NOTES FROM A RICE PADDY

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If an acre is planted, a small combine would be an appropriate aid, and the Java huller would need a simple conversion to belt drive to mill about 30 pounds of rice per hour. Deep water is not necessary on rice plants, although depths of six inches provide strong control of weeds. But a minimum water depth of an inch or two is required to keep the paddy continuously wet until the rice kernels are well filled out. I watered for 40 minutes every second or third day during the hot, dry summer of 1977 and estimate that less than $1.50 was spent on electricity for my one-horsepower pump throughout the season.

Overfertilizing will result in lush vegetative growth and lodging of the stalks. I now apply cow manure once before planting and leave the rest to the algae. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies provide instructions for achieving maximum yields by fertilizing during midseason. The benefits of commercial processing can be approached by parboiling rough rice and redrying before hulling. This practice is common in many of the less-developed countries where rice is grown in small plots for local use.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Edwin Kessler, a meteorologist, is the director of the National Severe Storms Laboratory ... located in Norman, Oklahoma.

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