Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-18
UPLAND RICE,
Hts Culture Easy and Profitable for
All the Region south OF the Ohio
Rivera Proposition.

All &MS AeSAon SOutn OF kne OnxO
Rivera Proposition.
Prot. STEELE in the Louisville Cotirfer-J Journal.
have been experimenting quite extern
sively with upland rice, and the results have
convinced me that 1t is a coming crop of
much importance, even for many sections
OF our country whose people do not now
entertain the slightest idea that its growth
could be made so much as a bare possibility
with them. Concerning this last, l wish to
say few words to the readers of the
Courier Journal, because | know that the
paper circulates largely in many Of the very
sections to which | allude; | feel that It is
my duty to do so. That upland rice has
been so little cultivated in this country up
to the present time, and that its culture
has been confued to bounds so limited,
both are matters much to be won
dered at, fot 1t will grow with most
decided success on any soil capable of
producing either corn or wheat, and II Is en-
tirely at home IN any latitude whose warm
season is loug enough to give five months
without frost. This makes It. a suitable crop
for all Of Kentucky. all Of Tennessee. the
grea' er portion of Virginia, at least: in a
word, for all that region below the line of
the Ohio river, and for quite an extensive
scope of country above. The five months
rule will alwaY hold good-the latest varie-
ty known never fails of being ready for har-
vest within five months from the time of
sowing. A Southern climate favors It no
more than a Northern one; all it requires Is
frOstless season long enough to admit of
its maturing And, even should a spring
frost bite 1t off to the ground, no harm would
result other than a brief check in growth.
for it would come out promptly from the
root, and flourish the same as IL nothing had
happened; but q fall frost would ruin It,
And Ahn
should be so much neglected, increases when
we ref ct that the crop is decidedly profit
able one; perhaps the most so of any of the
small grains grown in America. Land ca
psble of bringing thirty bushels Of corn to
the acre will bring from fifty to sixty bush
els of rough rice. This is usually worth 81
per oushel on the farm. The hulling pro-
cess, which prepares it for the COOK. will
leave us about half the number OF bushels
that we had in the rough, after the miller
has taken oIt his toll for the preparation.
say the acre has Welded us twenty five bush
els Of first class cleaned rice. This will
weigh about 1900 pounds, which, at 10
cents per pound. the usual retail price
would be worth $I25. Or suppose we put II
so low as cents per pound, we still have
product worth $50 Then in addition to the
rice we have the straw, which is mnch larger
in quantity than that OF either wheat
or oats, ana very different in character. It
is soft, spongy straw, highly relshed bv
stock, and said to be almost as nutritious as
the best quality of hay. The worst dis
cOuragement to rice culture in many loeali-
ties would lie In the Inconvenience of get
ting 1t to a rice mill for hulliDg and prepara-
ttOn. Once the people should get TO raising
it in quantities sufficient to create demand
for mills, supply would come, of course.
Up to that time 1t would be necessary for
the pioneers in the business to prepare their
, hrNwvn N@ H. =
FRS in many portions of the lower South.
The process is an inexpensive and exceed
tngly simple one. A cOncavity eight or ten
inches IN diameter, and about the same in
depth, Is burned into the end of a block
OF wood to serve as a mortar. Into this
the rough rice Is placed, where It is
beaten by hand with wooden pestle
weighing some four or FIVE pounds. After a
few minutes beating the hull separates from
the grain, aud may then be readily removed.
as chsH, by exposure to q slight draft OF air.
Some pers Ons rig the pestle to a spring pole
which greatly reduces the labor uf beating
Rice prepared on this rough plan is thought
to be much better, in point of flavor, than
such as has passed through regular MILL
In China about three fourths of the food OF
the poorer classes is rice (upland(, and It ia
all prepared by hand with mortar and pes.
tie. The culture Of upland rice is extremely
simple. Nv plan is % to put the ground in
good order by deep breaking aud thoroughly
pulveFizing; (2) lay off rows with a shallow
running pillow, three feet apart; (3) SO
soon in spring as all danger Of freez-
ing is over, drill In the seed thinlv,
covering from two TO three iDches with a
plow or block; az bar off when rice is four
or five inches high, and follow with hoes
removing weeds and grass, and chopping
out TO stand OF about eight inches asunder
leaving two or three stalks In the hill: (5)'
throw back the furrOw and plow out the
middles. running shallow, and t6) il the
WeeGs seem TO De getting another damaging
sJsrt-Whlch seldom happens, as the rice
soon covers the ground and tskes aare Of
itself-scratch them down, and that ia n q
last OF 1t. The culture must ALWAYS ha level
and shallow. Half bushel Of seed viii sow
an acre. i is a wonderful growth to stool
or branch up from the base; a single sta1k
Will often increase to twenty or thirty The
harvesting and threshtng does not differ
from that OF all other kinds Of small grain
There are several varieties of upland rice
such as the PADDY, the Silver hull, the Hon.
durss, the YeDgan (Chinesel, and 40 on.
AFTER having tried them all I have settled
down TO the XeDgan as being the best. be
cause the earliest-ripening some three or
four weeks sooner than either of the
other kind. II Is very white rice, with
large, full grains The stalk is not so LARGE
and tall as that Of some Of the other varie-
ties, but the head IS long and heavy. .tbresb-
ing out first class as to yield. Dry and nm
favorable as the past season was, the Ven
gan gave me sixty five bushels Of rough
rice to the acre. To save trouble, would
state, In conclusion, that have not pound
OF seed rice for sale, and do not at pre- ser t |
know any one who has. A few busheIs of
the Yengan have been set aside by me for
distribution on the following terms alone: |
ANY person desrous of trying upland rice
culture Ia his locality can get one ounce
from noe, free, through the malls, by send |
Ing MS address, with stamp to pay return
postage, and agree to report results to me
pext 1aI. am collecting materials for a |
book on rice culture, and hence look for
my reward to the information which I shall |
receive by this means relative TO the profit |
able range Of the crop. The quantity that |
L shall send to each applicant will give him |
a good start OF seed for the second year.