1 Ava., 1901.]. QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 233 
soil and climate of the Logan district for rice culture. 2nd. The proper time 
at which to sow the seed to ensure success. 38rd. The best system of planting 
and after-treatment of the crop. The value of rice has also been thoroughly 
tested as green feed for horses and stock, who eat it greedily and keep in 
splendid condition when fed upon it. The greatest difficulty in rice culture 
has been found in procuring the right seed, there being such a large variety of 
each kind, both with their distinctive flavour, colour, and quality, as well as mm 
the facility with which the crop can be handled and harvested (as I will explain 
further on) and in the requirements of the merchant, who has his prejudices in 
fayour of certain kinds, which more or less best suit the tastes of the consumer. 
This has now toa certain extent been overcome, and our farmers are now 
repared to carry out this important branch of agricultural industry on sound 
Bas oss lines and with up-to-date methods. 
PREPARING THE LAND. 
Rice, like every other cereal and vegetable, to ensure good results, must 
have a certain amount of attention and care in preparing the land, although 
the question of drainage does not enter so largely into consideration as 
regards rice as with other cereals, and it, of course, greatly depends as to 
swhich variety of rice you intend to cultivate, but stagnant water should be 
avoided as detrimental. The variety I intend this article to illustrate is the 
“Aus,” or upland rice. I have tried the “ Aman” variety as an experiment, 
but with small success, the chief fault of the latter being the necessity of it 
being submerged continuously with not less than 2 to 8 inches of water, and, 
when the crop ripens, the difficulty of harvesting, owing to the grain being 
so brittle that at the least touch it leaves the ear with a consequent loss 
of seed. The variety of rice now grown most extensively in the Logan dis- 
trict is known as the “ White Java,” which gives a length of straw from 4 to 6 
feet, with a good flag, besides a grain of good length, fairly plump, and good 
cropper, and, so far, seems fairly free from disease or rust. Other varieties 
now being tried are the “China,” “Kobe Japan,’ ‘“ Batavia River,’ and 
“Ttalian Upland,” of which the White Java and the Italian Upland have been 
obtained through the medium of the Agricultural Department. 
In preparing the land for planting, ordinary methods need only be adopted— 
that is, to first plough, leaving the soil to lay for a week or so, to aerate and 
sweeten, then crossplough aud harrow, bringing the soil to as fine a tilth as 
possible. The best time in this district for planting (and I should think it a 
suitable time for all districts south of Rockhampton) is at the end of September 
or at the beginning of October, when we get the first rains. In cultivating for 
rice on hillsides: or sloping land with a natural rapid drainage, it would be 
adyantageous to slightly terrace the land crossways to the fall of the hill, 
leaving an open catchment drain on the higher side, blocked at each end to 
conserve the rain water, because even so-called upland rice must have a certain 
amount of moisture, and by the construction of the above drain, or dam so to 
speak, the gradual percolation of the conserved water will have the desired 
effect of helping to supply the necessary moisture, which would be about 20 
to 30 inches of rainfall spread over the period of growth. This rainfall has 
produced very good crops of fair yielding grain. 
SOWING THE SEED. 
Tn sowing the seed we have to be determined as to our requirements—if for 
cropping for grain or for fodder purposes only. There are three systems : 
Broadcast chiefly for fodder purposes, planting in drills, and transplanting 
from nursery beds. In the first instance—7.e., sowing broadcast—it will take a 
bushel (60 lb. of paddy) to the acre, the seed being harrowed and treated in the 
game manner as oats or wheat in the after cultivation. But the plan most 
generally adopted, and by far the best, is planting the rice in drills 2 feet 6 inches 
or 8 feet apart, and about 10 to 12 inches between the plants, which may be done 
