PLANTS FOR EXPERIMENT 175 



wild rice (Zizania aquatica) of the northern lake 

 regions. This, however, is not a true rice, being 

 classified as Zizania, while rice belongs to the 

 genus Oryza. Some twenty years ago I desired 

 to undertake such an experiment, and sent to 

 many places in the United States to get seed of 

 the best varieties. But although I secured seed 

 of the wild rice, my experiment, I regret to say 

 never got beyond the preliminary stages, because 

 the seed would never germinate. 



After testing it in successive years I was con- 

 vinced that the seed of the wild rice must be 

 gathered fresh for planting. For its improve- 

 ment it would be necessary for men with boats to 

 watch individual plants, and gather seed for 

 immediate planting. 



The fact that the plant grows in the water 

 accounts, no doubt, for this unusual quality of 

 the seed, as it will not germinate after once being 

 dried like other grains. It grows always in 

 standing water, and is generally collected by the 

 Indians, who are extremely fond of it. They go 

 out in canoes when the wild rice is ripe, and 

 bending the rice over their canoes thresh it from 

 the heads into the boat. During the last year a 

 well-known San Francisco grain firm had col- 

 lected some of the wild rice and kept it moist, 

 and they expect to make a successful introduc- 



