The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-06-19
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Country Visitor. 4

|
Country visitorl
1t is not too late to plant Tice--,,.r
time during the month of June il !
scasonable time. Many of our ricp
farmers claim that the best success. ali
things considered. is obtained BY plauts
ing this month, rather than earlier Il
the season. They claim that the grouna
being warm, the seed gerininates uaore
readily and evenly, and a better stand
is Thus obtained. They further claim
that the young rice grows off very ran
idly, enabling it to protect itself, ina
measure, from grass and weeds An,
other argument in favor Of June plantct
rice is, that it ripens at season Of the
year when the weather is always fins
and that it does NOT suffer, very mate.
rally, from the depredations Of birds,
| These are weighty arguments and
have the experience and observation of
practical rice planters 20 back thcm,
But, says a doubling Thomas, aHow
shall we get water TO food the rice ii
this season of the yeargr This is lust
the question we wished asked, for No
desire to impress the fact upon Tho
mind of everybody that winter IL not i
necessity to successful ricccuitnre, nor
is it desirable, unless IN exceptional
cases.
We food our rice croym TO render
the cultivation less btsdeBsOme. WI.
ter kills most kinds of grasses, bnt rice,
being, in measure, an aquatic plant.
is NOT injured by being flooded, This
is slovenly make-shift, to call 1t BY
its mildest term, and it 10 well kaown
that this method of cultivation f9) pro-
duces very inferior results. Grass and
weeds should be killed By early and
deep blowing. The land should BE-
prepared for planting exactly d f@
corn erection, except that the culture
should be level.
Rice lands are naturally moist. II
they are wet they should be well
drained. The seed should be planted
in drills, two and one half to three feet
apart, and lightly covered. ssSprort-
ing' the seed will expedite matters
somewhat, if the weather is warm. lii
rice culture, as in everything else, Tho
best seed obtainable shonld be planted.
We doubt, very much, if a paying crop
can be obtained from inferior seed.
The first culture shoald consist ii
narrowing The ground with slanting
tootbed harrow. This should be done
as often as the ground showsa tendency
to 'sbake." If the teeth are set prop.
erly, no injury will be done to the
young plant. AS the rice gross IN
height an expanding harrow Of cnltiva-
tor should be used between the a1iESs.
The grass and weeds in the drills usast
be removed by hand. The stand shoasld
not fill the drills at first, for rice stools
wonderfully and ii should have plenty
Of room. When the ground bctwesa
the rows il covered, cultivation shonh
cease. Harvesting and the subsequent
preparation for market do not differ
from the mode adopted in "water cal-
ttire.'
Theforcgoing remarks and assertions
are not mere theories. They have
stood the test of experiment and ex-
ipericnee, and are endorsed by many Of
our most successful rice planters. "Dry
culture" has much to recommend il
over wet culture" The laboris lighter
and the exposure is infinitely less
Rich, moist lands, in any section Of
the country, may be utilized, instead
of restricting to area of lands which
may be flooded, naturally or artifcialy
We have known satisfactory crops
raised, in this way. in North Louisiana,
Southern Arkansas and Middle Missis-
sippi, and, other things being equal, a
larger crop, by.weigl,t or measure, Is
obtained, and the graf mis- whittier, harder
and more susceptible of high polish.
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