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4 THE SOUTHERN WORLD, MAY 15,1882. Rice tut Food. Charleston, 8. C., April 22, 1882. Ed. Southern World—In the luue of 15th April, of yonr paper, page 7, in the ar ticle on “Rice aa Food,” you give a compar ative statement aa to the value of the dif ferent articles, and draw from the table the following conclusion: "that rice, beans and oatmeal stand at the head of life-sustaining food, and that rice furnishes nearer the pro portion of carbon and nitrogen required for the daily support of a man’s physical ma chinery, than are to be obtained in any other one article. This baa been known in China, for, thousands of years, and a fact once es tablished is established forever.” Now I aak you if the above statement is an established fact. I know you do not wish to circulate anything that will not stand the test of investigation. Bellows in his great work "The Philosophy of Eating,” sixth edition, page fifty-six, on rice, says "it is poor in materials for the support of brain and muscle, and rice-eaters are everywhere an effeminate race. It contains by analysis less than half the muscle supporting ele ments of wheat; and only one-quarter of the supporters of brain and nerve, and contain ing as it does, a large amount of starch, can only support a life of indolence and feeble ness." Rice may be useful as a part of a meal, with beef-steak or vegetables that contain no starch; or in some cases of sickness, when the stomach is weak and when little is wanted of food but to keep the bellows of life blowing; but for mental or muscular strength, itis the poorest article in thecom- mon lists of nutritive food, and this shows the worthlessness of "standard tables” as they are called. Will you take the trouble to look into this matter, as rice is coming into very gen eral use. I think people ought to know ex actly how it compares with other articles of food. Yours very truly. J. 0. A. Moore. [The article in question, which appeared in the issue of the World of April 15th should have been credited to the Oreat Wat. The writer did not see it until it ap peared in the World, and was at once struck with the bold and unauthorized assertion that “rice furnishes nearer the proportions of carbon and nitrogen required for the daily support of a man’s physical machinery than are to be obtained from any other one article.” The writer of the article in question as sumes that 12 ounces or5,5U0 grains of carbon and 260 grains of nitrogen are re quired each day, us the food of an “ordinary man in health.” He then gives a table showing the quantities of nitrogen and car bon coutuineu per pound of several articles of food. We reprint the table, adding Indi an corn, wheat und sweet potatoes, and also a column showing the relative proportions of the two food elements: Irish Potatoes, 770 24 32 to 1 Breud, 1994 89 22 to 1 Pearl Barley, 2660 01 43 to 1 Sago, 2555 13(?) 190 to 1 Beans, 2730 225 12 to 1 Rice, 2730 70 39 to 1 Oatmeal, 2800 140 20 to 1 Wheat, 2870 145 20 to 1 Indian Corn, 2940 112 26 to 1 Sweet Potatoes, 1050 14 75 to 1 The foregoing table is substantially cor rect excepting the article tago, which has less than two grains of nitrogen in one pound. Now, 5,500 grains of carbon and 250 grains of nitrogen, are in the proportion of 22 to 1, which is about the ratio that should obtain between these elements in the food proper for an animal. A simple glance at the table then will serve to show that rice is far from being at the “head of the list” when judged by this rule. Bread (wheat) has exactly the ratio— 22 to 1; wheat (whole) 20 to I; oat meal 20 to 1; Indian corn 20 to 1; while rice is 39 to 1. In other words, rice has far too large a proportion of carbon, the heat and fat pro ducing element, and too little of nitrogen, the muscle and brain producing element. Our correspondent, Mr. Moore, is very just in his criticism on the article under re view. It is well known that the poorer classes of rice-eating people, who are unable to procure more nutritious food, are re markable for their inferior physical and mental development, and at the same time for the abnormal development of their sto machs. In order to secure a sufficiency of musoleand nerve nutriment from such food as rice, they are compelled to eat very large quantities of it, which has the effect to dis tend the stomach and oveivtax the pow» site 250 grains of nitrogen per day (ana we think350grainsisnearer the correct average) not less than 4 to 5 pounds of rice must be consumed each day. But rice is also deficient in the phosphates so indispensable to the formation of bone, nerves and brain. The quantity of ash in cleaned rice is only .39 per cent., of which about one-half is phosphoric acid. It would appear then, that a diet composed exclm sivcly of rice, or similar food, would not be suited to sustain great mental labor. This proposition is also sustained by observation of the mental accomplishments of rice eating people. The better classes in China, India, and elsewhere, are able to provide animal food, especially fish, which serve to make up the deficiencies of rice as food. R.] Analysing Solis. The eminent agricultural chemist, Prof. 8. W. Johnson, in answer to the question, "what is the use of analyzing a sample of earth," says: "We had the idea extensively promul gated some twenty or thirty years ago, that if a sample of soil were analyzed by a com petent chemist, the competent chemist could tell exactly what to put on the field to make anything grow. Well, the competent chemist can generally tell what to put upon the field without makingan analysis. Plenty of good manure will help in almost any caset A little calculation will readily show what a chemist cannot do. You know that it has been frequently a matter of experi ence that a hundred pounds of Peruvian guano, of the old fashioned sort that we had twenty years ago, would make the dif ference between a good crop and and a poor crop, when it happened to be applied to the right land, with the right crop and right weather. That hundred pounds of Peruvian guano contained about fifteen per cent of nitrogen, about fifteen per cent of phospho ric acid, and about three percent of potash, to which its fertilizing value was alone due! The soil of an acre of land, taken to the depth of one foot, will weigh about four millions of pounds. Thirty-three pounds of fertilizer [the nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash of the one hundred pounds of Peruvian] and four millions of pounds of of soil—assuming that the crop got ail its nutriment from the first foot of ground are the two quantities which, put one above the other, the smallest at the top and a line between,moke the fraction which the chem ist must figure down to if he will find out from an analysis of the soil what elements of fertility that soil is deficient in viz ■ 33 1 : — or But in fact if 4,000,000 121,000. ’ the chemist in two analyses of the same sample of soil gets results which agree with in one ten throusand he is lucky and his luck does more towards the result than his skill, for usually the tenth of one per cent is about the limit of accuracy in chemical analysis. It may thus easily happen that the chemist cannot by analysis distinguish between two soils one of which has had a dressing of one thousand pounds of the best Peruvian guano to the aero and the other nothing. There are some coses in which a soil-anal ysis is really useful. A gentleman in Mans field sent us a sample of soil two years ugo. He had beendraining a muck swamp, where nothing would grow; ho could not oven get buckwheat, and wanted to know what was the matter. We examined the soil and found in it a considerable amount of cop peras, sutficiont to kill vegetation. We re ported that to drain the land and let the air in, and to apply leached ashes and lime would remedy the trouble. I believe it has been cured." We do not know who is responsible for the dissemination of the idea that a chemist can make a diagnosis—so to speak—of a soil and prescribe an infallible remedy, in the shape of a formula for fertilization. The Commissioner of Agriculture is constantly receiving requests from farmers in Georgia to have their soils analyzed in order to de termine what element of fertility is neces sary to be added. The best analysis of a soil is that made by applying the different elements of fertilizers, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, in different forms and pro portions and noting with care the results. It may be Bafely assumed, in nine cases out of ten, that the soil responds in increased crops, to the addition of all three; but it is a matter of careful experiment to find out which element is most needed, or which will yield the most profitable results. In the application of fertilizers, the known obeiitiw) composition of tbe crop to be grown is a more reliable guide than an anal ysis of the soil upon which it is to be grown. With this knowledge of the ele ments that the different erops require the reflecting farmer will not add nitrogen, to a soil in order to produce a crop that re quires no nitrogen or can procure it from the atmosphere. He will also be careful to apply a larger relative quantity of phos phoric acid to those crops that are grown from their seeds, and of potash to those that are grown for their tubers. Scientific experimentation is greatly needed in the South. In several of the most important crops grown in this country the South has a monopoly of production, owing to the peculiarities of the climate. These are cot ton, tropical sugar cane, sweet potatoes and rice, to say nothing of the great variety of tropical fruits that is grown in Florida, Louisiana and Southern Georgia. While many valuable lessons may be learned from the results of experimentation at the North in the way of general principles, much of this is not specially applicable to our South ern crops and Southern methods. R. Plan for A Cheap Barn. Montgomery, Ala. Ed. Southern World—Seeing your plan and estimate of a cheap stable or barn pub lished in your issue of April 15th. I submit herewith a diagram and estimate of what I believe to be a cheap and very convenient stable or barn, and if built, as could be shown in a drawing, it would make a very pretty building. If you think it worth a place in your columns, it may answer the require ments of your correspondent on the subject from few pens. S. C. £ -a cr o* .<4—Entrance. B—Carriage room. 0-Harness room with pegs. B-Feed room. A A A—Bins (or oats, corn and bran. A-Htalrway to loft. GOO a—Stalls being fully large for horse to lay down. Jl It It It It if—Manger and feed box. 11 III I— Blind windows, 14 by 2D Inches. JA—Two lattice doors to entrance. K A-Two doors to carriage room, stripped samo as front and back of building. A—Slat or open door to rear. The building is 20 by 27 and 12 feet be tween joints; 8 feet from floor to ceiling or loft floor, and 4 feet from loft floor to plates. Tlie stables are filled with red clay up to within 4 inches of floor of entrance. It is planked “up and down,” and stripped with 1 by 3 strips at cacti end. The following es timate shows the character of material and cost of building: 4,100 feet lumber at $14 per M. . . $57.40 600 feet rough edge at $5 per M. . . 2.50 5,000 shingles at $2.50 per M. . . . 12.50 Drayago 4.00 10 brick pillows at 25c 2.50 10 days work for two carpenters at $1.50 30.00 Nails and hinges 5.00 Filling in stalls with red clay—10 loads at 25c each 2.50 B. $110.40 Bee Keeping Profitable. Editor Southern World—I would say in reply to your announcement tl«at you would like to hear from me on the subject of "bee culture," that it will compare fa vorably with any pursuit in life, and is one of the most profitable of the coming indus tries of the South. Everything tending to its further development should be diligent ly encouraged, for it come strictly within the province of tho farmer and it is to be exceedingly regretted that more have not bwn to iq it, aim I fee farmer can think of nothing but “cotton," and how many of them deny their families the luxuries—yea, the necessities of life, when millions of pounds of the daintiest and most wholesome of all syrups are per mitted to "waste their sweetness on the desert air.” Any man of ordinary ability can easily supply his table with the best of honey during the entire year, at a very meagre outlay, either of time or of money. If be should not appreciate this article at his own board he can always find a ready market for his surplus, which will afford an excellent method of augmenting his income, being far more remunerative than the ordinary pro duce of the farm. There are many men who give this business their undivided at tention and depend on it alone for their en tire sustenance. We know agentleman who says he is prepared to show conclusively that twenty-five colonies well managed will pay better than a two horse farm; and a prominent member of the Georgia bar, re marked a few days since that if he had a dozen colonies of Italian bees he would quit the profession. This is not simply fine talk, but is practical reasoning, and I can give you “the proof of the pudding.” Mr. G.W. Doolittle, Borodines.N. Y., gives his report for the past season somewhat as follows: "After footing up the whole re ceipts and deducting the expenses incurred by the bees therefrom, I find I have an aver age profit of $29.63 for each colony, 1 had in spring, os the cash receipts free from all expense. Thus it will be seen, if a person can care for one hundred colonies of bees, (and is done by many,) that it will give an income of $2,963,00 a year. But to be on the safe side, suppose we call it fifty col- ■nies, thus giving a salary of $1,481.60, then to be sure we do not get our figures too high, vewill take off$481.00, leaving $1,000.00 as in average income for one person, (for only v short period of attention during the hon- •y harvest.) I have cleared on an average iver $1,000.00 from my bees each year for the past nine years, with an average of less- chan fifty colonies.” Mr. Doolittle gathered rom one colony in a single season, 566 •ounds of pure honey, and Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, Rogersville, Michigan, carried iway the banuer by exceeding that yield. Mr. R. G. Mayo, Lake Maitland, Florida, in a single season increased his bees 150 per cent and averaged 100 pounds of honey to each colony. I would experience little or no difficulty in citing numerous other cases similar to the above, but hope these will suffice to show that the bee-keeping is prac tically remunerative. To pursue this industry successfully we will, of course want the best bees, the best hives, and all modern appliances. The first step towards scientific bee-keeping is to pro cure movable bee hives, such as we have in the Langstroth and the simplicity models. These hives are not patented, and all patent hives should be particularly avoided by the inexperienced. The bees can be easily transferred from the old boxes into these hives, by observing a few simple directions. Having the bees in a hive which enables you to give them proper attention, the next thing in order is to procure the Italian bees. I make a specialty of rearing queens of this stock which can be conveniently mailed in cs^es provided for that purpose. Introduce your Italian queens into your black colony (following the directions furnished) and in a short time you will have a full colony of Italian bees. The moth, which so often detroys our common bees, is a far less formidable enemy to the Italian; a strong colony of these bees will effectually guard themselves against these intruders and will remove any num ber of them you may place in their hive. They are better honey gathers, hardier and far more gentle than the blacks, and—well, to sum it up briefly, the Italians are as supe rion to the black bees as the white man is to a negro. I have endeavored to be brief and prac tical, but if the readers of the World are sufficiently interested in this subject, I will give a more detailed account of how to con struct the hives, method of transferring, in troducing queens, general management, eto., in a future issue of your excellent journal. Chas. R. Mitchell. Mitchell’s Apiary, Hawkinsville, Qa. The "Relation of Forests to Water Sup? ply, 1 ' is a subject of vital interest to all ouc readers. The timely paper of Mr. Yerplank Colvin, presented to the American Forestry Congress at Cincinnati, on this subject Is full of practical suggestions. The Penny Local of Savannah, Cfo.. q((q mowed, JtliAQ £|i/