8 BULLETIN 465, TJ. S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



in localities which appear to possess every requisite for its successful 

 propagation. The usual cause of failure has been improper treatment 

 of the seed between the time of harvesting and sowing, resulting in 

 loss of vitality. When growing naturally, the ripe seeds fall directly 

 into the water, where they sink, and, being provided with barbed 

 beaks, penetrate deeper and deeper into the muck surrounding the 

 roots of the parent plant. There they lie through the winter. They 

 may germinate in spring, or they may lie practically dormant 

 through still another cold season. The seeds therefore remain wet 

 until ready to sprout ; they are exposed to currents of water, are not 

 in close contact with each other, and are not subjected to very high 

 temperatures. To succeed with wild rice it is necessary to imitate 

 nature's methods. Keeping large quantities of the seed in close con- 

 tact often causes fermentation, but this can be prevented by cold 

 storage. 



So far as propagation depends on the preservation of the vitality 

 of the seed, the methods so carefully worked out by the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry 1 insure success. Several seed firms handle wild 

 rice properly and will deliver it in either spring or fall as desired. 

 The grain is kept wet and in cold storage, and when shipped is 

 packed in damp moss or fiber. 



Sometimes when the stand of wild rice has become reduced it is 

 advisable to prevent consumption by ducks by harvesting the grain 

 and then sowing it after the spring migration. Because the seeds of 

 wild rice ripen and drop off a few at a time, they must be collected 

 every day or so, or the heads must be bunched and tied, so as to 

 prevent the loss of seed. The grain may perhaps be allowed to stand 

 a short time in cold water, if the water is changed daily. But when 

 the whole crop has been gathered it should be placed at once in cold 

 storage, at a temperature just above freezing (from 32° to 3-L° F.), 

 but still exposed to the air in an open cask or vat. 



In cold climates seed may sometimes be perfectly preserved by 

 improvised methods. For instance, wild rice seed kept out of doors 

 and covered with water which was changed daily during the winter, 

 except when frozen, germinated very satisfactorily. It has been 

 stored also in partly filled burlap bags, among which blocks of ice 

 were placed, and the whole covered with sawdust and kept wet. 

 Usually, however, where cold storage is not available it is better to 

 buy seed from a reliable firm. 



Where to plant. — Wild rice thrives best on a mud bottom, though 

 it has been known to grow in sand. This may be underlain by various 

 soils, but there should be a layer of mud from at least 2 to 4 inches 

 deep, and preferably deeper. Wild rice usually does not do well 



1 Bull. 50, 1903 ; Bull. 90, Pt. I, 1905. 



