XXV. 



RICE. 



I. HARVESTING AND USE. 



522. Time of Harvesting. — It requires from four to six 

 months to mature a crop of rice. The date of harvesting m 

 the United States varies usually from August to October, the 

 early seeding and early harvest being preferred. The price 

 realized generally is greater on account of lack of competition 

 from foreign rice. The stage of maturity is probably more 

 important with rice than with any other cereal crop, because of 

 its marked tendency to shatter, and because of the process of 

 milling, which requires grains which are not easily broken. 

 Uniformity of ripeness is also essential ; hence the desirability 

 of having all portions of the field covered with as uniform depth 

 of water as practicable. To get the best results, it is usually 

 considered desirable to harvest when the grain is in the stiff 

 dough and the straw somewhat green. 



523. Method of Harvesting. — In the South Atlandc States 

 and along the Mississippi River the sickle is still used, although 

 not exclusively. In this case the sheaves are laid upon the 

 stubble to partially dry when they are bound. In some cases 

 the bundles are put into the shock, where they remain until 

 drawn to the thresher; while in other cases they are drawn 

 from the field and placed in stacks, or in still other cases the 

 grain is stacked loose. Heating in either shock or stack is 

 liable to take place. 



" A rough method of measuring the temperature of the rick is by inserting a 

 stake into the mass at either end. The stakes are examined daily by being crawn 

 out suddenly, and if the inner poin* Is 'jund to be too hot to hold in the hand, the 



