Feb. 1908. J 



135 



Edible Products. 



planting. The self-set plant produces 

 red rice, so called because of the pink 

 cuticle next to the kernel. The great 

 objection to red rice is that it is so soft 

 that it cannot be milled, and is, there- 

 fore, unmerchantable. The grain 

 scatters out readily, and, re-seeding the 

 field, produces more and more of its 

 kind. In some instances it has increased 

 so rapidly and taken so firm a hold of 

 the ground that it has been necessary to 

 leave whole fields idle for a year or more 

 in order to free the ground from the 

 intruder. 



To eradicate red rice the field is 

 flooded immediately after harvest. This 

 sprouts the scattered grain. Late in 

 the autumn, when it has grown up, the 

 field is drained as dry as possible and 

 then burned. 



Rice Pests.— Ricebirds, blackbirds, 

 grubs, maggots and worms are the 

 principal pests of the rice field*. Of 

 these, the most troublesome is the 

 ricebird, commonly known in the north 

 as the bobolink. Early in the spring the 

 bird begins to migrate from the extreme 

 south, and arriving in the rice belt about 

 planting time, preys on the seed that 

 has been scattered. Or, arriving a 

 little late, when perhaps the crop has 

 sprouted and shoots have been formed, 

 the bird pulls up the plant, roots and all, 

 and feeds on the sprouted kernels. Its 

 stay in the field this time, however, is 

 short, as it moves on northward to nest. 



When nesting is over, and the young 

 have become sufficiently strong, the 

 flocks unite and begin their return to the 

 south. They arrive in the rice belt 

 about the middle of August. There- 

 after, until their departure, there is 

 trouble for the planter. The birds 

 swarm on the fields in countless numbers, 

 and are driven from one place only to 

 settle down on another. If the grains 

 have hardened before their arrival but 

 little damage is done, but when the 

 grain is " in the milk " great quantities 

 are devoured, and the loss at times has 

 been so great in places that it was 

 found unprofitable to cut the grain. 

 When the grain is palatable the invasion 

 of these birds is ruinous. 



The preventatives employed against 

 these birds are only palliative, and the 

 expense incurred is considerable. Men 

 and boys armed with muskets and shot- 

 guns discharge blank cartridges to 

 scare the birds away. Shot is seldom 

 used as it damages the crop. One man 

 imperfectly protects 4 or 5 acres, and 

 shoots about one quart of powder per 

 day. Firing commences at daybreak 

 and continues until night, These men 



and boys are called " bird-minders." 

 Small flags and kites, some with 

 suspended looking glasses, are flown 

 over the fields. Another method con- 

 sists in placing a piece of stale meat on a 

 pole in the rice field. This attracts 

 buzzards. The ricebird, for a while, 

 takes the buzzards for hawks and stays 

 at a distance. Soon, however, the bird 

 becomes accustomed to the buzzards and 

 pays no attention whatever to them. 



When the seed is sown to "meet the 

 bL-d," i.e., to be in the milk when the 

 bobolink arrives, the entire crop will be 

 destroyed if extraordinary care is not 

 exercised on the part of the bird-minder. 

 The average loss due to this bird is esti- 

 mated in many places at 4 to 4£ bushels 

 per acre. The blackbird is always about 

 and ready to forage. The damage done, 

 however, is but little. 



Abandoned Land.— Much abandoned 

 land lies along the southern rivers, 

 where there is tide water. These lands 

 are covered with a dense growth of 

 marsh weeds. Many of these now aban- 

 dened lands were once fields of industry 

 and productivity. The soil is rich, and 

 with proper irrigation and drainage 

 would make good rice fields. Much of 

 these tide water lands can be so re- 

 claimed, and some of them are. Those 

 that sold for 120 and 200 dollars per acre 

 before the war can now be purchased 

 for 50 cents to 1 dollar 50 cents per acre, 

 so that if rice growing continues to be a 

 success there is a good opportunity here 

 for investments. 



Bye-Products. — In the process of pre- 

 paring rice for market the following 

 products are obtained : — 



First. — Rice bran or douse, which is 

 made in grinding the rough rice for the 

 purpose of removing the hull or chaff. 

 It is made up of fine particles of rice 

 splintered by the mill stones, and the 

 eyes or germinal points of the grain. 



This is good feed for hogs. When 

 mixed with wheat bran or other mill 

 feed it is admirable for horses and 

 cattle. 



Second. — Rice flour or lice meal, 

 obtained in the process of pounding, and 

 the skin (which lies between the chaff 

 and grain proper), and the irnrrfature 

 grains pulverised by action of the 

 pestles. 



This is a most nutritious article, rich 

 in fatty matter and cellulose. Having 

 a sweetish, pleasant taste, it is relished 

 by all animals. It is recommended for 

 horses, milch cows, sheep, cattle, hogs 

 and poultry. It is best to mix it with 



