240 FIELD CROPS 



level enough to be readily irrigated, an abundant supply of 

 water for irrigation, and a warm growing season. The fer- 

 tile river valleys and plains of Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana 

 are ideal for the production of this crop. 



304. Growing the Crop. The methods of preparing the 

 land for rice as practiced in Texas and Louisiana are not 

 different from those used in the Northern and Central states 

 for other cereals. The land is usually plowed in the spring 

 and is disked and harrowed to form a good seed bed. To 

 prevent too rapid loss of water from a loose soil, newly 

 plowed land is sometimes rolled. The seed is generally sown 

 with a grain drill at the rate of from 1 to 2 bushels to the 

 acre, usually from April 15 to May 15. The seeding and 

 harvesting seasons may extend over a considerable period on 

 a given farm, thus enabling the farmer to put in a com- 

 paratively large acreage with a small equipment. Water is 

 not usually appUed to rice fields until the crop is about 8 

 inches high; then it is let in to a depth of from 3 to 6 inches, 

 and this depth is maintained till the crop is nearly mature. 

 To prevent the water from becoming stagnant, a practically 

 continuous flow is provided, with drainage to maintain the 

 proper level. When the crop begins to ripen, the water is 

 drawn off to allow the ground to dry out sufficiently for 

 harvesting. The ordinary grain binder is used ; the methods 

 of harvesting, stacking, and threshing are not different from 

 those used with other grains. 



305. Uses of Rice and Rice Products. Rice is mostly 

 used as human food. In the United States, the milling pro- 

 cess consists in removing the hull and inner skin of the grain 

 and in polishing the kernel between pieces of sheepskin to 

 give it the luster required by the American trade. The 

 Orientals dispense with this polishing process, and thus 

 retain a large part of the food value of the rice which we lose. 

 The portion of the rice kernel which is removed in the pol- 

 ishing process is more valuable relatively than that which 



