324 



EICE. 



Eice, although regarded by us more as a cheap luxury than a 

 necessary article of food, forms the chief subsistence of the Hindoos, 

 Chinese, Japanese, and other eastern nations. The Burmese and 

 Siamese are the greatest consumers of this grain. A Malay labourer 

 requires 56 lbs. monthly, but a Burmese or Siamese 64 lbs. The 

 South Carolina people do not consume much rice themselves : they 

 raise it principally to supply the foreign demand ; the swamps of that 

 State, both those which are occasioned by the periodical visit of the 

 tides, and those which are caused by the inland flooding of the rivers, 

 being well suited to its production. The mountain rice of India is 

 grown without irrigation, at elevations of 3000 to 6000 feet above the 

 level of the sea ; the dampness of the summer months compensating 

 for the want of artificial moisture. Eice, which comes to us in the 

 husk, is called by its Indian name " Paddy." Before it can be used 

 for food, the husk must be removed : this is done in India amongst 

 the poorer people by merely rubbing the grain between flat stones, and 

 winnowing or blowing the husks away. 



Slam.— In 1870 2,563,802 piculswere exported, equal to 3,204,000 

 cwts. The export in 1875 was 3,904,800 piculs of cleaned rice and 

 21,578 piculs of paddy, valued together at 1,215,042Z. This was 

 nearly all sent to Hong Kong and Singapore for China. 



This export of rice was in excess of all previous years by about 

 1,000,000 piculs. There is, however, no reason to believe that this 

 arises from new land being brought into cultivation, but simply that 

 the season was a good one and the demand for rice in China was con- 

 stant throughout the year. Burmah and Cochin-China having the 

 advantage of telegraphic communication with the rest of the world, 

 and their trade being on a more regular footing, the rice from those 

 countries is all taken away as soon as it is ready. In Siam the export 

 though far less on the whole than in either of those countries, con- 

 tinues throughout the year. 



There is little reason to believe that Siam will produce, at least for 

 some time to come, more rice than she does at present. Nothing is 

 done to encourage the cultivators, and a system of advances made by 

 officials on the crops is growing up, which eventually takes all profit 

 out of their hands. 



China. — Eice culture extends over all the provinces of China, which 

 combine abundance of water with the mild temperature necessary for 

 this grain. The provinces of the south yield two harvests annually. 

 There are many varieties, as white and red rice, large and small 

 grain, the upland or dry rice, and the glutinous rice. The mountain 

 rice (Oryza montana, Lour.), distinguished by its long grains and epi- 

 dermis, would seem to be a distinct species. 



The following is the plan generally adopted in China : When the 

 rains of June begin to fall, the ground is covered with water to the 

 depth of an inch or two, and ploughed. The humus is then reduced 

 to a sort of fluid pulp by harrowing. After this preparation the 

 water is let off, and the seed sown broadcast, and a roller is passed 

 over the ground to embed the seed. The land then remains dry for 

 a week. When the rice begins to spring up a small quantity of 

 water is given, but not enough to cover the young plant, which would 



