RICE. 329 



of the rice, When the heads of the rice are well filled and the last few grains at the bottom 

 are in the dough, it is fit to cut, and as little delay is permitted as possible, as the rice now 

 over-ripenp very rapidly, and shatters in proportion during the harvest. The water may 

 be drawn off the field from three to five days before cutting the grain, and the land will be 

 in better condition for harvesting.&quot; 



The methods of culture differ somewhat with different localities ; some planters harrow 

 in the grain and inundate it until it germinates, after which the water is withdrawn, and is 

 not let on again until the plants are about four inches high. The water is then let on again 

 until all but the top leaves are covered. The crop is then kept inundated until about two 

 weeks before harvest, when it is again withdrawn in order that the stalks may harden prepar 

 atory to harvest. 



The method practiced in Northern Italy is to sow the seed in April, previous to which 

 it is soaked a day or two in water to hasten germination. After sowing, the ground is irri 

 gated to the depth of about two inches. The rice comes up through the water, which is then 

 drawn off to give the plant strength, and after several days it is let on again. This mode is 

 said to be more liable to mildew the rice than the methods practiced in this country. Aquatic 

 grasses and weeds are apt to be troublesome in some soils, and should be destroyed as fast as 

 they make their appearance. The chief business of the cultivator is to do this, and to keep 

 the water from stagnating and as fresh as possible, which may easily be done by turning it 

 on at one point and drawing it off at another at the same time. &quot;When grown on dry land 

 in the upland sections, its culture is similar to that of other small grain. It should bo 

 planted in shallow drills two and a half or three feet apart, and the soil kept free from weeds 

 by the use of the cultivator or horse-hoe. &quot;When cultivated in this manner the crop is infe 

 rior to that grown by means of irrigation, both in quantity and quality. In the latitude of 

 Georgia it is sometimes planted as late as June; its straw makes good forage. 



Unlike other grain, rice can be kept several years in a warm climate without its quality 

 deteriorating, by simply winnowing it semi-annually, to prevent the weevil and other insects 

 from injuring it. Rice does not impoverish land upon which it is grown, like many crops, 

 and is often used in upland sections to precede corn in rotation. It adapts itself to the soil, 

 climate, and mode of cultivation, but, like most other grains, the seed will degenerate if not 

 frequently changed and the best specimens always selected for sowing. 



After the land has been properly prepared for growing rice, by ditching, embankments, 

 leveling, etc., a single individual can cultivate an immense crop, and with comparatively little 

 labor. The desideratum in this product is to have the grains as nearly of a uniform size as 

 possible. 



Harvesting. The proper stage of maturity for cutting rice is indicated not only by 

 the grain being well filled out in the heads, and a few kernels at the bottom of the head being 

 in a dough state, but also by the straws turning yellow. The method of harvesting is similar 

 to that of other grain, such as wheat or oats, except it is generally cut from twelve to eighteen 

 inches from the ground, according to its growth, which is usually from four to six feet high. 

 It is laid upon the stubble for a day or two to dry, which is generally accomplished in twenty- 

 four hours in good weather, after which it is bound into bundles and placed in small stacks. 

 It is never well to bind it when the dew is on the straw. As soon as sufficiently dry it may 

 be threshed in the field, or stacked to await a convenient time for doing it. In order to pre 

 vent the germination of the &quot; volunteer &quot; rice, as soon as the crop harvested is taken from 

 the land, the field should be flooded quite shallow, so as to promote fermentation; it should 

 be dried again every ten or twelve days for a day or two at a time. By continuing this pro 

 cess until the ground freeze:, most of this foul seed will be destroyed. 



Threshing and Milling. Rice has a much larger and more harsh beard than wheat, 

 which is a prolongation of the outer hull of the grain; but, unlike wheat, the threshing pro- 



