Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-01-18
CULTIVATION OF RIOE.

/ Rice was first introduced into this coun-
try by Sir William Berkely, of Virginia, in
l647 who received half bushel of the
seed, from which he is said to have raised
the first year sixteen bushels of excellent
rice, and thus the cultivation of it was com
menced and carried on 1t has been raised
to some extent in Virginia ever since, but
the amount has been very small compared
with that raised in some other Southern
States, ,and especially South Carolina, which
has produced 10 per cent. Of the rice crop
of all the States. The production of the
whole country in 1860 was 215 ,313, ,098 lbs.
/ The rice from South Carolina and Georgia
is the finest raised in any part of the world.
At the great Industrial Exhibition at Lon
/ don, in 1851, the rice from South Carolina,
exhibited by F. j. Heriot. received prize
medal and was pronounced by the jury to
be magnificent in size, color and clearness,
and the American was regarded as much
/ the finest in quality Of any on exhibition.
! The mode of cultivation adopted on the
rice plantations where the overfowing of
the land is resorted to, is as follows The
land selected is that which is above the
reach Of tide or salt water and which is
not liable to the heavy freshets that flood
the country on the upper part of the rivers,
as the irrigation must be completely under
control The land is prepared by the cree
ton of dykes and digging of bitches, and
divided into as many separate fields as can
be separately attended, in the various opera
tions required, in single day, each field
capable of being shut off from all the rest
The fields are ploughed in the fall or early
winter, ,and ovcrfiowed when the weather is
warm In March the land is drained and
kept dry, and when in proper state to
work it is narrowed or hOed, and trenches
for the seed are madel2 or Is inches apart,
and running at right angles with the drains
or bitches. The seed is sOwn in the trench
es in April, and covered lightly with soil,
and then the water is let in upon it through
the gates and suffered to stand from four
to six days, until the grain begins to swell
The water is let in a second time when the
blade is just above the ground, and allow
ed to remain about the same length of time,
when it is thoroughly drained. In about
five or six weeks the first hoeing takes
place, and a second about ten days later
when ''the long water as it is called, is
let on for two weeks, deep for four days
and gradually diminishing until it is drain
ed again When the field becomes dry it
is hoed again On the appearance of a
joint it has another hoeing and the "ioint
water" is put on, which remains until the
grain is matured, a period it may be of two
months. A few days before cutting, the
water is drawn off for the last time. The
rice is cut with a sickle, and after threshing
another important operation is to be gone
through, the removal of the husk or shell
which closely envelopes the kernel, and to
which it adheres with great tenacity. This
was formerly ACCOMPLISHED by braying it in
a mortar, and the same course is now pur-
sued to some extent, but mills are construc-
ted in which it is partially ground, without
destroying the kernel altogether. The whole
is then run through graduated cylindrical
sieve, similar to the screens by which coal
is assorted, and the hulled rice comes out
in three separate parcels or grades, first
the -four and fine pieces which have been
abraded by milling, then the "middiing," "
and after that the "prime" rice, which CON
sists of kernels nearly or quite whole. The
prime rice is subjected to still another pro-
cess, which is called polishing or brushing
and which is effected by runnng'it through
a rapidly revolving wire screen, lined in
part with shreds of sheepskin. This re-
moves the -four adhering to the surface OF
the kernels, and the rice is then ready for
| the market.-JoUr. Of Com.