Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-06-28
WILD RICE.

MEssas EDiroHs Among your widely -extended cores
pondens perhaps may learn whether the suggestion of
Mr. DARBr in his valuable View Of the United States"
relating to the Zisasia Aq4aca, is usually called,
Wild Rice has been realized whether person suitably
situated would bring this wild rice to the test of experiment,
and determine whether cultivation would develop the seed
of THIS vegetable it has done with other ceraa, such
wheat rye oats barley maize This grass found (says
Mr. d. perhaps three millions Of squares miles in North
America abounds around the lakes and higher Of the
mississippi and constitutes considerable part Of the food of
the native Indians II would be service done to the human
species improve adomestc grain, which would lead
favorable result Immense regions Of interior North America
would admit dense population which without such grain
must continue desoae Should any of your readers know
experiments being made 10 the cultivation of this grain they
would confer public benefit by communicating the results
through your valuable journal M
MospAr, JUNE 20, 1886
BALrIMoRE JUSE 49, lS45
MEssns EpIToRs The following remarks NAV not answer
fully the object Of 'M," in Mondays Ineuencer suchas
they however they cordially at his service In 1892
obtained of the Wild Rice from the shores Of Lake
Erie about two quars tried in various ways and ON,
various stuatonson high land and low land and on
dry and land generally covered with water We
gcaed in all those situations but in did it get inches
high The warm weather Of summer seemed dry up or
burn up Even that which shaded the banks Of coci
spring stream and that which continually under water pe
rshed with the rest Before the month Of August had
single plant left out Of thousands that had promised
me fairly in the Spring Of course made further attempt
to cultivate this "oia rice BY the way it is perfect
misnomer to call it rice has resemblance TO rice
than has rye, half much 1t resembles more the
grain Of the native of Southern low lands Arund
maria mdcrospma except that it is large BY the
way must tell your friend NJ that tried this latter arti-
Gle ALSO at the time, with the results Indeed,
both you Messrs Editors and M must excuse my garru-
y, Us proper to this word in Drifg well in
ference to talking and permit say that have fairly
tried most of the newly discovered articles Of human food from
different parts Of the world and have proved scarcely Of
them fit to sustain competition with those of their class already
established among The celebrated small Peruvian rc,
so vauntngy spoken Of by Humboldt and other travellers
luscious root of the acaca, of Colombia South America
and many other such things have passed under my expert
mental process at small expense and of themas
been found worthy of place with agricultural produc
tons cannot account for the favorable accounts that ira
veilers give of such things any other way upon
supposdon That their fatigue and prvaions had shapened
their appehes to azos edge, they certainly could
have approved OF such maggoty looking pudding
made Of Peruvian rice (chenopodum guinea. But let
return to the wild rice This article introduced into Eng
land upwards Of fifty years ago. accimated in Mid
desrx and Ross shire. But hear more Of it, is
taken for granted that failed there, with me- profitable
results for, if had been good for any thing, its culture would
have been continued and its good qualities made known Il
seems to be adapted only to the marshy shores Of north
western lakes, all Of which abounds, aoding supply
to those Indians and others who obtain Indian corn
1t generally grows pretty deep water in water deep
enough to float and the Indians gather by passing
among it in their Canoes bending the tops of the plants over
the sides of the and scapng of the grain do not
know how they grind it. The partial examination made Of
its arna convinced me that would make toIeraby good bat
bread the principal food of the wild geese
and other birds that flock the northwestern regions every
season. Respectfully,
GIDEON b. SMITH.