RICE. A hard, white, farinaceous, and ver7 nutritive grain, which grows in the East and West Indies, and other warm climates ; it grows to the height of about 2} feet, with a stalk not unlike that of wheat, but fuller of joints, and ivith leaves resembling those of the leek; It branches out into several stems, it the top of which the grain grows in clusters, and each of them is terminated with as ear or beard, enclosed in a yellow, rough husk. When stripped of this rough cost and a thin undee-skin, the grain is shown to be of an oval form, and of s beautiful white colour. The native mode of shelling rice (or poddy, as it is called in the rough state,) in India, is by placing it m a large hollow stone or mortar, and striking the loose grain with • conical stone or pestle, by which it is constantly forcibbr pressed and disturbed; and thus, by persevering efforts, the husks are rubbed ofE This proem is, however, a very tedious and laborious one, and to remedy it, a variety of inventions have been successfully introduced and improved upon.. The general practice, a late years, Las been employ millstones for depriving the paddy of the outer shell, the stones being set at such a distance apart as will detach the shell, without crushing the interior grain. The stones are covered by a hoop or case, which entirely encloses them, leaving a space all round between the stone and the hoop of about two inches. On the top of the case is fixed the hopper, which is filled with paddy ; it falls through a hole in the bottom of the hopper into a shoot, and is conveyed into the hole in the centre of the uppr, or running stone; it then falls through the arms of the cross before descrid, upon the face of the nether-stone, round the centre. The stones being in rapid motion, the paddy finds its way between the faces of the two stones, which are now supposed to be set at about the length of the grain apart ; the grains are carried by the centrifugal force from the centre to the extremity of the stones, and thrown out in all direction. into the case or hoop which surrounds the stones: in one side of this hoop is a hole, through which the rice in this state runs out. The stones should be met, in the first instance, with great care • for if they are too near, the rice will be broken, and if too far apart, the paddy will get through without being touched ; but when set at the right distance, the husk will be completely taken off, and the rice not broken. One pair of stones will husk from eight to ten bushels an
hour with ease. The rice runs from the cases upon a fine sieve, kept agitated by the mills ; in passing over this, the dust and sand are separated; it then falls into the winnowing machine, which is to separate the husk from the rice ; this is done by causing the husk ;ind rice together, as they leave the stones, to fall in a gentle stream through a current of air, excited by & succession of fan. revolving upon an axis, and driven by the engine in its passage through the current; the husk, being much lighter than the rice, is blown away, and the rice falls into a bin below. There is one of these machines to each pair of stones, to separate the rice from the busk, in its pump from the stones to the bin ; this part of the operation is most completely performed, and keep pace with the stones.
The rice 'm this stage of the operation, is more or less red, nothing more being done than the separation of the husk ; after this, it is taken to the whitening machine, where the hide cuticle, or red skin, is detached This machine 000sists of a atone of coarse grit, fixed on a spindle like a grinding stone; the stones enclosed in a box or case made nearly to fit, leaving a space all round of about an inch between the stone and the inside of the case: this case is made of plate iron, and punched full of small boles, like a grater, with the rough side inwards; it is so contrived, that the case may go round with the stens, or it may remain still while the stone is turning. The rice is put in between the case and the stone at a sliding door, or opening in the rim ; the space is about two thirds filled ; the stone is then put in very rapid motion, making at least 250 revolutions a minute, by a strap. The case is allowed to turn very 'lowly; this changes the position of the rice, and every grain in succession comes into contact with the stone, and, rubbing hard against each other, an accumulation of heat (which produces an enlargement of the grain, and consequently splits the red akin,) is produced, which serves to loosen the akin • and this, forming a red dust, finds its way out of the holes in the case, and Laves the rice perfectly white. In the wholethere is little or no loss ; for when the stones are well adjusted, very are broken, not more, perhaps, than 6 per cent. upon the whole, and those very partially.