( 234 ) 
called India, or Turkey wheat, which is a 
Ipecies of zea ; a genus placed by Linneus in 
the clafs Moncecia, one-houfe, Although 
rice is ranked among the grafles in the na«* 
tural orders of Linneus, he has feparated it 
from them in his artificial fyftem, in confe- 
quence of it's being found deficient in the 
eflential character of his claffical arrangement 
of thofe genera to which it bears fo near an 
affinity. He has placed it in the clafs Mo- 
ncecia. Rice is a fpecies of the genus ory'za. 
In moft eaftern countries this grain is the 
chief fupport of the inhabitants ; and, fo far 
as it is ufed for food, is wholefome and nu- 
tritive. But as we too often convert what, if 
properly ufed, would be a bleffing into a curfe; 
they make from it a fpirituous liquor, called 
by the englifli arrack ; which, like all other 
fpirituous liquors, may be efleemed a flow 
poifon. Moft of the plants belonging to the 
natural order of grafles afford plentiful and nu- 
tritive food, not only to mankind, but to 
beafts, birds, and infects, and have the remark- 
able property of not being deftroyed, though 
continually trampled upon ; indeed, they are 
conftantly renewed by feeds ; as their flowers, 
the fame as in other plants, are never eaten by 
cattle, 
