The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-16
FINE WEATHER FOR RICE
HARVESTING WELL ADVANCED
AROUND SAVANNAH.

Planters Getting Their Crops Under
the Sickle as Fast as Possible-The
Slow Improvement in Rice Harvest
ing Machinery-Howt the Crop is Sc
cured-The Primitive Blade the ONLY
Harvester Yet Practicable-A Con-
ference of the Planters With the
Board OF Trade.
Rice planters have had favorable
weather for harvesting first paintings, and
the harvest is well advanced both on the
Savannah and Ogeechee rivers. The
planters have noted with some apprehension
the movements of cyclones at sea in the
West Indies and on the North Atlantic, and
have been rushing the harvest, fearing a
tidal wave viii catch the ripened grain
before it is in the granary.
May rice is just commencing to hang, and
the June rice Is starting out. With favor
able weather for SIX weeks excellent crops
will be secured. The May rice will be ready
for the sickle in couple of weeks. and by
the middle of October the june rice will be
ripe, and by the last of October, good
weather prevailing, the rice planter will
nave his crops saved.
GATHERED AS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN.
No improvement in harvesting rice has
been yet discovered which is considered
practical, and the sickle with which the
pioneers reaped their small grain is still the
only blade used. The rice is too heavy for
the use of the cradle, and the steam or
horsepower reaper has not been found at
all practicable. On this subject a we'll
posted planter said yesterday that to use
q mechanical reaper would neces5itate
draining the water from the rice fields a
week or ten days before harvesting So that
the ground would be dry enough for the
work, and he added: II believe cutting
the rice eight or ten days after the rice
field has been dried Injuries the quality of
the rice, and perhaps would discblor it,"
REAPING MACHINES NOT PRACTICABLE.
In case OF high winds coming up before
the ground had dried, the rice would fall
and become so enlangled that the machine
could not harvest it. By leaving the water
on until day or two before cutting, the
water supports the rice. At present we dry
the field one day and cut the next
The large planters employ a great MANY
hands during the harvest, and the nav roll
Of one planter last Saturday night had 2S5
names on it. Rice, as has been said, is cut
with the sickle, or as it is generally called
reap hook, and strong man can cut from
rice, according to his expertness with the
sickle, day, and bind in sheaves for the
shock what he has cut the day before. The
rice is put up in shocks eight to the acre,
hauled in and then threShed by steam
power, when it is ready 10 he taken to the
mill for pounding.
THE PLANTERS AND THE MARKET.
There is considerable complaint among
rice planters that the Savannah market is
not satisfactory and that purchases are
made from-hand-to- mouth, some brokers
and factors being bulls one day and bears
another day. These complaints have be-
come SO common that some planters are
threatening to send their rice to other
markets if the Savannah market does not
improve very soon. This has led the
board of trade to prepare to take action,
and a conference is to be held
with the rice planters at the board
of trade rooms at 4 o'clock this
afternoon, at which President John r.
Young, l. u. Haas, chairman of tine finance
committee and j. A. @. Carson, chairman
of the committee on information and sta
tistics of the board, will meet the planters
whom they invited to conference in the
| following letter addressed to all the planters
whose plantations have been in and are now
tributary to Savannah:
The Savannah Board of Trade, desiring to
foster and advance the rice interests of the city,
will be glad to confer with you through its Off.
| GERS to the end that better market reports and
| statistical Information NAV be procured and
| such rules of trade adopted as may improve and
| stimulate the trade. For this purpose the sub
scribng officers invite you and other growers
| and dealers, to meet them at the rooms of the
board of trade on Monday, Sept. 49, at O'CLOCK
| D. m.