306 



MANILLA. 



generally placed around or near a growth of bamboo, whose tall, 

 graceful, and feathery outline is of itself a beautiful object, but con- 

 nected as it is often seen with the returns of the harvest, it furnishes 



an additional source of gratification. 



. 



-v Si 



STACKING RICE, LUZON 



The different kinds of rice, and especially the upland, would no 

 doubt be an acquisition to our country. At the time we were at 

 Manilla, it was not thought feasible to pack it, for it had just been 

 reaped, and was so green that it would not have kept.* Although 

 rice is a very prolific crop, yet it is subject to many casualties, from 

 the locusts and other insects that devour it; the drought at other 

 times affects it, particularly the aquatic varieties. There is a use to 

 which the rice is applied here, which was new to us, namely, as a 

 substitute for razors ; by using two grains of it between the fingers, 

 they nip the beard, or extract it from the chin and face. 



* Since my return home, at the desire of that distinguished agriculturist, Colonel 

 Austin, of South Carolina, I have sent for some samples of the different kinds, and under 

 his care it will no doubt be well treated. 



