshine. If the plant is longer 
than the water is deep, which is generally the 
cue., 1- floats its upper leaves on ihe surface 
in long waving lines across the squar e — a sin- 
gularly attractive and beautiful pictuio. 
It seldom happens, however, toat the whole 
plantation is under the same treatment at the same 
time ; lor, with five or six hundred acres to sow, 
it is a dilliuull matter in early epriug, with 
frequent interrnptionsfrom rains and bad weather, 
to seed down so large an acreage in time tor 
utilizing any one spring tide lor flowing. A large 
plantation will run flve or six grain dnlis at 
once, and put in sometimes sixty-five or seventy 
acres daily; but even with as rapid work as tUis 
it is impossible to get all in contemporaneously. 
Consequently it is a common thing to see perUaps 
one fourth of the squaree under the siretoh water ; 
another fourth unuer charge of the “gun iquad,” 
waiting lor the tender point to shoot ; another 
aeries under the sprout wakir, and the remainder 
in process of planting, all at once. This neoosaarily 
adUB greater interest and diversity to the process 
and prospect. 
Bometimes, too, the rice comes up mixed with 
“ volunteer tUia is the product of the grain shaken 
nut during the previous harvest and scattered 
broadcast over tue land. This can generally be 
removed by the hoe, but where it is very thick it 
sometimes neoessitatss rsploughing and seeding, thus 
Uugwiog l*t« a poitioo of tba crop. Ttiif Toluntcer 
rice is hardy and prolitic, and externally similar 
to white ricu, but the objectiou to it is tuat tUe 
berry is red, and greatly reduces the grade ol rice 
With which it is mixed, besides totally uufl.tiug 
it lor seed. To destroy this ubuuxious tare, the 
fields are sometimes thrown into dry crops for 
a year or two, or kept under water for a like lime. 
it Will be remembered that each square is under 
separate control, and except where two or mure 
are temporarily united by tUe check bauks wasUiug 
through, can bellowed and drained independently at 
the pleasure ol tue planter. 
A walk over the iiauks of a plantation at this 
period 18 replem wiiu interest i at every step tUe 
“ flildlers,” scurryiug from under your feet and 
duokiug into tUeir Uoles, each one, us Ue disappears, 
waving aloft in defiance Uis disproportionate mauicle. 
Yonder are small squads oi ueg.oes in twos and 
threes, dragging with luug wooden rakes the floating 
trash and stubble blown by tbe wind in masses 
against the tee bauks, and piling it on tUe pathways, 
Uver there the tattle ol the gram drills is heard 
eeeding uown the few belated squares. Here is 
the trunk-minder with bis assistant hard at work 
repuiiiug a leak. On the canal bank is the overseer 
iu cuusultatiun with the planter on bis uaily 
visit to tbe fields, me little sail boat rooking at 
the wharf down by the quarter, Atien.ion is called 
to a defective trunk or a dangerous bank ; elrutuh 
water, to-morrow, must be lurueil on numeber six 
and uumcer eigUi, and sprout water lot off troiu 
seventeen and tw..uty-lhree. The lung cutU of 
the submerged luermumeier re diawu in hand uver 
hand, ite reauing oarelull^ taken, auu lUe mean 
temperature oi tbe water for the moutU in tue 
overseer's handy note-book is cumpateU with that 
of last year, auU dependent operations UeunoeU and 
UelermiueU. From the high auU ury squares un 
the further siUe comes me casual pop of the 
musket, while ducks of uaws aud nuug.y crows 
circle overhead, awaitiog their opportunity to settle 
down on the sprouting grain. Fliery thing works 
in its appropriate groove and little le lett to oUaucs. 
The sireicb water ie held at the slack gauge 
from twenty to forty days, when the “ury routs” 
and the leaves coirespunding to it have pui, out. 
The amphibious and pampereu plant has now Uad 
enough of lie stimulaiiug rUough strictly leuiperauoe 
beverage, aud is ready fur a period ol “ prouibitiun, ” 
or dry growth. 
The deveiupment of the dry root is mtuifesbed 
to the skilled planter by its accumpanyiug and 
OorrsBpODUing leaves. To one iguoraut of tUe 
subject the external appearance of tUe plant would 
indicate nuluiug at ail, but me close stuieiit is 
lamiliar Wild every sUou. auu joint, ana leads (.ncir 
Story as from a piiuteU page, lionarally, Uowever 
the leaf alone is nut depended on,, out tor oertaiuty’s 
sake the plant itself is pulieu up and examined 
and if the dry root has atiaiuod a length oi from 
one naif to tnrea fourtus of an incU, the plant 
ie cunaidered ready fur tne change. 
Tne stretch water is now taken oil gradually 
thorough a perioU of two to three Uaya. As soou 
as the ground IS dry — and tuese rice lands are so 
thoroughly drained that they dry muon mure quickly 
than one would suppose — tUe piow aud tuo noe 
commence their work, sometimes the one preceding, 
sometimes theo.uer, but always at proper lu.ervais. 
(To be continued.) 
Tka VBBeDS yoiNiNB. — The growers of oinchona 
in Buuth Ameriea arc so disgusted at tne prices 
realised that many of them are foolishly rooting 
up highly productive trees, and planting tea snrabs 
ia their piaoe.— if, and, Q, Mail, 
