266 
I shall send is not prepared for cooking, as I obtained it expressly for 
seed, in the autumn. Age may cause it to deteriorate, though I think 
not. As to the proper time for sowing, I should say the middle of Sep¬ 
tember, as when left untouched it drops off the stalk at the time it is ful¬ 
ly ripe and plants itself—presuming it is an annual, which I think it is. 
It grows to the height of from six to ten feet, and when ready for har¬ 
vest presents a beautiful appearance, as the heads are delicately formed, 
being a foot or more in length, upon which the rice hangs by the fine 
thread-like stem.* 
I think the wild rice increases in bulk by cooking at least one-third 
more, and it needs a little more cooking than the common rice. 
I enclose in this letter a small quantity of the seed-rice; by breaking 
off the hull you can observe the rice, and its color, when cooked, is much 
lighter, as many of the kernels are nearly white inside. If, upon trial, 
the rice should prove to be easily propagated, and of value, I can easily 
furnish a good supply of seed from these parts. 
Yours most respectfully, 
0. H. Kellet, 
Cor. Sec. Benton Co. Ag Society. 
To Albert C. Ingham, Esq., 
See. of the IFis. State Agr. Society. 
THE POTATO—ITS HISTORY AND THEORIES OF DISEASE. 
BY R. W. WRIGHT, WAUKESHA. 
V 
It is now nearly three hundred years since the common potato, or tu¬ 
berous-rooted night-shade, was first introduced into Europe, and culti¬ 
vated as a table esculent. It appears to have been at first exclusively 
confined to the gardens of the nobility and gentry, and was regarded by 
them as a great delicacy. Subsequently, its cultivation became more 
general, and as early as 1663 the Royal Society of t England recommended 
that it be more extensively cultivated as a means of guarding against 
famine. It was not, however, till about sixty years ago that its extension 
• See Plate—Grasses of Wisconsin. 
