thened with forked sticks,
in the crotches of which poles are laid. The more common method is
to set bamboo tubes, at intervals, around the whole plot and to lash
to them other tubes which have been split in half. A still better
fence is made by cutting three holes, about a foot apart, through
each upright and to insert smaller bamboo through these.

When the rains begin, the men go to the fields, each with two hardwood
sticks whittled to tapering rounded ends. These are driven alternately
into the soil making shallow holes an inch or so in depth, into each of
which the women drop several seed rice. The whole field is gone over in
this way; soil is pushed into the holes with the feet, and frequently
the task is finished by sowing a few handfuls of seed broadcast and
distributing it by brushing back and forth with a leafy branch. [188]

In the valley districts the planting sticks are cut as needed, but in
the mountains, where the upland rice is more important, strong bamboo
poles fitted with hardwood points are in general use. These implements,
known as _tepon_ (Fig. 15, No. 1), are invariably carefully decorated
with incised designs, and are preserved from year to year. Commonly,
the divisions between the sections of the bamboo are knocked out and
the tube used as a receptacle for the seed rice.

As the mountain fields need special protection, it is customary to
build near them little elevated houses in which the workers may rest,
and in which the watchers can live during the time the grain must
be guarded. If the plots are near to a village, such a house seldom
consists of more than a rude framework of poles, which support a grass
roof, and to which a bamboo floor is lashed, two or three feet above
the ground; but if the fields are at a distance, these structures are
provided with sides, and are raised high on strong logs. Such high,
well built houses are necessary, both to protect the occupants from
surprise attacks of enemies, and to afford shelter against driving
winds or rains. It is not an uncommon occurrence for a whole family
to go to one of these isolated mountain dwellings and reside for
a considerable period, particularly when the rice is approaching
maturity.

These upland fields produce much smaller crops than do the wet lands,
and as they are quickly exhausted, it is not customary to plant
them to rice for more than two seasons. At the end of this time,
they may be used for _camotes_ (_Convolvulus bata