THE CULTIVATION OF RICE 157 



during the day time, they cover the land with a dun mist, and 

 \ oil the prospect, like the Hohrauch, which (caused by the firing 

 of the heaths of Oldenburg and Hanover) so often spoils the 

 beauty of the spring and early summer in northern Grermany. 



The rapidity with which the dry culms of the glagah take 

 fire is not seldom dangerous to the traveller when his path leads 

 him across the slope of a hill at whose foot the grass-field begins 

 to burn, for the rustling fire-columns ascend with the swiftness 

 of the wind, and soon wrap the side of the mountain in a sheet 

 of flame. 



The ashes of the glagah afford the richest manure, so that 

 these fields are only surpassed in fertility by the virgin soil of the 

 cleared forest, a laborious work, which is seldom undertaken 

 in this thinly-populated country. 



Sawa is the general Malay name for artificially-irrigated rice- 

 fields. In the Indian Archipelago, the Sawa, or marsh-rice, is 

 at first thickly sown in small beds, and transplanted after a 

 fortnight into the fields, the soil of which has been softened by 

 water. As the plant grows, copious irrigations supply it with 

 the necessary moisture, but as maturity approaches the field is 

 laid dry, and about two months later the ears assume the rich 

 golden colour so pleasing to the husbandman. Each field 

 could easily be made to produce two annual harvests, but 

 when not compelled to labour, the tropical peasant never 

 thinks of taxing his industry beyond the supply of his im- 

 mediate wants. 



The swamps of South Carolina, both those which are occa- 

 sioned by the periodical visits of the tides, and those which are 

 caused by the overflowing of the rivers, are admirably adapted 

 to the production of rice, yet the culture of the valuable 

 cereal on this congenial soil is of comparatively modern 

 date. About the beginning of the last century, a brigan- 

 tine from the island of Madagascar happened to put in at 

 Carolina, having a little seed-rice left, which the captain gave 

 to a gentleman of the name of Woodward. From part of this, 

 the latter had a very good crop, but was ignorant for some 

 years how to clean it. It was soon dispersed over the province, 

 and, by frequent experiments and observations, the planters 

 ultimately raised the culture to its present perfection. By the 

 introduction of this water-loving cereal, various swamps which 



