The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-06-21
rice
As A Diet Has Been The
Staff Of Life
New York Pressl

w
expect rice to become substitute,
because, weight for weight, measure
for measure, cost for cost, rice may
be the better food for man. Rice in
its natural, unpublished form does not
contain the large quantities of glut-
en- found in wheat. Although gluten
is of comparatively small value as a
food for man, for the human organism
seems unable to utilize it with any
great advantage. Proof of rice'B sIs-
tanning power was we'll shown in the
late Jap war, where rice, scientifical.
ly combined with meats, was the most
important part of diet.
Rice has been the staff of life for
more than half the population of the
world since beyond the beginning of
recorded time. And the more science
sees of rice the better rice looks to
sciences eye. Not only may it he re-
garded as better "staff" than wheat,
but in addition to being an added
dish" to the table it also may dig
pense with the tyrannies of bakeries,
ovens and the manifold, unspeakable
bread tricks, gratis, cheatings that
cut such capers and tricks with the
stomach and the pocketbooks of the
new industrial world.
Rice is wet" that grows for the
most part in flooded land; or dry"
that raised on uplands. It's growth in
those regions where civilization has
penetrated east is pathetic. Parts of
the East are still covered with virgin
forest of tall trees; underneath all is
dark in heavy shade. Creepers twine
up hundreds of feet and are all topped
off with indescribable orchids, all
hunting for air and sunshine. In the
thick wood a suitable spot is chosen,
for rice they must have or starve.
Underground is cut out and staked
and helged around to make a fence
for the little rice farm.
Then comes death to those great,
kingly ancient trees. The rainy sea-
son and sowing begin, A little guard
house is built, else animals would des-
troy the rice farm, for elephants, deer,
boars, monkeys are crazy for growing
green rice, and hedge would not hold
them out. Then are used planting
sticks, a siX-foot sharpened ebony
stick. This is jabbed down into the
new ground, and into the hole few
grains of rice are planted and stamped
in, and so on so on. II rain is abund-
ant good crops no rain, famine. Next
year this field, which has been cleared
with such wretched labor and danger
and at the cost Of 50 many magnifl.
cent trees, is abandoned for another
part of the forest.
The old one, with its chopped, burnt
trees still standing, Is left to nature
Insects and fungi devour it and again
turn 1t back to virgin soil and forest
Thus rice is raised in countries where
people are scarce and wood and lanC
Is in wasteful plenty.
Rice Is kept for use in the Orien
in its husk-just like horse oats ol
unthrashed wheat. 1t is called pad
dy'' and is beaten or thrashed FOL
daily use. But pure husked rice il
too rough and unattractive loolsini
for world markets. so it is polished
In revolving cylinders with Frencl
chalk to make II pretty, pearly
smooth. But this robs 1t of its cute
layer and most valuable food quail
ties. Polished rice is regarded as poi
son in Japan and is known to produc
the dreadful epidemic disease, beri
beri, in Japs who live too exclusiyel
on rise diet and eating little or n
meat.
Present output of rice in the Unite
States is about $20,000,00O crop. An
as our output of wheat declines, Il
Mr. Hin and others prophesy, 1t is +
be hoped that our rice crop will il
crease, and there is no reason why
Is not to increase, and 50 save us iron
the humiliation, sufferings and eS
peuse of importation of wheat an
scarcity and high price of bread.
viii be great pity II the powers tina
be cannot change the present deman
for fancy pearly rice, and use instea
plain, unpublished and more healthfu
cheaper and better tasting, plain hui
ed rice. A casual examination in Ne'
York's biggest grocery stores has fai
ed to show anything but fancy" ric,
Now, Japs lose none OF the strength 9
rice, for the water is boiled down Vt
save everything, 1t is even said tina
, laps often prefer the water 1t is boile
In to the rice itself, and their scieI
lists seem to think the water more nj
tritious than the grains,