The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1868-04-11
Eice and Rice Culture.
From the Clinton La9 Patriot :

[From the Clinton LAD Patriot
Nh. E tt:or irns the pas, few days
| have been travelling through the country,
visiting many planters ut their residences.
Everywhere are i.dicati"hs of the .ravagrs
of the late war anl the changed condition of
our labor system. but with nh whom visited
tnrre appeared tn he more hop.f,incss as to
tie fnturc than. expected to fad. All
seem to be moving with energy and deter
mined Ia accoaIi>h all that can he under the
circumstances IN which we are placed. Tine
freedmen are working better. thu~ far. thnn
what they did last year. Gaunt burger
staring them in the ts:'', has probably infiu-
enccd tii.-n I" .his. result.
The special object of my trip vas the
feasibility of upland rice culture in the viciu-
iv ii Clinton. In pursuit cf this object /
called upon some If The eldest and most expe-
rirncv,, planters in oar parish, and others in
Wilkinson county, Mississippi. All, with
but one exception. concur in the opinion that
an effort 10 raise rice, for home Consumption
and surplus for Shipment. can be made Il
triumphant succnSs; the paly difficulty
being the cleaning os. fhe. .riee sfter ~ has
been raised. To obs tate t:sss ,iiniaUlty ]
would state that l have made drfiuitp
arrangements with. Land will put up for. Adams
& Brothers, at their wtli known mill, one
and half miles from Clinton, large mill
f,r cleaning rce-huiIt ON the principle "f
the Georgia and Carolina rice mills. This
mill will be com pletrd and in successful
operation by the time that rice is rip. this
fall. aud Adams & Brother will bp fully pre-
pared to clean all rice that may BE- sent them,
either for toll nr cash, as may bp perferred
by those who have rice to be prepared for
use. They will also be prepared to thrash
all rice that may be sent to them in the
straw.
OF IT'S CULTURE.
There are three grades ,f land in this
section of the country that will produce rice
successfully. First. our hign and dry pine
wood, Emi fresh cleared. aud if forest trees
are scatt, red thiniv through it. they will he
n" d-triment I" the crop. Second. all the
bottom land along the banks of the streams
that has not been cultivated long enough to
render it duh and heavy. Third. and best
of all. is that grad. of iand known as over
flowed or marsh land. that has tern con>d-
cred too wet TO be succrs>fully cultivated
in cetton "r corn.s OF this grade there are
hunirr,ls of acres IN the i,nm-diatr vicinity
Of Clinton that might hr successfully culti-
waited N rice, thlt.is now wing Idle. 81
TIE METHOD OF PLANTING.
The best way is to plant in hills. ore f,,os
apart. in rows from one half to three fee,
apart aud with from f,ir I" six grams in a
hill. More is nut good. This will allow
the cultivation to be domr' with tie
pillow and hoe aud "bviate the necessity oi
hanl working. Tae yield, planted and
cultivated in this manner. is hut little, if at
all. --s r,.al, wien .iia.,f.d Ia the CONTINUOUS
drill aud the rice is much hrttrr aud cl ans
much rusirr. being decidedly larger in both
head aud grain.
TIME OF PLANTING.
Rice should be planted about the sam.
time as cotton. aud need not ~ Planted
earlier. say from the 10Th of April until the
lst Of June.
Use The pn M9sk,SGG aSG Tue fae fesa scrpIds,
barring off. scraping again and moui'iing.
keeping the crop as free from grass and
weeds ami the ground as thoroughly pulver-
lid as possible, until the nee qnite
shades the ground. from which
time until it ripens it will take care OF
its If.
HARVESTING.
Rice should never BE- cut until it is all
thoroughly ripe. rs it is only then that 1t 's
fully perfpct II cut b-f,re this it is not
only imperfect hutsit is almost an imP'sSi-
bil,tv to an it 80 as to be >::l.ahle ar tit
for USE To cut it the grain sickle should
b.. used, unless the straw is very short. in
which case the grain cradle can hp used to
advantage. After cutting bind firmly with
bands of the rice straw in bundles of size
convenient for handing, Cut when dry and
keep dry as possible.
THRASHING.
This can be done chraply and successfully
O, a plauk fn.r with the fail. This
instrument. any one with hut sma! amount
Of me mechanical * III can hoth make aud use.
YIELD PER ACRE.
This crop. like all others. varies in the
amount produced. owing /" quality OF land.
manner of culture, Seas"n, etc. Many
crops of rice are badly injured by being
planted too thick.. usimg too much seed and
letting too much stand on th. ground. Ohe
peck. or even less. is abundance for on"
acre. ID" not plant too thick as rice like
some other kinds of grim. st""is largri''
sending Up from ten to trwelve stalks. The
vi h. in this part of the South has b''en from
tu euty to one hundred bushels Of rough rice
per acre.
In conclu.i,n I would say that there is
nothing in tue way If raising. with great
,,rnfit. almost AN unlimited amount of rice in
the vicinity of Ci,nton.. S"me plant r.
upon whom / called, are preparing to plan:.
some ten. some twenty. and SOM as high AS
thirty acres. Let many others do likewise
aud next year let the planters count up their
acrrs of rice as the Northern farmers du
| their wheat. by the hundred. All facilities
for cuttinst thrashins aud cl-a"ing. aud that
cheaply and successfully, will be ON hand
Respectfully. &C.,
JOAN J. MILLER.