The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1848-04-12
AGRICULTURAL.
= THE CULTIVATION OF RICE.
- a.
NfouNT IiEL1coN, SUMTER DisTREcT,
April |, lS4'.
JIM BorKIN, ESQ,

\ prI' |, lS4'. }
JJnN BoTKIS, Esq.
Secretary IVaeroc Agrt'a7'r~| Soc cety.
Nv Dear Sir.-Whcn had the pleasure
of seeing ynu last, ynn suggested that !
wonl law before the society. detailed ac-
count of the mode al pted in rearing
crop Of rice on nv farm III Sumter, IN 1917
embracing the 10, alton Of the land, the quail
ilv,of the s,i. anil the manner oi retaining
and preparing it for cultivation.
-. Ii atfrrds me great satisfaction TO comply
with Your request Particularly at this time,
when the necessity to change the staple pro-
durIion of our region is So impras>velv IT,
lus,ra,ch. Thnrnughlv V convinced as am
se,,. that rice. should snpcrccdc the culture
oftonon. particularly on river lands; not.
wahslan,ling the varinnS communications J
have seen on rice pl inting. published by Mr.
der nf tho agricultural society oi South Car
p7lina. (and rhcs") arc calculated 70 d;sc"ur-
AGE an No country man. Wc.wiil consider
tl,erefnre, the general principles there laid
down in tie management Of rice crap, As
applicable only to lands Wing within tide
way. and to us in this quarter entirely I'm
practicable VIC caa use them only as
lshts from which we may. by deduction.
reach. certain points applicable to different
}.,cal situations. The emergency warrants
the experiment. and am warranted IN say
ING the experiment will result in success.
= You NAV think me hol too. when | ven
ture .he assertion that mare than two thirds
of the wa,crin. system therein expressed. is
ntterly useless and Of no effect III the yield
of the crop. or quality Of the grain bu,
serves in the present vcw the case, Only
To, lnbarrasS the mp country planter 10y ang-
inea,iny tic d lEcu'l,es a< they s:v:rallv pre-.
sent themselves in mysterious c"gnnnlIna-
tons, to his bewi,lerad Imagination, and ne
feels that the a!luvial sniiS, os this and other
regions, remote from tales. are doomed to
any thing. but to flourish in the richer vcrdurc
of this valuable grain In order to remove
some of the obstacles that may act as i'm
pcoIinents to the Introduction OF rice in this
region, we will take a cursrrv view OF the
different n,wiags. their Use. and the effects
upon the product of a crn7.
We are grave'v t,El nf Tho sproh flow.
Of the point flow, of the long flow, and OF
the joint flow.
Then again. of newly discovered meth
cd III the management Of 4 rice crop. dc.
nominated the 60 days flow. 50 called from
the fact, that water is retained, that number
of days upon the rice, after field is planted.
Here the up country man readily concludes
that in these repeated applications OF wa.
ter mainly depend the quantity. and qlaIty
of product, when in trnth. there is no ben
eft resulting from any of them, except in
the one designated as The joint a'w.
In tho first place therefore. we will enquire
irtothc use of the sprom, and point hrw;
these are used Immediately after field Is
planted. The first is the $prom flow; is r.
tained until the grain is swollen, or has at
famed the earliest stage Of g"rtnna'Ion,
When the water is taken off, and the field
Kept dry until the tender points, about nee
dies length, are seen alorg the rows, when
the water is again returned, and held until
the grain DECAYS, or is otherwise exhausted.
Hence the only advantages resulting from
these flows, are the security afforded against
birds feeding upon the grain that has been
planted. But nothing is added in these to
the products of the crop. The next in or
der is the long flow; this is usually apP'Ieda
when the plant has attained the fourth leaf.
and used mainly as m auxiliary to tho hoe
As such it is often Indispensable, for on fields
that are not well drained, and made arabic,
an early. and spontaneous crop OF grass IS
produced, which the effects of tho hoe a
lone in the ordinary course, is not sufficient
to clear effectually;a iudicious application
Of water therefore, at this jnnc,ure. and re-
tanned for ten or twenty days, and some
times longer, will materially lessen the man
uaT labor which would be otherwise rcqur-
ed. Hence, much judgement or experience
is necessary, both in putting on, and taking
of, the water at a proper time.
The next in the order ofour remarks then
is the 60 DAYS flow, which | understand to
be nothing less than union OF the three flows
already mentioned, viz: the sprout the point
and the long flows. This flow is introduced
as soon as the field is planted; the same as
in the sprout flow, when all is merged into
one, by beng continued with slight varla'
tions, until the full period ofthe time ex'
pires.
l.