Carabao in Water
CHAPTER III
RICE
Francisco used to go with his father and uncles to the rice fields, where he would watch the carabao while the men worked. A great deal of hard labor is necessary to raise a crop of rice. First, the seed must be sown in a plot of ground called a seed bed, where it is left alone for five or six weeks until the plants have grown several inches high. During this time the men are busy plowing the field and getting the ground ready for the second planting. This is a very hard and disagreeable task, because the work has to be done in mud and water, the men sometimes wading up to their knees in the slimy black mud while guiding the plow.
Rice Paddies
When the ground has been thoroughly stirred and is well under water, the young plants are taken out of the seed bed, cut back a few inches, and replanted in the field. This is also very tiresome work, for each rice plant must be thrust into the soft mud by hand. Men, women, and children come out for this part of the planting, roll up their clothes beyond the reach of mud or water, and, with backs bent low, move slowly across the fields, setting out the young rice plants.