WILD RICE 
 
 CHARLES E. CHAMBLISS 
 
 Agronomist in Charge of Rice Investigations, 
 
 Office of Cereal Investigations, 
 
 Bureau of riant Industry 
 
 UNITED STATES 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 229 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 Issued August, 1922 
 
 WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : l»2I 
 
 ^'J*tt<lft»'* 
 
THE PRINCIPAL USE of wild rice is as food for 
 wild ducks and other waterfowl. Wild rice is 
 also used to a limited extent as human food, par- 
 ticularly by some of the Indian tribes of the upper 
 Mississippi Valley. 
 
 Wild rice grows in shallow lakes and on marshy 
 lands bordering tidal rivers above brackish water, 
 where the streams are sluggish. Under these" con- 
 ditions, where it can anchor itself in a thick layer of 
 mud, regardless of the kind of soil, the plant seems 
 to make its best growth. 
 
 Because it attracts ducks and other game birds, 
 wild rice often is sown on hunting preserves, but 
 the results frequently are unsatisfactory because the 
 seed does not germinate well. 
 
 To insure good germination the seed must be kept 
 moist from the time it is harvested until it is sown 
 and must be stored at a low temperature. 
 
 In the vicinity of Washington, D. C, the seed 
 should be sown broadcast about the middle of April 
 at the rate of a handful of well-matured seed to 
 2 square yards of water surface. 
 
 ADDITIONAL COPIES 
 
 OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM 
 
 THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. 
 
 AT 
 
 5 CENTS PER COPY 
 
\-<s \Q 
 
 ^?Cs2j 
 
 WILD RICE. 
 
 Charles E. Chambliss, Agronomist in Charge of Rice Investigations, Office of 
 Cereal Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Wild rice in nature 3 
 
 Conditions under which wild 
 
 rice grows 3 
 
 Where wild rice grows 4 
 
 Description of the plant 5 
 
 Kinds of wild rice 5 
 
 Growing wild rice 7 
 
 Where to sow 7 
 
 When to sow 8 
 
 How to seed 8 
 
 Transplanting 9 
 
 Page. 
 
 Growing wild rice — Continued. 
 
 Seasonal growth 10 
 
 Propagation 11 
 
 How to harvest 13 
 
 Storage of seed 14 
 
 Shipping seed and plants 15 
 
 Uses of wild rice 15 
 
 Use as food for birds 15 
 
 Use as food for man 16 
 
 Possible forage value 16 
 
 Ornamental value 16 
 
 WILD RICE IN NATURE. 
 
 WILD RICE (Zizania aquatica L.; Z. palustris L.) is a tall 
 annual grass, distantly related to the cultivated rice. It is a 
 favorite food of ducks, geese, and other game birds and may be suc- 
 cessfully grown on or near shooting grounds in many localities 
 where it does not now occur if proper attention is given to the condi- 
 tions which the plant requires for healthful growth. East of the 
 Rocky Mountains many old patches are disappearing which can and 
 should be preserved as feeding grounds for wild fowl, particularly 
 wild ducks. The purpose of this bulletin is to answer many ques- 
 tions that are asked about this aquatic plant and to arouse interest 
 in providing means for attracting game birds and supplying them in 
 season with one of their favorite foods. 
 
 In the northern part of the United States this plant is known by 
 such names as Canadian rice, Indian rice, wild rice, squaw rice, riz 
 du Canada, and menomen, while in the South Atlantic States it is 
 more commonly called water oats, marsh oats, and wild rice. 
 
 CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH WILD RICE GROWS. 
 
 Wild rice is a fresh-water plant and will not grow successfully in 
 water that is appreciably salty to the taste. It makes its best growth 
 in shallow lakes and on mud flats and low marshland bordering tidal 
 
 3 
 
 105939°— 22 
 
4 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
 
 rivers above brackish water, where under normal conditions the 
 streams are sluggish. 
 
 In the Northern States the growth of the plant often is seriously 
 affected when the depth of water in the old patches is increased in 
 spring and held at a high level for a long time. When the change of 
 water level is more than 2 or 3 feet there usually is no growth of wild 
 rice during that season. This does not necessarily mean that the 
 patch is destroyed, for as a rule there is a thin stand the following 
 spring if water conditions are favorable, the plants being produced 
 from seed that apparently have remained dormant for at least 20 
 months. 
 
 The daily and regular change of water level which occurs in tidal 
 streams does not affect the growth of wild rice injuriously. Large 
 
 Fig. 1. — A typical wild-rice marsh in Virginia. 
 
 patches of this grass cover many acres on the Potomac River flats 
 that are often exposed at low tide and submerged at high tnle to a 
 depth of approximately 3 feet. The submergence of these flats for 
 a long time during early spring, however, may so affect the general 
 vigor of the plants as greatly to reduce the production of seed. 
 
 Wild rice grows well on a variety of soils under fresh-water streams 
 and lakes, but it seems to make its best growth wherever the plants 
 can anchor themselves in a thick layer of mud, regardless of the 
 kind of soil. 
 
 WHERE WILD RICE GROWS. 
 
 The natural range of wild rice in North America extends south- 
 ward from the northern end of Lake Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico 
 and eastward to the Atlantic coast throughout these latitudes. In 
 the northern part of this region it grows mainly in shallow lakes and 
 sluggish streams, while in the eastern and southern part of the United 
 States it thrives above brackish water in low marshes (Fig. 1) bor- 
 dering most of the tidal rivers emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
Wild Rice. 5 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT. 
 
 The wild-rice plant is an aquatic annual grass having tall, erect, 
 cylindrical, and hollow stems which bear long leaves with flat blades 
 conspicuously marked by a very thick midrib. The principal roots 
 are slender and fibrous and do not penetrate deeply into the soil. 
 
 The stem has a comparatively thin wall and is exceedingly slender. 
 It ranges in height from 7 to 11 feet and in diameter from a quarter 
 to five-eighths of an inch. In thin sands and among isolated plants a 
 single plant may have more than one stem, the additional ones usually 
 arising from the base of the main stem, though sometimes as branches 
 above this point. 
 
 The first leaves to appear are long and narrow. They float upon the 
 surface of the water, but wither and die when the plant is stout 
 enough to stand erect. The sheath, or that part of the leaf which 
 completely wraps the stem, varies in length from 9 to 25 inches. The 
 blade, which is flat and very broad in the plants on the Potomac River, 
 may measure from 9 to 48 inches in length. The leaves remain green 
 until after the seeds ripen. 
 
 The flower cluster consists of two parts, an upper, having erect 
 branches bearing the female or seed-producing flowers, and a lower, 
 with droooing branches bearing the male flowers. 
 
 The two protecting glumes, or chaff, of the female flower enclose 
 a much-branched stigma and a comparatively small ovary. The outer 
 and larger glume bears a long awn or beard. The female flowers 
 emerge first and open before the male flowers of the same plant get out 
 of the leaf sheath. In this way nature provides for cross-fertilization. 
 
 The envelope of the male flower also consists of two glumes, which 
 inclose six bright-yellow stamens that, soon after their release, dis- 
 charge their pollen to be carried by the wind to the stigmas of near- 
 by plants. 
 
 The seed (Fig. 2) is long and slender and almost cylindrical in 
 shape. Its thin brown hull, which adheres tightly to the kernel, bears 
 a long, stiff, twisted awn, on which there are numerous barbs or bristly 
 hairs pointed upward. The surface of the hull itself has short, stiff 
 bristles that point in the same direction. These structures probably 
 help to bury the seed in the mud. 
 
 The kernel (Fig. 3) is one-half to three-quarters of an inch in 
 length, has a shallow groove extending the length of one surface, and 
 when fully matured is purplish black in color. 
 
 KINDS OF WILD RICE. 
 
 Two species of plants are commonly known as wild rice. One of 
 them (Zizania aquat'ica L.) has narrow leaves; rather short, compact 
 flower clusters averaging about 16 inches in length (Fig. 4) ; and 
 stems that seldom exceed 8 feet in height. It also is often distin- 
 
6 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
 
 guished by purple male and female flowers with leaf markings of 
 the same color. The other species (Z. palustris L.) has broad leaves; 
 rather long, loose flower clusters, varying in length from 15 to 29 
 
 Fig. 2. — Seeds of wild rice of the broad-leaved species. (Natural size.) 
 
 inches (Fig. 5), and stems that range in height from 7 to 11 feet. 
 Purple flowers and leaves are not characteristic of this species, 
 though individual plants often are so marked. 
 
 The first species is found mainly in the northern part of the United 
 States and in Ontario, Canada ; the second in the eastern and south- 
 
 Fig. 3. — Kernels of wild rice of the broad-lea vod species. (Natural size.) 
 
 em part of the United States. The seeds of the southern species, 
 with broad leaves, average 1 inch in length, not including the awn, 
 and one-sixteenth of an inch in width. The seed of the other species 
 is shorter and broader. 
 
Wild Rice. 
 
 Extreme variations are found in the narrow-leaved species. In 
 eastern Canada mature plants are found that measure only 6 to 10 
 inches in height, the tallest averaging about 3 feet. The seed that is 
 produced by these plants is small and has a short awn or none at all. 
 There also are several forms of the broad-leaved species. 
 
 Some of the differences may be due to soil and climatic conditions, 
 but there are forms with structural differences that are not character- 
 istic of the two recognized species which are worthy of study. Pos- 
 sibly these forms are more productive than those from which our 
 supply of seed is now obtained. It is quite likely, 
 too, that some of them do not shatter their grain 
 upon maturity. Forms possessing this character 
 alone without increased production would make 
 the growing of wild rice a profitable business for 
 many seedsmen. 
 
 GROWING WILD RICE. 
 
 WHERE TO SOW. 
 
 Wild rice grows luxuriantly above brackish 
 water on mud flats that are submerged by the 
 tides. If any great deposit of silt is thrown 
 down at the mouths of creeks flowing into the 
 tidal rivers, such places also furnish favorable 
 conditions for its growth. Occasionally a good 
 stand of wild rice is found on sand bars that are 
 submerged by the tide. In shallow bays that are 
 connected with the main stream this plant is 
 often found growing almost to the exclusion of 
 any other species. 
 
 In the northern part of the Mississippi Valley 
 and in Canada, away from tidal streams, wild 
 rice grows in large, narrow patches on the mar- 
 gins of lakes and streams and sometimes covers 
 large areas in the shallow lakes of these re- 
 gions. 
 
 There are many localities having these con- 
 ditions in which wild rice is not found that may 
 be used successfully for its propagation. Good 
 results are likely to be obtained if the planting 
 is made ' where the soil is soft and mucklike or covered with a 
 thick layer of mud. The submerging water should be fresh and 
 not stagnant, but should not have a noticeable current under normal 
 conditions. 
 
 Fig. 4. — A flower cluster 
 (botanically called a 
 panicle) of wild rice 
 which is typical of the 
 narrow-leaved species. 
 Its natural length is 
 16J inches. 
 
8 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
 
 Although wild rice naturally grows upon sand bars and silt de- 
 posits at the mouths of creeks, the plant should not be sown upon 
 them, for they often are destroyed by strong currents. 
 
 WHEN TO SOW. 
 
 It is a common practice in many localities to sow wild rice in 
 autumn soon after the seed has been gathered. This is wasteful and 
 expensive, for seed sown at this time is likely to be eaten in large 
 
 quantities by ducks and other birds in 
 autumn and early spring, resulting in 
 poor stands if any are obtained. If 
 not devoured by waterfowl the seed 
 may be covered so deeply with the mud 
 deposited by spring freshets that after 
 germination the greater percentage of 
 the young plants die before they can 
 reach the surface. 
 
 For these reasons spring seeding is 
 recommended. April 15 is the approx- 
 imate date for seeding wild rice in the 
 vicinity of Washington, D. C. How- 
 ever, seeding in this locality as late as 
 May 12 has produced plants that 
 ripened seed as early as the plants that 
 developed from the self-sown or shat- 
 tered seed. 
 
 HOW TO SEED. 
 
 Germinable seed is not always ob- 
 tainable, because irfany seedsmen do 
 not know what should be done with the 
 gathered grain to maintain its vital- 
 ity and therefore are not properly 
 equipped to handle it. The common 
 mistake is to store wild-rice seed under 
 dry conditions. When kept in dry 
 storage, like other seeds, it soon dies. 
 More failures in the introduction of wild rice into new localities are 
 due to the use of such seed than to any other cause. 
 
 Wild-rice seed should be purchased only from seedsmen who will 
 guarantee that the seed has been properly stored and well graded 
 and will further agree to ship it under conditions that will protect 
 its vitality while in transit. Considering the high price of this seed, 
 such a demand is not unreasonable. 
 
 Fig. 5. — A flower cluster (botani- 
 cally called a panicle) of wild 
 rice which is typical of the broad- 
 leaved species. Its natural length 
 is 26 inches. 
 
Wild Rice. 9 
 
 In sowing wild rice it is just as important to use ripe and well- 
 graded seed as in sowing cultivated crops. Seed mixed with a large 
 percentage of immature seed, which is often found on the market, 
 should not be used, as it invariably will produce a poor stand. 
 
 The ripe seed, which is brown in color, when sown will sink into 
 the water at once by its own weight. In sowing on tidal land the 
 seed should be broadcasted from a rowboat or canoe on a rising tide 
 when the water is about a foot deep. This will keep the seed from 
 drifting into deeper water, and before the tide ebbs it will be so 
 firmly embedded in the soft mud that none of the seed will be moved 
 outward by the retreating water. 
 
 A good stand may be obtained if the seed is used promptly after 
 removal from cold storage and is evenly scattered at the rate of a 
 handful of well-matured seed to 2 square yards of water surface. 
 The plants of a thin stand are usually not sufficiently self-supporting 
 against winds to develop a strong growth and are also likely to tiller 
 and branch entirely too much to mature evenly. This lack of uni- 
 formity in ripening is a disadvantage if the seed is to be harvested, 
 but if the plants are grown to attract ducks the long period of ripen- 
 ing may be a decided advantage in reseeding and maintaining the 
 patch. 
 
 When sown for the first time in a new locality, a heavier seeding 
 is advisable, to provide for losses which are likely to occur from the 
 feeding of wild ducks. 
 
 The shallow lakes and margins of the interior rivers should be 
 sown in the same manner. Care should be taken, however, not to 
 seed in water more than 2 feet deep. A lesser depth of water is de- 
 sirable, because the young plants grow more vigorously in shallow 
 water. 
 
 TRANSPLANTING. 
 
 New patches of wild rice may be readily established by transplant- 
 ing the young plants. To get good germination, these should be 
 grown on a seed bed (Fig. 6) that has been plowed or spaded to a 
 depth of approximately 6 inches. The soil should be worked down 
 immediately to a rather smooth surface with a harrow or other im- 
 plement. The seed bed is then ready to be inclosed by levees or banks 
 and submerged with water. Before seeding, the bed should be covered 
 with water to a depth of 6 inches. This depth must be maintained 
 until the young plants are removed. The seed should be sown broad- 
 cast upon the water at the rate of a handful of well-matured seed to 
 a square yard of water surface. Viable seed sown at this rate will 
 give the thick stand that is needed to get the maximum number of 
 plants in a bed. 
 
 The plants may be removed for transplanting when they are 12 to 
 15 inches high. They are strong enough at this age to stand a reason- 
 
10 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
 
 able amount of rough handling, but care should be taken not to bend 
 sharply or to crush the plant just above the crown. Under no cir- 
 cumstances should they be allowed to become dry. 
 
 The soil into which they are to be set should be deeply prepared, 
 so that it will become very soft and muddy and remain so when sub- 
 merged. This result is easily obtained on loamy soils ; clay soils are 
 not so satisfactory. 
 
 The plants should be set singly about a foot apart in shallow holes 
 made by the hand or with a blunt stick. The roots should be spread 
 apart and the soil pressed firmly upon them and around the plant at 
 
 inMk 
 
 
 H& 
 
 
 *S*«K^^^* -A« 
 
 ^S^~I - ~~ - ■"»■'-* 'ti taaa, 1 
 
 g^y-.'g^gg^ 
 
 ^f^?^ 
 
 
 
 gjgS^'*^ 
 
 
 ^^• | jm£t •^^ ?VA '^ SW ^^ n 4? 
 
 :^'-^~v 
 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 ; * *"• ■• 
 
 
 
 
 <£h?^ -_. 
 
 
 
 Fig. 6. — A general view of plats used at the Arlington Experimental Farm, Va., for the 
 growing of wild rice. Plats of this character are well adapted to the growing of 
 seedlings for transplanting. 
 
 the crown. After new roots have developed the plants soon become 
 erect, and in a short time new leaves appear. 
 
 At the time of transplanting there should be at least 8 inches of 
 water upon the land. This depth of water will provide the conditions 
 required by the plants and also serve to support them until they are 
 strong enough to stand erect. After this, the water, if controllable, 
 should be not less than 6 inches deep. If the land upon which they are 
 to be grown is exposed to the rise and fall of the tide, no attempt 
 should be made to regulate the depth of the water. 
 
 SEASONAL GROWTH. 
 
 On the mud flats of the Potomac River in the vicinity of Wash- 
 ington. D. C, wild rice often germinates as early as the latter part 
 of March, but the highest percentage of germination usually occurs 
 about the middle of April. The young plant grows slowly. It is 
 often 3 weeks old before it is strong enough and sufficiently anchored 
 
Wild Rice. 
 
 11 
 
 to stand erect. This may be due in part to the effect of the changing 
 water level that occurs daily on tidal land, for when grown in shallow 
 water kept at a uniform depth the young plant becomes erect within 
 10 to 13 days. During its early growth the foliage of the plant floats 
 in or upon the surface of the water at high tide. At low tide the 
 entire plant lies flat upon the mud. There is a rapid and vigorous 
 leaf development (Fig. 7) in the healthy plant after the first month's 
 growth. The foliage becomes erect, with drooping tips, and the 
 plant often obtains a height of 5 feet before the flower cluster ap- 
 pears. 
 
 Frc. 7. — An almost perfect stand of wild rice, about 45 days old, growing in a marsh 
 near Washington, D. C. A few plants of pickerel weed are seen near the center of 
 the picture. 
 
 Under normal weather conditions the flower clusters (Fig. 8) 
 emerge within 80 days after germination. The seeds usually begin 
 to ripen about 30 days later. The ripening of the seeds in a single 
 flower cluster is seldom completed within a week. The period of 
 ripening in any given area of wild rice may extend over three weeks. 
 
 In the vicinity of Washington, D. C, the plants that emerge about 
 the middle of April ripen some seed as early as August 15. While 
 this period of growth varies with the seasons, there is always ripe 
 or ripening seed in abundance in the early part of September. The 
 seed does not remain attached very long after maturity and may 
 drop from the plant before the kernel becomes hard. 
 
 PROPAGATION. 
 
 Keepers of hunting preserves and superintendents of gun clubs 
 should not depend upon the natural reseeding of wild rice for the 
 preservation of the patches under their control. The seed produc- 
 
12 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
 
 tion of this plant under normal conditions usually is large enough to 
 supply sufficient food for the game birds and to provide for the next 
 year's crop. This remainder may be seriously affected, however, by 
 an unusually large invasion of birds, which, of course, means a greater 
 
 Fig. 8. — Typical plants of the broad-leaved species of wild rice in flower at the Arlington 
 Experimental Farm, Va., August 14, 1916. 
 
 consumption of seed and possibly the destruction of the natural seed 
 bed in those sections where feeding extends throughout the greater 
 part of the winter. There is also a possibility of having the young 
 growth seriously "damaged by deposits of silt and various kinds of 
 debris which are often left by spring freshets. 
 
Wild Rice. 13 
 
 It is important, therefore, that the seeding or transplanting of 
 wild rice should be done on hunting reservations in early May 
 whenever there are indications in spring of a poor stand. It is the 
 only way to maintain a growth that will furnish food for the birds 
 and seed for crop production. Facilities for storing the seed and 
 growing the seedlings of wild rice should be a part of the equipment 
 of every hunting club that is located where this plant will grow. 
 
 The new patches which are made by transplanting are not likely 
 to be large, because of the labor that is required to set out the plants. 
 On account of their small size they must be protected, or the greater 
 part of the seed produced on them will be consumed by the ducks 
 during the first winter. The most effective method would be to 
 remove the surface water from the land each year after the seed 
 has fallen until the patch has become sufficiently large to supply food 
 for these birds without lessening the chances of a good stand for the 
 following season. Almost perfect stands of wild rice have been 
 obtained on plats at the Arlington Experimental Farm, Va., that 
 were kept free of surface water during the winter. 
 
 HOW TO HARVEST. 
 
 The Indians of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Canada, who use the 
 seed of wild rice for food, harvest the grain in a very primitive way. 
 They go among the plants in birch-bark canoes or small flatboats, 
 and from these they gather the seed. The method is simple, though 
 patience and skill are required to get maximum results. The stalks 
 of the plants are bent over the boat, care being taken not to break 
 them, and with light blows from sticks the grain is knocked into the 
 boat. The fully matured seeds fall at the slightest touch, and many 
 are lost by dropping into the water instead of the boat. Unless the 
 plants are roughly handled the green seeds do not drop and may be 
 gathered later. On account of the lack of uniformity in ripening, 
 the harvest period may extend over several weeks. 
 
 For centuries these Indians have been gathering this food in this 
 way. The white man with all his ingenuity resorts to this same 
 method and will continue to do so until the plant is brought under 
 cultivation. The use of machinery to harvest this crop is desirable 
 from the standpoint of saving time and labor, but it is hardly prob- 
 able that any mechanical device can be handled skillfully enough to 
 gather this seed with less loss than can be done by hand. Growing 
 as a wild plant, it will continue to shatter its seed at maturity. This 
 habit alone makes it difficult to gather as much as 50 per cent of the 
 seed produced. 
 
 The seed should be spread out to dry as soon as it is gathered. In 
 doing this, however, it must not be exposed to the sun. Under ordi- 
 nary circumstances the seed may be sufficiently dried by turning it 
 over several times during the first day after harvest. After it has 
 been cleaned with a fan or by other means, the seed should be shipped 
 
14 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
 
 or stored without any delay if a high percentage of germination is to 
 be obtained. 
 
 STORAGE OF SEED. 
 
 The seed of wild rice drops at maturity into the soft mud upon 
 which the plant is growing and remains there during the winter with- 
 out loss of vitality. Unless the buried seed is eaten by birds or other 
 animals or is covered too deeply with mud, a good stand of rice 
 invariably follows a season of good production. It has been deter- 
 mined by experiments that it is absolutely necessary to keep the seed 
 moist and at a low temperature if its vitality is to be preserved. 
 
 Therefore, the safest method is to put the 
 seed in cold storage in a wet state or to 
 store it outdoors under conditions that 
 will keep it wet and at a temperature 
 which will prevent fermentation. The 
 first method probably will be preferable 
 to seedsmen who obtain their seed supply 
 from a distance, if cold-storage space can 
 be cheaply rented. When this method is 
 used the seed should be put in uncovered 
 receptacles and placed in a room at the 
 temperature of 32° to 34° F. 
 
 The outdoor method, however, can be 
 used effectively and cheaply by those who 
 are located near the source of the seed 
 supply. This method has been success- 
 fully used at the Arlington Experimental 
 Farm, Va., and provides for storage in 
 large receptacles that are securely an- 
 chored at the bottom of the stream in 
 which the plant grows. If a small quan- 
 tity is to be stored, the seed may be put in 
 galvanized-iron cans (Fig. 9) such as are used for garbage. The 
 cans should be perforated on the side and top, the holes being numer- 
 ous enough to provide for water circulation, but small enough to pre- 
 vent the escape of the seed. In filling the container the seed should 
 not be packed too tightly or fermentation may occur. The can should 
 be promptly submerged as soon as it is filled and should be securely 
 fastened to the bottom of the stream in a vertical position where it 
 will be covered by at least 2 feet of water. It will require no more 
 attention until time for seeding in spring. 
 
 For the outdoor storage of a large quantity of seed a covered con- 
 crete vat can be more economically used than a number of separate 
 containers. It may be built upon a firm foundation at the bottom 
 of a stream or constructed in an excavation on low land com^eniently 
 located near a stream. If an excavation is made, it must be connected 
 
 Fig. 9. — A galvanized-iron can 
 which has been used at the 
 Arlington Experimental Farm, 
 Va., for the storage of wild- 
 rice seed. It was filled and 
 securely fastened at the bot- 
 tom of the stream on Sep- 
 tember 15 and removed on 
 May 1. 
 
Wild Rice. 15 
 
 with a stream by a ditch, in order that water may be obtained for the 
 complete and continuous submergence of the vat. Good facilities 
 for drainage must be provided. The vat should be low and broad, 
 with capped manholes in the top and sufficient screened openings in 
 the sides to permit a free circulation of water. 
 
 SHIPPING SEED AND PLANTS. 
 
 In the handling of wild-rice seed from harvest until seeding time 
 special care must be taken to protect its vitality. The seed has been 
 shipped in a dry state during the first two weeks after harvest with 
 very small loss in vitality when packed in dry instead of moist 
 sphagnum moss. For late fall, winter, and spring deliveries, how- 
 ever, the seed must be transported in the wet state, either in vessels 
 containing water or in moist sphagnum moss loosely wrapped. Un- 
 less sown at once, the seed should be removed and put in vessels con- 
 taining fresh water and placed in cold storage or outdoors where the 
 proper moisture and temperature conditions can be maintained. 
 
 If the young plants are to be shipped, they should be spread out 
 
 thinly on layers of moist sphagnum moss, between which they should 
 
 be rolled rather tightly and then wrapped with heavy paper and 
 
 securely tied. The young plants will remain fresh for three to five 
 
 days in packages prepared in this way and may be safely carried by 
 
 parcel post or express for a distance of 1,500 miles. Specimens have 
 
 been transported in this manner from the Arlington Experimental 
 
 Farm, Va., to Crowley, La., with success. The plants should be 
 
 removed from the package as soon as received and transplanted at 
 
 once. 
 
 USES OF WILD RICE. 
 
 Wild rice has two principal uses, namely, as food for birds and 
 as food for man. It also has forage value. 
 
 USE AS FOOD FOR BIRDS. 
 
 Wild-rice seed is one of the principal autumn foods of the ducks 
 that feed in the extensive marshes of the eastern United States. 
 According to the records of the Bureau of Biological Survey, the 
 mallard appears to be a large consumer of this grain. Besides this 
 species, 11 other wild ducks are known to eat the seed of wild rice. 
 They obtain it mainly in shallow water where the matured seeds 
 have fallen into the soft mud. Young shoots and germinating 
 seeds of wild rice are often eaten by many species of ducks, and the 
 wood duck even feeds on the flowers. The stems and leaves of the 
 mature plants are eaten by wild geese. 
 
 The wild-rice marshes of the Atlantic Coastal Plain also furnish 
 shelter and food to the bobolink, which is called the reedbird when 
 it begins its journey southward in late summer. At the beginning of 
 the flight toward their winter home these birds congregate in almost 
 
022 265 352 6 
 
 16 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
 
 countless numbers along the watercourses where this aquatic grass 
 grows. Here they feed upon the ripening as well as the mature 
 seed of the wild-rice plant. The sora, or Carolina rail, is another 
 marsh-loving bird which feeds at low tide upon the fruit of this 
 plant, eating the fallen seeds that lie upon the mud or partly 
 buried in it. 
 
 USE AS FOOD FOR MAN. 
 
 The Indians of the upper Mississippi Valley were using the seed 
 of wild rice for food when that region was first explored by Euro- 
 peans. Among certain tribes it is one of the principal articles of diet 
 to this day. The earlier settlers, traders, and hunters recognized the 
 food value of this seed and ate it, especially on their hunting and 
 fishing expeditions. The grain is considered by many a great 
 delicacy and is frequently served in the best hotels and restaurants 
 with game. It is nutritious and very palatable and probably would 
 be more generally used if its food qualities were better known. 
 The grain after being parched is used by the Indians in soups or 
 stews. It makes a very attractive dish when boiled and served as 
 a vegetable with meat. It could readily take the place of potatoes 
 and cultivated rice in our dietary. The quantity of grain that is 
 available for the general trade, however, is never large, because the 
 Indians who gather it sell only what they do not need for their own 
 use. This surplus always is small and in consequence the price is 
 high, which does not contribute to its popularity. 
 
 POSSIBLE FORAGE VALUE. 
 
 Besides producing a good grain, the wild-rice plant also fur- 
 nishes an excellent feed. However, it is not a forage grass in the 
 ordinary meaning of the term, but the young plant is quite succu- 
 lent and is very much liked by stock. When it is accessible, as it 
 is on the tidal lands at low tide, this grass often is cut before the 
 flowering stems appear and is then fed to cows and horses. In 
 composition it compares favorably with many grasses that are 
 used in the same way, but of course can not compete with other wild 
 species that require less water for their growth. Under certain low- 
 land conditions where drainage can be controlled, it may be used as 
 a supplemental forage crop. 
 
 ORNAMENTAL VALUE. 
 
 The natural beauty of the broad-leaved species of this wild plant 
 should appeal to the landscape gardener. During its vegetative 
 growth, and particularly while in flower, wild rice offers possibilities 
 for effective decoration wherever water is used in ponds and small 
 lakes to beautify public parks. Other ornamental uses are likely to 
 be found for it by the resourceful gardener. 
 
 o 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 022 265 352 6