The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Part 43

" Desas or villages 39,931 36,296

Amount of the population who take a part in it, without distinction of caste 6,704,797 6,857,372

Number of families, &c. 1,466,845 1,475,675

" " families who devote themselves to the cultivation 1,150,406 1,146,083

Number of men bound to obligatory service 1,321,767 1,325,746

Cleared grounds in _bahus_, of 71 decametres 1,470,047 1,540,054

Upon this extent the population had cultivated for the government, in _bahus_ of 71 decametres 78,182 74,277

Extent of fields which the population had cultivated 1,286,139 1,381,216 on their own account, in _bahus_, &c.

Extent of land in fallow in _bahus_, &c. 105,726 84,561

Produce in piculs of fields cultivated by the population on its own account 21,273,278 23,810,573

Average produce of a _bahu_ 16 17

Gross amount of the land tax of 1840 8,502,402 fl 9,030,761 fl.

Extent of rice fields newly cultivated in _bahus_ 10,328 13,561

This comparative summary shows that the culture of rice increases yearly, and that the average produce of the fields is also continually increasing. These results have been obtained by the attention paid to the proper irrigation of the soil fit for this culture; and to the hydraulic works which the Government executes on its own account in the parts of the island where rice fields can be established, and where they are required to feed a population whose number is still increasing yearly.

I have seen, continues Mr. Crawfurd, lands which have produced, from time beyond the memory of any living person, two yearly crops of rice.

When this practice is pursued, it is always the five-months grain which is grown. The rapid growth of this variety, has, indeed, enabled the Javanese husbandman, in a few happy situations, to urge the culture to the amount of six crops in two years and a half. Rice cultivated in a virgin soil, where the wood has been burnt off, will, under favorable circ.u.mstances, give a return of twenty-five and thirty fold. Of mountain rice, cultivated in ordinary upland arable lands, fifteen fold may be looked upon as a good return. In fertile soils, when one crop only is taken in the year, marsh rice will yield a return of twenty-five seeds. When a double crop is taken, not more than fifteen or sixteen can be expected. In the fine province of Kadu, an English acre of good land, yielding annually one green crop and a crop of rice, was found to produce of the latter 641 lbs. of clean grain. In the light sandy, but well watered lands of the province of Mataram, where it is the common practice to exact two crops of rice yearly without any fallow, an acre was found to yield no more than 285 lbs. of clean rice, or an annual produce of 570 lbs. --("History of the Indian Archipelago.")

The low estimation of Java rice is not attributable to any real inferiority in the grain, but to the mode of preparing it for the market. In husking it, it is, for the want of proper machinery, much broken, and, from carelessness in drying, subject to decay from the attack of insects and worms. When in the progress of improvement more intelligent methods are pursued in preparing the grain for the market, it will equal the grain of any other country. Machinery must be employed for husking the grain, and some degree of kiln drying will be necessary to ensure its preservation in a long voyage.

I know nowhere that rice is so cheap as in Java, except in Siam, whence it is exported at one-third less cost. A great deal of rice is exported from Siam to China by the junks, and also occasionally a little from Java.

The quant.i.ty exported from Java in 1830 was 13,521 coyans.

" " 1835 " 25,577 "

" " 1839 " 1,103,378 piculs

" " 1841 " 676,213 "

" " 1843 " 1,108,774 "

Rice is grown to some extent in the Dutch portion of Celebes; it yields at a minimum one hundred and fifty fold. The average annual delivery of rice to the Government, from 1838 to 1842, was 3,390,119 lbs. At present the Government pays sixty cents for a measure of forty pounds. That which is sold for the consumption of the inhabitants may be procured at the public warehouse for a guilder the 35 lbs.; and that which is sold for export may be had at public auction for 125 florins the coyan of 3,000 lbs.

The following description of some varieties of rice cultivated in the Philippine islands, is given by Mr. Rich, botanist to the United States Exploring Expedition. The varieties are very numerous; the natives distinguish them by the size and shape of their grain:--

_Binambang_.--Leaves slightly hairy; glumes whitish; grows to the height of about five feet; flowers in December: aquatic.

_Lamuyo_ greatly resembles the above; is more extensively cultivated, particularly in Batangas, where it forms the princ.i.p.al article of food of the inhabitants of the coast: aquatic.

_Malagcquit_.--This variety derives its name from its being very glutinous after bailing; it is much used by the natives in making sweet or fancy dishes; and also used in making a whitewash, mixed with lime, which is remarkable for its brilliancy, and for withstanding rain, &c.: aquatic.

_Bontot Cabayo_.--Common in Ilocos, where it is cultivated both upland and lowland; it produces a large grain, and is therefore much esteemed, but has rather a rough taste.

_Dumali, or early rice_.--This rice is raised in the uplands exclusively, and derives its name from ripening its grain three months from planting; the seed is rather broader and shorter than the other varieties; it is not extensively cultivated, as birds and insects are very destructive to it.

_Quinanda_, with smooth leaves.--This variety is held in great estimation by the people of Batangas, as they say it swells more in boiling than any other variety; it is sown in May, and gathered in October: upland.

_Bolohan_.--This variety has very hairy glumes; it is not held in much esteem by the natives, but it is cultivated on account of its not being so liable to the attacks of insects and diseases as most of the other upland varieties.

_Malagcquit_.--With smooth leaves, and red glumes (all the preceding are whitish); possesses all the qualities of the aquatic variety of the same name--that of being very glutinous after boiling. This rice is said to be a remedy for worms in horses, soaked in water, with the hulls on; it is given with honey and water.

_Tangi_.--Leaves slightly hairy, glumes light violet color. This upland variety is held in much esteem for its fine flavor.

435,067 arrobas of rice were exported from Manilla in 1847.

A simple but rude mill is in use in Siam, and many parts of India, for hulling paddy, which is similar to those used 4,000 years ago. It consists of two circular stones, two feet in diameter, resting one on the other; a bamboo basket is wrought around the upper one, so as to form the hopper. A peg is firmly set into the face of the upper stone, half way between its periphery and centre, having tied to it by one end a stick three feet long, extended horizontally, and attached by the other to another stick pending from the roof of the shed under which the mill is placed. This forms a crank, by which the upper stone is made to revolve on the other set firmly on the ground. The motion throws the rice through the centre of the stone, and causes it to escape between the edges of the two.

More starch is contained in this grain than in wheat. Braconnet obtained from Carolina rice 85.07, and from Piedmont rice 83.8 per cent. of starch. Vogel procured from a dried rice no less than 98 per cent. of starch. There are several patent processes in existence for the manufacture of rice-starch, which are accomplished chiefly by digesting rice in solutions, more or less strong, of caustic alkali (soda), by which the gluten is dissolved and removed, leaving an insoluble matter composed of starch, and a white substance technically called fibre. Under Jones's patent, the alkaline solution employed contains 200 grains of real soda in every gallon of liquor, and 150 gallons of this liquor are requisite to convert 100 lbs. of rice into starch. In manufacturing rice-starch on a large scale, Patna rice yields 80 per cent, of marketable starch, and 8.2 per cent. of fibre, the remaining 11.8 per cent. being made up of gluten, gruff, or bran, and a small quant.i.ty of light starch carried off in suspension by the solution.

Jones's process may be thus described:--100 lbs. of rice are macerated for 24 hours in 50 gallons of the alkaline solution, and afterwards washed with cold water, drained, and ground. To 100 gallons of the alkaline solution are then to be added 100 lbs. of ground rice, and the mixture stirred repeatedly during 24 hours, and then allowed to stand for about 70 hours to settle or deposit. The alkaline solution is to be drawn off, and to the deposit cold water is to be added, for the double purpose of washing out the alkali and for drawing off the starch from the other matters. The mixture is to be well stirred up and then allowed to rest about an hour for the fibre to fall down. The liquor holding the starch in suspension is to be drawn off and allowed to stand for about 70 hours for the starch to deposit. The waste liquor is now to be removed, and the starch stirred up, blued (if thought necessary), drained, dried, and finished in the usual way.[44]

Rice is imported into this country in bags of 1 cwt., and tierces of 6 cwt., not only for edible purposes, but, when ground into flour, for cotton manufactures, in aiding to form the weaver's dressings for warps. Rice-meal is commonly used for feeding pigs.

Imported.

British Retained for home Plantation. Foreign. consumption of all kinds.

Bags. Bags. Bags.

1843 136,319 35,125 60,965 1844 127,876 69,112 126,733 1845 173,794 5,713 114,933

Tons. Tons. Tons.

1847 38,736 3,033 28,375 1848 21,226 4,631 15,468 1849 19,397 1,410 14,961

Total imported. Re-exported.

1849 976,196 cwts. 290,732 cwts.

" in the husk 31,828 qrs.

1850 785,451 cwts. 248,136 "

" in the husk 37,150 qrs.

1851 714,847 cwts. 345,677 "

" in the husk 31,481 qrs.

1852 989,316 cwts. 414,507 "

" in the husk 23,946 qrs.

The quant.i.ty of rice retained for home consumption, by the corrected returns, in 1850, was 401,018 cwts. and 35,119 quarters; in 1851, 399,170 cwts. and 31,481 quarters; in 1852, 574,809 cwts. and 23,946 quarters. The aggregate imports range from 40,000 to 80,000 tons annually, of which about 500 to 800 tons are in the husk.

Among culmiferous plants and legumes used in the East, are the _Panic.u.m italic.u.m_, _P. miliaceum_, _Eleusine coracana_ (the meal of which is baked and eaten in Ceylon under the name of Corakan flour), and _Paspalum_ of several varieties. The pigeon pea (_Cytisus Cajan_), and a very valuable and prolific species of bean, called the Mauritius black bean (_Mucuna utilis_), growing even in the poorest soil, is cultivated in India and Ceylon. _Sorghum vulgare_ is the princ.i.p.al grain of Southern Arabia, and the stems are also used extensively for feeding cattle. The plant bears its Indian name of joar, or juri, and is cultivated throughout Western Hindostan. Job's tears (_Croix lachryma_) is another cereal gra.s.s, native of the East Indies.