The Rice plant is a kind of grass, which grows best in moist soil and low lands which are flooded at particular seasons. It is grown in abundance in India, China and Japan where it is used as the chief article of food. In England it is used for preparing pudding and for thickening soap.
Stages of growth: There are several stages in the growth of the plant, each of which keeps the farmer thoroughly engaged.
In the first stage, the land is ploughed and watered several times. Seeds are then sown upon the land, which germinate within two or three days. They are then transferred to the soil, which has been prepared for their growth. When the plants grow to a certain height, weeds and other obnoxious plants are to be removed from their place. The cultivator has to look to this particularly, until the arrival of the next stage.
In the second stage, which is the harvest time of it, the rice plants are reaped and tied up in sheaves. They are then carried in carts and kept in piles, which sometimes rise to a great height. They are then detached from the stock either by beating or by the cattle treading upon them.
In the third stage, the grains are husked and prepared for food, but before that is done, the grains are kept moist for some time, then boiled and dried in the sun. The husk is removed by rubbing the grains between flat stones. The gram can then be properly boiled and used as food.