The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-12-09
A RICE PLANTATION.

No fairer prospect exists in the whole
realm OF agriculture than the landscape
of well-appointed rice plantation,
whether viewed in early spring before
planting, with the tawny seams of its
enbankments intersecting the checker
ed squares, the yellow mold yet steam
ing from the plow, and the whole visi-
bic area apparently as cleanly swept
and garnished as parior floor; or later,
during the nursery reign of the foster
ing stretch water, each square lake,
It's wavelets ripping under the fresh sea
breeze, with tile tops of the young plants
immersed for forcing, in long, waving
line of tendrils floating on the water
and the russell banks. separating lake
from lake, now paths of emerald, their
grassy carpet blowing in the April sun !;
or later still, during the ''long water, :"
the entire landscape one waving sea of
gresn, broken only by the crystal rib
bons of canals and quarter drains; or,
finally, in the full noontide of harvest
time, the level fields, now lakes no
more, but vast stretches of stubble dot
ted with stacks of golden grain, IS If an
army tented there.
The wheat lands of Dakota are i'm
prcssive, but their unbroken, unrelieved
mcnotony is almost painful. The vine
clxd hills Of the upper Ohio are novel
and interesting; the velvety slopes Of
the valley of the Roanoke and Ken
tucky's blue grass meadows pretty and
atu active; but 4 study of the rice fields
of the Atlantic deltss ia simply fasci-
mating.
In other agricultural pursuits msn's S
efforts are the sport of the elements, and
largely dependent upon the caprice OF
nature. In this man works with God,
in the very shadow of His presence
with intelligence and Judgment regulat-
ing the wayward freaks of nature. graft
ing chemical affinity and physical force,
and directing both to an end, reason
ably certain If properly compa.sed.
The high plane OF thought necessarily
trarersod by the planter pursuing this
avocation from generation to genera
ton naturally induced broader intel
hgence. greater elevation of mind, su-
perior refinement, and = more universal
and thorough cosmopolitanism than has
ever been attained either before or since
in any other kindred employment
Yet this incidental uper-retnemeDt
wac far removed from eff1eminacy. Dur
ing the late war, whenever caisson
stuck fast in the mud, the first volunteer
shoulder under the wheel va. that of
the young rice-planter, who = month
previous had daintilv aired himself in
his spotless white duck suit, while Jake
and Pat, the stevedore and the ditcner,
invariably stood afar off, watching
the performance, nor lent helping
hand except under orders"
TIE word ''rice" is evidently of east
ern origin: Tamil, ariSt; Arabic, druz;
Latin, orysa; Italian, rts0; French, riz.
1t is only second in. Importance among
the cereals to wheat.
Its use by the inhabitants of China
and India extends 10 far back as the
earliest records of either country. A
Chinese classic describes minutely the
drainage and irrigation works con-
structed by the Emperor Yu on the
aus-tse-kiang 4, ESQ years ago. 1t was
cultivated in Egypt fully fifty centuries
ago though not the principal food of
ths latter country Frequent biblical
references TO rice are found. Herodotus
itlil uoStElUOS Ii, AS uOtS IllnF III his
treatiss upon the food plants of India.
While GlbDon considers that it was cul-
tivxted IN Spain At the time of the Ro-
man occupation, it certainly, As an in
dustry, attained no prominence in Eu-
rope until comparatively modern times,
and it is generally believed to have been
introduced by the Moors into Andalusia
during the eleventh century, and to
have crossed from Spain into Italy about
Il century after.
Rice is now grown in nearly every
portion OF the globe-in Japan, Brazil,
Hawaii, America, Italy, Japan, India.
nut principally in China and Burmah.
The Burmese crop i. nearly all export
ed, the inhabitants subsisting on some
cheaper food, IS millet or dourrhA; that
OF China Is principally consumed vt
home, though good deal finds its way
into this country.-BiU0uac