Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-06-24
HOW CHINAMAN'
CROWS HIS RICE:
Preparation of Soil Encountered
by Tedious Details.
DIVIDED into TWO GROUPS

Upland Rice Can Be Cultivated as Any
Ordinary Crop, Whereas Wet Rice
10 Sown Under Conditions That Ne
eessItate the Flooding Of the Fields
for a Considerable Time,
Rice Is the chief sustenance of one.
third Of the worlds population. 1t
has been cultivated from time imme.
mortal In tropical and seipitropical
countries and more than LOGO differ
cnt varieties have been recognized.
The rice plant Is similar in appear
nnce tn wheat, but instead of having
q compact "ear" 1t bears a head com.
posed Of a number OF fine stalks, each
Of which contains one grain. The
grains are covered with brown huSk;
when separated from the rest Of the
plant they are known as paddy"
Rice plants may be broadly divid-
ed into two main groups, namely. up
land" or hill" rice and Rowland" or
"wet" rice. Upland rice can be cul-
tivated as any ordinary crop, wh're-
as wet" rice Is sown under cOndi-
lions necessitatlng the flooding of the
fields for a considerable time during
the growing period.
Rice Is generally considered ma.
tive Of China, probably due to the fact
that Emperor Chin-NOng, who ruled
$500 years before Christ established
a ceremonial ordinance which pre-
.n1 hnf fha oh
rhe rice himself. while four other kinds
Of seed may be sown by princes of his
family.
Rice was also cultivated centuries
ago in India and later I'm Egypt, after
which, about the year 148S. Its cuti-
walton spread to southern Europe In
l647 Sir William Berkeley planted one.
half of bushel of seed In Virginia.
In 1904 a Portuguese bark home
ward bound from Madagascar. driven
from her course by tempests, was
forced to take shelter in the harhor
of Charleston, 8. c., and the captain.
in return for courtesies extended him.
presented Gov. Landgrave Smith with
bag Of rice seed, which Smith plant
ed that year IN accordance with the
captains instructions, and from this
crop sprang the present tremendous
rice industry In the southern states.
Rice Growing Is Tedious.
As rice Is the staple food Of ChIns
with its 4OO,OO0,OO0 inhahitauts. IL wi
he of interest to review briefly The
General method of cultivation followed
10y tho Chinese.
In China the preparation OF the sn,i
presents many tedious details, az very
little modern machinery as vet has
been introduced. The land is eithec
worked with hoes, spades OF mattorks.
or plowed to depth Of about tea
inches with an antlquated contrivance
Usually drawn by water buffalo. Ha-
ter Is supplied the field by mears If
waterwheel until the soil Is -hor-
nughly soaked. In some cases The
field Is first flooded and then Iiowrd.
Green manure, consisting Of straw,
grass, ETC., Is spread on the field after
II Is flooded and worked into the soil
with the feet
Seeds are generally selected by stiff
ing the paddy. This operation. which
is performed In q sieve constructed Ut
bamboo. eliminates effectively the un-
desirable and small grains, writes Il.
G. Herr. in the Grain Log.
A seedbed separated by boards
about Ave inches wide, one-haif inch
thick and as long as the bed itself Is
constructed In a corner of the field.
The level Of this bed Is slightly
higher than the field itself. The seeds
are packed In a straw mating bag
and soaked in cold water for about
FIVE days until they begin to spr"ut,
when they are sown broadcast on the
he'd. which Is then covered with rice
straw ashes to a depth Of about one
inch. Sometimes they are sown Ia
the bed with no covering whatever.
Flooding the Rice Bed.
For the first five days the bed Is
covered with water about one inch
I! ep, during both day and night. After
that II Is flooded each morning until
rhp plants are five or six Inches tall.
rhe plants are then pulled out and
stuck into the soil about one and q
nnlt inches deep in regular rows,
The plants take root In about ten
days after which tong consisting Of
N iron cOmblike head Is used To ha.-
row between rows. Every effort Ia
made to maintain uniform depth II
about two inches of fresh water. whic
is drained off when the head Of
rice comes out,
Early rice Is harvested about 100
lays after transplantlng, and late rice
rakes about $50 days to mature.
The comparatively low cost of rice
has made 1t the staple article Of food
n Asiatic countries. Rice is also
extensively used by all other parts II
The world, as 1t is easily transported
and can be held for considerable PEE
riod without deteriOrating. There Is
no doubi that its consumption viii
materially increase with the dissem-
nation Of knowledge regarding the va-
ritty Of palatable ways In which it
may he prepared to suit the tastes Of
The most fastidious.
Spent so Of His 90 Years In jail,