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 quantity 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 1½ 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 Plantation. | Foreign. | Retained for home 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 quantity 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.