360 



ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



of any other cereal (Fig. 37) . Its great feature in cultivation 

 is that it will grow in soil too poor for any other cereal. It 

 cannot grow so far north as barley, but it can ripen in lati- 

 tudes too cold for wheat. However, it thrives best where 

 wheat thrives, but as it is not so valuable a 

 crop, it does not replace wheat. 



It is usually cultivated on light, sandy 

 soils, not doing at all well on wet and 

 heavy soils. As in the case of the other 

 cereals, there are spring and winter ryes, 

 the latter being most frequently used, and 

 usually ripening in June. The preparation 

 of the soil, the planting, and the cultivation 

 are the same as for the other cereals. 



Rice 



64. Production of rice. If the impor- 

 tant cereal crops of the whole world were 

 being considered, rice would have to be 

 added, for it is estimated to supply the 

 principal food of one-half the human race. 

 But very little of the rice of the world is 

 produced in the United States (715 million 

 pounds in 1911), and its production is re- 

 stricted practically to the Gulf states and 

 Arkansas, with Louisiana producing by far 

 the largest amount (Fig. 38) . The greatest 

 rice-producing country in the world is India (about 89 billion 

 pounds in 1910), and Japan is the next in our records (about 15 

 billion pounds in 1910). The statistics of rice-production in 

 China are not available, but it must be much greater than that 

 of Japan ; and Egypt is also a great rice-producing country. 

 65. Structure of rice. The appearance of the flower 

 cluster of rice is intermediate between that of barley and oats 

 (Fig. 39). The spikelets are in a panicle, as in oats, but the 



FIG. 37. Rye, show- 

 ing general habit of 

 plant (upper part of 

 stem omitted) and 

 character of spike. 



