The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-12

its Rice Fields Could Give One Feed
Ia All Mankind-Thc Big Mills OF
Raneoon, and How They Are
Worked-Giri LaboreTs Who save
Money on = Gents a Day-Harsard
Atblctes Beaten by East indian
tonIics-The Hindoo Invasion of
Farther india-Queer Money Lend
rr~-Burnlcse Trade and American
MiS-ion~-GoyerTment EdHcation-
Nation Where tie Boys Are
Taught ny The Monks.
tt'oryrjght, 1910, by Frank q. Car
penter.)
POOZOONDOUNG.
have just visited the greatest rice
mill Of the world. 1t lies here at
Po0zoondoung. on the IrraWaddy
river. below the port of ~Hangoon. It
belongs to the Bullock brothers, VINO
own other large mills and export
thousands Of tons OF rice every year.
Burma IS about the best rice patch
on the bosom of Old Mother Earth.
The lower part Of it is q garden de-
rotru to the cultivation Of the crop.
and upper Burma is more than half
rict. The country has altogether rice
areas equal TO the State Of Ohio, and
is aunual exports OF this grain are
more than two billion pounds. This
is eaoueh to give every human be
ipg on earth ali the rice he could eat
ii ptlE IA ) q. ana VII Icaf = tIo1Sn over
to make d pudding for every man. Wo-
mau and child, as we'll as sprinkle
all tho brides and eroOms of the year.
Rice is the money crop OF Burma. 1t
takes the place Of wheat, corn and
Gotten W4tit Us. The exports sell for
millions. and the people are rich or
poor as the rice grows we'll or i'll.
Increasing the Rice Crop.
The British government appreciates
how much the prosperity Of the c0un-
try depends upon rice. and it is dOing
wonders In increasing the crop. 1t has
an agricultural department whose e.
lortS in this regard correspond with
those Of our department at home. 1t
- studying seed selection, increasing
the irrigated territories and making
forecasts showing the possible WELD.
III has lis aecnts III every part OF the
country. and their reports upon rice
are more accurately mad than our
reports upon cotton. During the past
i've years, III which q total of 10000
yVt tons was raised for exnort, the
government forecasts were only 5000
ions cat Of the way. The estimates
came largely from the local officials.
bUrmo IS q land Of villages. Most OF
lH" people live in little settlements Of
5hAtched huts raised upon poles; and
they 60 outside to work. Every viii
Ha4@ has its head man. who rcports>to
tn" government the number Of acres
fNs people viii plant. His figures are
sent 70 the county officials. and they
send their estimate for their district
on 10 officials Of the province. the last
calculations being made 1t Rangoon.
[ do not know what Uncle Sam is
doing III this line in the Philippines.
but [ venture he could learn much
rom the British in Burma.
I%surrna's Big Rice Mills.
Eut como with me and go through
fhlS rice mill at poozoondoung. The
Sraln is harvested as paddy. In the
acid ii looks not unlike wheat or
oats, but every kernel has d husk on
IL and jIls sticks to il as though il
w"re glued. When the grain is ready
tor shipment to the mills it looks
much like our wheat grains un-
5ttTaShed, save tina the rice husks
oaNe neither heads nor boards and
they stick tight TO the kernels. It
ta&eS quite as much work to get them
oft as to grind the thrashed whe
INTO flour. This is the work Of these
TIC" mills.
h Poozoondoung mill covers az
much ground as any Of our large
aouf-9rinding establishments. 1t
iaS bindings Of five stories. with sin
gle rooms as big as q good-sized gar