B. P. I.— 68. . B. I. E.— 54. 



WILD RICE: ITS USES AND PROPAGATION. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The importance of wild rice as a food for wild fowl and the interest 

 in its artificial propagation are indicated by the large number of 

 inquiries regarding it that have come to the Department of Agricul- 

 ture during recent years. These inquiries have emanated from many 

 different localities widely separated, thus showing that the interest in 

 this plant is not confined to any limited region. The general demand 

 has been to know where viable seed of this plant could be obtained 

 and how and where it should be sown to bring successful results. 

 Some interest has also been manifested in the possibilities of prepar- 

 ing from this seed a commercial cereal food. 



The seed of wild rice has been used for food by the Indians, par- 

 ticularly those of the middle Northwest, since as long ago, at least, as 

 the first acquaintance of the white man with their customs. Notwith- 

 standing the abundance of other forms of cereal food, such as flour 

 and corn meal, since the advent of the white man, the Indian of the 

 upper Mississippi Valley has continued to use large quantities of wild 

 rice, and this too in spite of the fact that the harvesting and cuiing 

 of the seed require considerable arduous labor. Wild rice, as pre- 

 pared for food by the Indians, is highly esteemed by the white men 

 who have had the opportunity of testing it and the entire available 

 supply now sells at from two to three times the price of ordinary 

 white rice. 



While by far the largest demand for information regarding this 

 plant has come from men or organizations wishing to secure viable 

 seed for planting near shooting grounds to attract wild fowl, the possi- 

 bility of preparing from the seed a large and regular supply of a nutri- 

 tious and highly flavored cereal food has received some attention. 

 The importance of maintaining good feeding grounds for wild fowl, of 

 which the propagation of wild rice is a very important element, needs 

 no discussion, and the desirability of propagating a plant which will 

 make the otherwise waste-water areas of the upper Mississippi Valley 

 yield a valuable and highly esteemed cereal is also evident. 



