The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1879-09-26
Vol. X.-NEw SERIES.
THE CULTIVATION OF UPLAND RICE

take pleasure in complying with the rc.
quest OF the Greenville Enterprise and
1Hounfdmeer, republished in your paper.
and in giving whatever information I can
to those who desire to plant rice ON our
uplands:
SEED.-There arc two varieties of rice.
namely, gold rice, which grows only with
water culture, and white rice. which
may DO grown with either wet or dry
culture.
VI tho latter have planted three dis
hnct sub-varicties, and there are, probably,
several others. The hardest and most pro.
ductive IS Hat rice, known under several
names-Guinea, Gopher, Bull head, &C.,
&c. living to the. peculiar form of the
grain, 1t is not adapted to the machinery in
the pounding mills and the millers have
found 1t to be so troublesome to prepare for
market that they decline to work it on toll.
This greatly dimiuishes its value as a mar
ket crop.
Two years ago bought seed from the
West Indies. The plant grows larger and
more iuxuriantly than our native kinds, re-
sists drought and heat better, does not fall
or lodge, is fairly productive, and the grain
OF the first quality. 1t is, however, pccu-
liarly susceptible to the influence of cold
and liable to rot Gin tho sprout," while it
requires fully two weeks longer to mature.
These arc objections which become yery
serious whore tho lands are cold or the sea
son short
The third variety is the ordinary white
rice, commonly found in the markets, and
familiar to all who have had much to do
with rice.
1t is important that the planter should
get good seed; and what the rice planter
means by good seed is simply sound, well
ripenod seed, free from mixture with yolun.
teer rice. Volunteer rice is red rice, and
its presence Injuries the market value but
worse than that it rpens sooner than the
other rico, and fall, out, causing in this wav
often the loss OF considerable por centago
of the crop.
KINDS OF soIL.-Rice may be grown,
but will n OF fruit well, on very light soils.
IL prefers moist loans and the lighter CLAWS.
The soil along our rivers, creeks, and
branches-mud bottoms, marsh lands when
drained and not too much inclined to peat,
and second lowlands, if not too stiff-are
well adapted to it. 1t can be grown, and
sometimes with favorable seasons very sue
'csssfully, on high dry uplands of good quail
ity, but its culture there is hardly to be
recommended.
CULTURE.-The culture is almost identi-
cal with that of cotton. Pulverize the
ground well with the plough and harrow
When the time has come for planting, run
Oft shallow burrows with light shovel
plough, three and half feet apart. If the
land is warm and dry, drop in the furrow
in hills eighteen inches apart, from ten to
fifteen seed to the hill. according to the
strength of the soil and cover lightly. If
the land is cold or wet, throw up in beds
the same as for cotton, and plant on the
bed. The after culture is with the side
harrow and sweep and the hoe-just suti
clent to destroy weeds and grass.
There is no grain that tillers so much as
rice. L have watched hill this season
which came up single blade and now has
ninety-one stalks. 1t may be doubted,
however, if it is desirable to encourage til.
lcring by thin planting. 1t seems proba-
BILE that when enough seed are used to pro-
duce at once all tho stalks tho land should
bear, the rice will head out and ripen with
moro uniformity; and that is a matter of
not little Importance.
Rice may be planted in middle South
Carolina as late as the last week in Nav on
cold lands, or as early as corn, than which
it is little moro subject to injury from
frost, (aftor it has come up) wher, the soil
is warm.
The critical period is when it is in the
sprout Too much cold and moisture at
that time will cause the sprout to rot and
destroy the germ. I have known seed to
lie in the ground for month, and, when
they did not sprout, make n good stand
But if you find your seed have spxouted
and the blade does not appear in few days,
the sooner you plant over the better. TO
avoid this difficulty, tho covering should be
done very lightly. This is one of the es>
scntial points in planting. Rice will not
como up well if covered deep, and especi.
ally if the earth is pressed upon it, differing
curiously in this respect from nearly ali
other seeds.
The YIELD.-Several years ago the
Georgia State Fair gave prize to a plan.
ter OF Southwest Georgia for IN acre ofrice
which yielded ninety three bushels. The
land was described as pine land which had
boen cow-penned. have known an aver
age of sixty-four bushels per acre gathered
from twenty-one acres. A noighbor claims
last year forty bushels from half an acre.