‘TAeerr, 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 295 
HOW TO HARVEST RICE. 
i D. McLean, writing to the Braidentown News about harvesting rice, 
| ‘*the following to say:— * 
| According to agreement, I drop you a few lines on rice culture in Florida, 
_ | “ther on harvesting Florida rice. As the methods of cultivation vary 
jrording to the varied soils, each planter must depend on his own experience 
|e the best method of cultivation. I would say, however, that old settlers here 
| “Ne told me that rice would not make on marl hammock land. 
te As to harvesting, our method is to begin cutting as soon as the head fibres 
Ye turned brown and half-way down to the head, about what an inexperienced 
“son would call half-ripe, as the loss is much greater every way on over-ripe 
“. The grain seems to be softer and the hull adheres more closely to the 
stain, besides the loss in shattering and straw falling. Begin cutting as soon 
| th © dew is off, and as soon as the straw is fairly wilted let the binding and 
| ,Z°shing begin. Bind in very small bundles ; never leave your rice to dry.on 
@Sheaf. Shock the straw out to cure after it is threshed; spread it out thin 
mn the tight floor as soon as threshed to dry; stir frequently to prevent its 
ing into sweat ; as soon as thoroughly dry take it to the mill, and see what a 
smile Mr. Harris will put on as soon as it begins to rattle through the 
l—~ Florida Agriculturist. 
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| A CANE-CUTTING MACHINE. ~ 
ie Louisiana Planter has had a visit from Mr. Jules Gaussiran, who is the 
| ‘"ttor of a cane-cutting machine, on which Mr. J. P. Baldwin writes :— 
© average planter, with the scepticism born of long experience, is inclined 
al Negard a cane-cutting machine that will do its work successfully as bemg 
Most as hard to build as a perpetual motion machine. However, Mr. Gaus- 
ait S machine seems to have the distinction of having actually cut cane, and. 
Cony 2 Success in bond fide field practice. Mr. B. A. Oxnard, of the Adeline 
uttal Factory Company, is using one of the machines this year, and he has 
«ts ten to Mr. Gaussiran saying that he is highly pleased with it, and that he 
deve Cientiously recommend it to sugar planters as an effective labour-saving 
| n Pas. Gaussiran, in speaking of his machine, says:—The merits of this 
Hoe ine can scarcely be appreciated without a careful calculation of the expense 
of a save. In the first place the machine is guaranteed to save 25 per cent. 
| © labour employed under the present method of cutting cane for the mill, 
B tre 40 per cent. of the expense of windrowing cane for seed, or in case of 
} 4°: And in this connection it is safe to say that in some instances the 
Dut Me might be the salvation of one’s whole crop by enabling a rae to 
“his cane into windrows quickly in case of severe weather. Secondly, it will 
vie entire expense of stubble shaving for the ensuing season, as the 
a = ne shaves the stubble itself while it cuts the canes. But above all of its 
} jy OMical features is the depth at which it cuts the cane. It is claimed 
Or ica that the machine will cut the cane from 2 to 3 inches deeper 
tha °wer than the ordinary cane knives can cut it. As it is probable 
bage .2@ Planter would not desire to cut lower than 2 inches, let us 
tw, the following calculation upon that depth. The ordinary sugar 
i Will average four canes to the foot in the row; the rows are 210 feet 
if ® Which would give an average of 840 canes in each row; there are 30 rows 
this . &cre, which gives an average of 25,200 stalks of cane per acre. Now, if 
ant cmtion cuts 2 inches deeper on every stalk of cane, it will save the sugar 
len he 50,400 inches of cane to each acre, or 1,050 stalks of cane 48 inches in 
will h. The average weight of a stalk this length is 2 lb.; hence the machine 
din Ve 2,100 Ib., or a little more than a ton to the acre. While cane is worth 
" ollars per ton, the machine will save 4:00 dollars per acre on account of this 
“ntage in depth. “A man with 100 acres of cane will save 400 dollars in one 
