THE GRAINS 153 



polish ; these are extensively used for feeding hogs 

 and cattle. 



Upland rice, a variety adapted to dry soils, is 

 grown on a small scale for local use throughout the 

 Gulf states. This is often cut before fully mature, 

 and is bundled and cured the same as oats. It is 

 fully equal to sheaf oats for feeding horses. No 

 other food puts them in better condition or gives 

 them a glossier coat. 



Climate and Soil. — Rice is a cro^) of warm coun- 

 tries, although there are varieties that are grown 

 successfully in northern Japan. The crop requires 

 abundance of heat and moisture. Most of the kinds 

 require irrigation. The plant is semiaquatic and 

 will endure flooding for considerable periods. The 

 best rice soils are rather stiff clay, containing plenty 

 of vegetable matter. Reclaimed swamps and marshes 

 are usually adapted to rice. The upland kind before 

 mentioned will grow on any soil suitable for corn or 

 cotton. 



Manuring. — As a rule but little attention is paid 

 to manuring rice lands. Applications of phosphoric 

 acid would, however, in many cases be profitable, 

 owing to the increased yield of grain. 



The small farmers of the pine-wood regions of 

 the South usually plant their upland rice on cow- 

 penned land. 



Methods of Planting and Cultivation. — In Eastern 

 countries rice is planted in seed beds, and the young 

 plants, when several inches high, are transplanted 

 to the freshly irrigated fields, laborers often wading 

 to their knees in performing the operation. This 



