Wild Rice 



47 



A JAPANESE MACHINE FOR POUNDING RICE 



is an important, if not the chief, starchy food of 30,000 American aborigines, as well as the 

 principal fattening food of myriads of wild fowl. It is to a small extent placed on the 

 American market as a breakfast food. 



The plants thrive best on muddy soil covered with a good depth of water. The seeds from 

 one crop fall directly into the water, strike the mud, and afterwards germinate. The upper 

 parts of the fully grown plants stand out above the water, and the Indians go harvesting 

 in birch-bark canoes. One man paddles the canoe, whilst the other, seated in the stern, gently 

 pulls over the edge the plants growing on either side, and beats off the ripe seed into the bottom 

 of the canoe. Each patch is gone over several times to gather the grain in the best condition. 



The seed is then taken ashore and either spread out to dry, or immediately prepared for 

 hulling. This is done by heating it in a kettle over a slow fire which makes the outer husk brittle 

 and easily broken . After this parching operation the seed is allowed to cook, and is then pounded, 

 the grain being separated from the hulls or chaff by tossing it in the air as described for rice. 

 In this state it can be stored for a long time, whilst the fresh seed is very soft and rapidly 

 spoils. 



Analysis shows that wild rice closely resembles rice, barley, and wheat in chemical com- 

 position. It has a peculiar flavour, and is eaten, cooked with wild fowl, as a breakfast food. 

 To a certain extent also, it is used in the manufacture of rice cakes. 



The cultivation of the wild rice plant presents certain difficulties, and many planting experi- 

 ments ended in failure from causes which until recently were not well understood. In the 

 first place it has been ascertained that the seed rapidly loses its vitality, and special precautions 

 have to be taken to guard against this. The second factor is the degree of saltness of the 



