588 



AGRICULTURE. 



following statistics will show the vast amount of production in 

 that line : 



Estimated area and value of the tobacco crop of the United States. 



Rice. Rice is the most useful and extensively cultivated of 

 all the grains, and furnishes the principal food for fully one- 

 third of the human race. It seems to be originally a native of 

 the East Indies, but it is now cultivated in all quarters of the 

 globe. It is an annual, and grows from one to six feet in 

 height. It requires a rich, moist soil, that is subject to over- 

 flow. The fields must be situated so that they can be over- 

 flowed at certain seasons, when necessary. It is sown either 

 broadcast or in drills, and then covered with water to the depth 

 of several inches, till the seeds germinate. The water is then 

 drawn off, and afterwards the fields are again flooded for a time, 

 in order to kill the weeds. It is again flooded when opening. 

 Rice is an annual, and sown in April or May, and harvested in 

 August and September. The yield is from 40 to 60 bushels to 

 the acre. About 225,000 acres of rice are produced annually in 

 this country. 



Sugar-Cane. Sugar-cane is cultivated, at the present day, 

 in all the warm regions of the globe. It is said to have been 



