8 BULLETIN 465, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
in localities which appear to possess every requisite for its successful 
propagation. The usual cause of failure has been improper treatment 
of the seed between the time of harvesting and sowing, resulting in 
loss of vitality. When growing naturally, the ripe seeds fall directly 
into the water, where they sink, and, being provided with barbed 
beaks, penetrate deeper and deeper into the muck surrounding the 
roots of the parent plant. There they lie through the winter. They 
may germinate in spring, or they may lie practically dormant 
through still another cold season. The seeds therefore remain wet 
until ready to sprout ; they are exposed to currents of water, are not 
in close contact with each other, and are not subjected to very high 
temperatures. To succeed with wild rice it is necessary to imitate 
nature's methods. Keeping large quantities of the seed in close con- 
tact often causes fermentation, but this can be prevented by cold 
storage. 
So far as propagation depends on the preservation of the vitality 
of the seed, the methods so carefully worked out by the Bureau of 
Plant Industry 1 insure success. Several seed firms handle wild 
rice properly and will deliver it in either spring or fall as desired. 
The grain is kept wet and in cold storage, and when shipped is 
packed in damp moss or fiber. 
Sometimes when the stand of wild rice has become reduced it is 
advisable to prevent consumption by ducks by harvesting the grain 
and then sowing it after the spring migration. Because the seeds of 
wild rice ripen and drop off a few at a time, they must be collected 
every day or so, or the heads must be bunched and tied, so as to 
prevent the loss of seed. The grain may perhaps be allowed to stand 
a short time in cold water, if the water is changed daily. But when 
the whole crop has been gathered it should be placed at once in cold 
storage, at a temperature just above freezing (fr^om 32° to 34° F.), 
but still exposed to the air in an open cask or vat. 
In cold climates seed may sometimes be perfectly preserved by 
improvised methods. For instance, wild rice seed kept out of doors 
and covered with water which was changed daily during the winter, 
except when frozen, germinated very satisfactorily. It has been 
stored also in partly filled burlap bags, among which blocks of ice 
were placed, and the whole covered with sawdust and kept wet. 
Usually, however, where cold storage is not available it is better to 
buy seed from a reliable firm. 
Where to plant. — Wild rice thrives best on a mud bottom, though 
it has been known to grow in sand. This may be underlain by various 
soils, but there should be a layer of mud from at least 2 to 4 inches 
deep, and preferably deeper. Wild rice usually does n ot do well 
1 Bull. 50, 1903 ; Bull. 90, Pt. I, 1905. 
