Dec, I860.] • ELLIOTT SOCIETY. 45 



Most of these grasses will grow in the water as well as the Kice will, but most 

 of them may be killed if overtopped early enough, when the height of the Kice 

 above the grass will allow it, as in the long Point, or when cut by the hoe and 

 covered by the Long Water. When grown larger ail that cannot be destroyed 

 by the hoe must pe picked out by hand. 



Rice is rarely attacked by the vegetable parasites, such as Eust or Smut. 



Its enemies belonging to the animal kingdom are, the Water Weavil, which 

 attacks the planted grain while it is in the * ' white sprout, " eating the germ 

 when it has just put forth ; the Chinch Bug, which, like the Aphis, sucks its 

 sap when young and during the dry growth ; the Maggot, attacking its roots 

 when the Eice has been some time flowed without frequent change of water ; 

 the Grub, when it has been long dry ; the Caterpillar, very rarely, and only 

 eating the blade. 



The Rice-birds, which visit the fields in their migration Southwards and 

 destroy thousands of bushels when the Rice is "in milk," and again on their 

 way Northward in May, when, with the Dove, the Redwing, the Grosbeak, the 

 Sparrow, the Teal, and the Summer Duck, they injure the stand by pulling 

 up the planted grain. 



To these remarks on the Cultivation of Rice, I will append a few observa- 

 tions on the subject of a defect in the Rice grain too frequently occuring, 

 which impairs the beauty of the prepared article, and greatly lessens its value 

 in the market. I refer to what is called " 'Chalk' in Rice," and the better to 

 understand the nature of this affection, and thereby, if possible, to arrive at the 

 cause, let us examine the whole process of the growth and development of the 

 grain. The Rice having formed, during the month of June, several "root- 

 joints," as they are termed, sends up early in July a "stalk-joint," and soon 

 afterwards another, both of which elongate very greatly after their formation. 

 The Rice then commences to "belly" or "barrel," that is, the panicle or head 

 is formed above the second stem- joint, and, with the culm bearing it, closely 

 invested with the sheaths of the upper leaves, gradually elongates, until, as if 

 from the mouth of a cylinder, it makes its appearance, or " shoots." 



The Rice, at this time, sends out roots from its upper or stem- joints, which 

 never, ( or very rarely ) reach the earth, but ramify dburidantly in the water, 

 seeming to be intended to gather nutriment only from the water. When the 

 Rice first shoots, and even before the panicle has emerged from its sheath, 

 every grain, or rather every pair of glumes, is closed so as not to admit water. 

 They continue thus hermetically sealed, until the whole head has shown itself, 

 and feels the influence of the sun. The glumes then separate a little way and 

 allow the anthers to fall out and hang by their long filaments until impregna- 

 tion is effected. The pistils do not show themselves outside the valves of the 

 glume. As soon as fructification has taken place, the anthers fall off, and the 

 valves of the glume again cohere so closely as to be impervious to water, even 

 should the plant be overtopped by a freshet. 



The Palea is then prolonged, in a thread-like form, along what is termed 

 the ''hack of the grain" until it reaches the end of the cavity of the chaff. The 



