the grain is subjected
previously to the removal of the husk, is still further
objectionable, and must be followed by a most carefully-conducted
process of kiln-drying.

_Nutritious properties of various articles of food_.--There seems to
be some difference of opinion in regard to the nutritious properties
of various kinds of food. It is generally, however, agreed that
those which contain the largest proportion of nitrogenous matters
are the most nutritious. It is on this account that haricots, peas,
and beans, form, in some sort, substitutes for animal food. Tubers,
roots, and even the seeds of the cereal grasses, are but moderately
nutritious. If we see herbivorous animals fattening upon such
articles, it is because, from their peculiar organisation, they can
consume them in large quantities. It is quite doubtful whether a man
doing hard work could exist on bread exclusively. The instances
which are given of countries where rice and potatoes form the sole
articles of food of the inhabitants, are believed to be incomplete.
Boussingault states that in Alsace, for example, the peasantry
always associate their potato dish with a large quantity of sour or
curdled milk; in Ireland with buttermilk. "The Indians of the Upper
Andes do not by any means live on potatoes alone, as some travellers
have said they do: at Quito, the daily food of the inhabitants is
_lorco_, a compound of potatoes and a large quantity of cheese. Rice
is often cited as one of the most nourishing articles of diet. I am
satisfied, however, after having lived in countries where rice is
largely consumed, that it is anything but a substantial, or, for its
bulk, nutritious article of sustenance."--("Rural Economy," Amer.
edition, p. 409.) These statements are further confirmed by the
observations of M. Lequerri, who, during a long residence in India,
paid particular attention to the manners and customs of the
inhabitants of Pondicherry. "Their food," he states, "is almost
entirely vegetable, and rice is the staple; the inferior castes only
ever eat meat. But all eat _kari_ (curry), an article prepared with
meat, fish, or vegetable, which is mixed with the rice, boiled in
very little water. It is requisite to have seen the Indians at their
meals to have any idea of the enormous quantity of rice which they
will put int