348 E FARMER AT HOME. 



never the first to commence an attack ; the form of the head resem- 

 bles that of a hog ; but the ears are larger, and stand erect ; the eyes, 

 though small, are bright and piercing ; and the legs remarkably strong 

 and thick. 



RICE. This plant is cultivated in many parts of the East, in 

 South Carolina, in America, and also in Spain, Italy, and Piedmont. 

 It is a plant that grows to the height of about two feet and a half, 

 with a stalk not unlike that of wheat, but fuller of joints, and with 

 leaves resembling that of the leek. It branches out into several stems, 

 at the top of which the grain grows in clusters, and each of them is 

 terminated with an ear or beard, and enclosed in a yellow rough husk. 

 When stripped of this, they appear to be of an oval shape, of a shining 

 white color, and almost transparent. Rice in China is the most im- 

 portant crop. On it the people mainly subsist ; and of course the 

 utmost attention is paid to its culture. It is also an important crop 

 in some parts of our own country. The cultivation in South Carolina 

 is very successful on rich river bottoms, the yield being forty bushels 

 or more to the acre, and one hand can manage five acres. For the 

 process of cultivation, see the Southern Cultivator, one of the best 

 journals in the country. 



RIVER HORSE, or HIPPOPOTAMUS. Probably the Behe- 

 rnoth mentioned in the book of Job. This surprising animal inhabits 

 the rivers and lakes of Africa, living, as occasion requires, either in 

 the water, or upon the land. He is twice the size of the largest ox. 

 He has four legs which are short and thick ; his head is near four 

 feet long, and nine feet round ; his jaws are about two feet wide ; and 

 his teeth above a foot in length. His skin, generally, is so thick that 

 a sword will not pierce it, and even a bullet can hardly enter it ; and 

 his voice is loud and horrible. They chiefly keep at the bottom of 

 deep lakes and rivers, especially in the day time, catching fish and 

 feeding upon them. Sometimes, however, they walk upon the shore, 

 and sometimes invade the fields of standing corn ; whence they are 

 driven by the cries and shouts of the people who inhabit the country, 

 and keep watch against this fearful enemy. This animal is remarka- 

 bly constructed for his manner of walking. He is furnished with a 

 cloven foot, and, above the pastern, with two small horny substances, 

 which bend backward as he walks, so that he leaves on the ground 

 an impression which seems to have been made by the pressure of four 

 paws to each foot. By this peculiar structure of his feet he is kept 

 from sinking, at the bottom of lakes and rivers, and upon oozy shores. 



ROADS. The Romans were distinguished by the vast extent 

 arid solid construction of their roads, of which several thousand miles 

 were made in Italy alone ; while every other country that was brought 

 under their sway was more or less intersected by these excellent high- 

 ways. The solidity of their construction was fully equal to the 

 boldness of their desigr a fact proved by the existence of many that 



