CH. I] RICE AND OTHER CEREALS AND FOOD PLANTS 47 



about it ; while one not knowing the niceties of flavour, etc., is 

 liable to great mistakes. The Tamil coolies of Ceylon, who 

 come from the southern parts of Madras, live on the imported 

 parboiled Indian rice, refusing to touch the Sinhalese rice, 

 which they say gives them indigestion ; while the Sinhalese say 

 that there is no nourishment in the Indian rice. Analysis 

 shows, we may mention, that rice contains about 7*3 / of 

 albuminoids and 78'3/ of starch, and is thus hardly so good 

 a food as wheat. 



It is at present idle to imagine the natives of eastern 

 countries going in for machinery and modern methods, such as 

 are so successful in the United States, and for the improvement 

 of rice cultivation we must look to other and minor things. 

 But, as has been elsewhere indicated, we must be very sure of 

 our ground before we recommend any measure to the native for 

 adoption. To take an illustrative case from Ceylon a planter 

 living near Peradeniya suggested to the villagers that they 

 should manure their fields, and offered, as they could not afford 

 to buy the manure, to give it to them. This was accepted, the 

 manure was applied, the plants grew splendidly, about half as 

 tall again as usual, the planter was delighted. But when harvest 

 time came, the village headmen came and offered to give him all 

 the crop, if the villagers might be allowed to keep the straw. 

 On examination, it turned out that the " paddy-fly " had eaten 

 out the contents of all the grains. Whether this was merely a 

 coincidence, or whether it was that the extra vigorous growth 

 of the shoots had made the grains more tender, is uncertain, but 

 the result of the experiment was a disastrous failure, and the 

 villagers there have acquired a prejudice against manuring 

 which may last a century or more. And yet there is no doubt 

 that a carefully thought out scientific system of manuring, 

 combined if necessary with improved precautions against the 

 paddy-fly, would improve the crop. But the important point is 

 that all such proposals should receive the most careful and 

 exhaustive trials before being recommended to the villagers. 



To indicate briefly some of the directions in which it would 

 seem possible that improvement may be effected : paddies of 

 different durations of ripening from those already employed 



