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which streatched it up 6 or 8 inches. when these field
were Dried again for about 2 weeks, during which it has
one good hoeing to subdue the rapid development of Grass & Weeds
After which comes a Streatch Flow of 2 or 3 weeks duration.
And then the fields being Dried again, one & sometimes
two hoeings & a Careful picking of Grass were given
This brings the first planted of the Crop up to the latter end of June, or the
beginning of July, and this portion of the Crop now should require
no further manual labour. It ought to be Now perfectly
clear of Grass & all ready for the long, or Harvest Flow

And with regard to the Harvest Flow, whatever may be
our individual Mode of Culture. We Most of Us go on
planting from the middle of March Until the beginning of May
This I invariably do Because late planting with Water Culture
conceals & protects the Young Rice, particularly during the
very Critical period of Germination from May birds in particular
which always come in swarms the latter end of April and
remain prying over our Crops for 5 or 6 weeks, and should they
find the fields Dry by accident or design, they would commit
great devastation. And I also make it a point to plant late
because this admits of ploughing late also which as I have
already stated is the most effectual way of Destroying the
Volunteer Rice. by its Now having had sufficient time
to Germinate & Sprout up pretty high, when this
late ploughing turns all this unwelcomed Vegitation
up side down giving a Quietns to all that has sprouted.

And altho there are about two months between the 1st &
last planting still the latest has the warmest & most
congenial weather & goes forward more rapidly. And as
harvest & all our operations here progress to succession
we are sometimes annoyed by the last planting ripening
before its turn has come to be reaped and this is Bad too
for over ripe Rice scatters its Grains in harvesting & thus
adds to the Volunteer Rice already in those fields.

For this Reason under Any process of Culture it is desirable
that the final long water for bringing the Rice to maturity
should also be put in successively from the beginning to
the middle or end of July.

The great complaint against
this old plan of covering Rice & advancing it by this Alternate
process of short wettings and short Dryings in quick succession
is that Grass & Weeds are encouraged & equally cultivated with the Young Rice.
until the Rice gets its first hoeing (which does little towards eradicating it)
Whereas by Water Culture the Grass is from the outset Completely kept back,
& as the season & the Crow advances it always makes but a feeble appearance. While
this alternate Wetting & Drying of the Crop from the First encourages Grass, which
without great attention & labour _ hoeing & picking will keep pace with the Rice, and
sometimes overtake it & completely smother & destroy it. By which, if one is not
sufficiently strong handed to cultivate carefully & effectually all that one has planted
some Fields must then be abandoned or all the rest of the crop will surely suffer.
I have had to abandon occasionally one or two fields, which the Grass had already
conquered & taken possession of. But at the same time I confess that thus far
I have made much larger Crops by this old plan of Coverings than this modern Water
culture. But as this year planted all my land 500 Acres open. we will see the results.

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