Rice. 113 
Such a nursery can be prepared for 82 cents. Nine strong 
women or very ordinary lads can dibble one acre in a 
day, and the same number can reap the grain with 
ordinary grass knives. The birds are kept off by scare- 
crows, and children knock a tin pan, for which an allow- 
ance of $1 20 per acre may be allowed ; weeding and 
burying the grass and other stray plants, $1 50 per acre ; 
heading, carrying to barn, threshing and dressing for 
market, including sack, 15 cents per bag. Thus summing 
up 1 acre 1 crop : — 
i Bag rice, preparing nursery $ o 82 
Cutting and burning stubble ... ... ... ... 2 CO 
Hoeing up the seed bed ... ... ... ... 2 00 
Dibbling from nursery, 9 women 24 cents... ... 2 16 
Weeding young crop ... ... 1 25 
Driving birds &c 1 47 
Reaping, men at 24 cents 1 90 
Heading to barn, threshing, dressing and bags, 20 1 
, 1 3 °° 
boys at 15 cents J 
Cost on crop $ 14 6b 
3 crops, one year's expenses ... ... ... ... $ 43 80 
Rent 23 04 
Total cost per acre $ 66 84 
By 3 crops, at 20 bags each, 60 at $2 ... $120 00 
Clear gain $ 53 16 
This leaves a fair margin of profit for the labour 
expended and I feel well within the mark in all my 
prices. 
I think these figures show that I was warranted in 
stating that " given water, rice can be grown in British 
Guiana to drive out the imported article." I have 
carefully studied the question of rice growing as far as I 
P 
