.10 
BOTANIC A I; INDEX. 
one-half to three-fourths of an inch long, and contains an exceedingly large quan- 
tity of farinaceous matter. 
Many attempts have been made to culti v ato it in Europe, as an article of food, 
but it is now abandoned. ' It is still thought, however, by many economists, to be 
the future grain plant, intended by nature to produce the bread supply of the North. 
The Indians (Sioux and Chippawas) gather it by paddling their canoes through the 
standing grain, and shaking it oil' into their canoes as they go along. After being 
gathered it is “laid on scaffolds, about four feet high, eighteen feet wide, and twenty 
to fifty feet long, covered with reeds and grass; and a slow lire is maintained be- 
neath for thirty-six hours, so as to slightly parch the husks that they may be easily 
removed; its beard is tougher then than rye. To serrate it from the chaff, a hole 
is made, in the ground, a foot wide and one foot deep, and lined with skins; about a 
peck of rice is put in at a time; an Indian steps in, w ith a half-jump, on one foot, 
then on the other, until the husk is removed. After being cleaned, the grain is stor- 
ed in bags. It is darker than Carolina rice. (From which it is entirely distinct, both 
botanieally and* economically. — Ed. Index). The hull adheres tightly and is left on 
the grain, and gives the bread a dark color when cooked. An acre of rice is nearly 
or quite equal to an acre of wheat, in nutriment. It is very palatable when roasted, 
and eaten dry.” — ( U. S. Ag. Rep., 1870.) The Sioux call it ll pshu ,” and the Chippa- 
was, “ man-om-in .” 
The Zizania are among our choicest aquatic plants for decoration, or would be if 
they were better known. They delight in a soft, muddy soil, and flourish in water 
live to twenty feet deep. They are best described as a stout, reed-like water-grass, 
with large, pyramid-shaped, spreading panicles, often two feet in length, growing 
in deep or shallow water and swampy borders of lakes, rivers, &c. ; growing from 
three to ten feet high, with long, linear, lanceolate, flat leaves, from two to three 
inches long; ripening the grain in August. 
WATERSIDE PLANTING. 
BY SYI.VESTP.IS, IN “THE GARDEN,” LONDON, ENG. 
Nothing adds so much to the charms of a landscape, as the presence of a lake or 
a river, more especially, if their margins be planted with trees and shrubs. Sombre 
masses of Conifers, the feathery forms of Birches and Willows, and the fiery au- 
tumn-coloured masses of American Oaks and Maples, all contribute their share of 
beauty to such situations. It may be said that dark, impenetrable trees or groups 
should find no place oil south sides, because of the gloomy shadows imparted to the 
water when so situated. One of the items not to be overlooked in such planting, i- 
the hue which the trees assume in in autumn, a point next to form. Amongst the 
many American Oaks which become beautiful in autumn, may be named Quereus 
rubra, Q. Catesbei, Q. ambigua, Q. palustris, Q. coccinea, and (j. tinctoria. These 
flourish magnificently in moist ground, and, whether associated in groups or placed 
as solitary trees, yield charming effects, especially, when hanging partly over the 
water. Platan us occidentalis succeeds well in such places. Quereus pcduneulata 
fastigiata is effective, either in the form of a group or singly : so, also, is Celtis aus- 
tralis, by itself or associated with varieties of Alnus. The Celtis is a good tree to 
plant where a rocky margin exists. Catalpa syringa- folia succeeds excellently with 
its roots partly immersed in water, and, when mixed with such subjects as Thuja oc- 
cidentalis, or Juniperus virginiana, or some dark green Pinus, as a background, t<> 
set oft - its masses of white blooms, the effect is all that could be desired. In good 
soil it will reach a height of from fifty to sixty feet. Of Poplars, such kinds as Pop- 
ulus alba, P. alba nivea, the different varieties of P. balsamifera, especially m.acro- 
phylla and grandidendata) and P. graeca, are indispensable. P. pendula should lie 
used with caution, as, if planted in quantity, it seems to impart a sense of sadness 
to the landscape. The Poplars look best planted in groups with rapid-growing Con 
ifers. The Tulip Tree succeeds admirably in moist situations, and its autumn tint 
is peculiarly pleasing. With American Oaks it makes a happy combination. There 
is a pyramidal variety which is useful for lightening up round-headed groups. 
Juglans regia lacinata is likewise a low-growing, pretty tree, as arc. also, the Amer- 
ican Ashes, such as Fraxinus juglandifolia, F. aucuba folia, and F. longi folia, the 
latter having foliage of a violet colour; F. suuibucifolia is a tree with a most distinct 
character; also F. lentiscifolia. The pendulous kinds of Ash make good waterside 
trees, and the nearer they are planted to the water the better they look. 
