156 Effective Farming 



for many centuries has been their chief food. Rice polish, a 

 by-product made in removing the hull, is a very valuable feed 

 for live-stock. Rice bran is another by-product used for live- 

 stock feed. It consists of the seed-coat of the grain and some 

 of the hulls and polish. Rice hulls have little food value and 

 are often used as packing material. 



90. Climate and soils for rice. Moist climates and long, 

 hot, growing seasons are best for rice. Most of the crop is 

 grown on low-lying areas that can be quickly irrigated and 

 quickly drained, although some varieties are grown on high 

 ground without irrigation. 



91. Cultural methods. Rice is sometimes broadcasted, 

 but better results are gained by drilling, as the seeds are more 

 uniformly covered and a better stand is likely to result. From 

 one to two bushels of seed is the average quantity sown. In 

 the United States the planting is done any time from the middle 

 of April to the middle of May. 



Irrigation is an important factor in rice-growing. Water 

 must be plentiful and conditions such that it can be supplied 

 and removed at will. Thus areas with just enough slope to 

 cause the water to drain away are desirable. In the South- 

 west, unless the soil is very dry, the plants are allowed to 

 reach a height of about eight inches, when the field is flooded 

 to a depth of three to six inches. If the soil is very dry at 

 planting time, it is irrigated enough to provide for the germi- 

 nation of the seed. After the plants are about eight inches 

 high, water is kept on the field until the rice reaches the dough 

 stage. The water must not become stagnant during the grow- 

 ing season, and this is prevented by maintaining a continuous 

 flow, letting water into the field at a high place and removing 

 at a low place. When the plants have reached the dough 

 stage, the irrigating is stopped and the land allowed to dry 

 enough to bear the weight of the farming implements. The 

 grain is then cut and shocked. Later it is threshed from the 

 shock and the rough rice taken to the mills where it is polished. 



