The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-03
THE RIoE CROP FAILURE.
Losses That Might Have Been Avoided

Losses That Might Have Been Avoided.
From the Nelo Orleans Item, Nay %.
In an article, on April 4, the ITEM warned
the rics planters of the low river IN sight,
and pointing to the low water in the Mis-
souri,, Upper Mississippi and Ohio, said:
From the present outlook it is difficult to
discover any indications of a rise in the
Mississippi"
Again, on April Is, giving our reasons
for the ADVICE, we stated: According to
the present outlook there is little prospect
OF sutficiency Of water to irrigate the rice
heids naturally, and parties who have
planted or intend to plant had better rely
on pumps. Those who hare not the means
or do not care TO 20 to the expense of arti-
fetal irrigation had just as well turn their
attention 70 some other crop at once"
These views were not the result of guess
work, bat the conclusions reached after a
CAREFUL STUDY OF THE QUESTION.
These conclusions were based on the light
rainfall in the territory drained by the Mis-
sissippi, and the low condition Of the tribu-
taries, as stated in our articles Had due
weight been given to our forecasts, and had
our recommendation bsel generally
adopted, hundreds of thousands of dollars
would nave bsen saved by the rice planters.
As it Is, most of tie fields were sowed in
the hope of rise in tue river, and tais hope
being disapp lintsd, at least oEe-half of the
crops have already been abandoned The
drought preciDitated the disas5er, although
rains would not have proved the salvation
OF the planters. Without irrigation the
rice beco mes smothered, not only by grasses
natural to the culture, but by high land
grasses, such as Bermuda and crab grasses.
The lem learns that some planters who
have pumps are abandoning their fields in
consequence Of the hight to which the
water must be raised. 1t is difficult for
machine to raise water over ID feet, and il
is SAID that the lift on some places 10 the
upper parishes is now between 25 and 30
feet. A system introduced by Horace VIII
kinSon, we believe, in West Baton Rouge
two years ago, was found to work admira-
bly, in
EXPECTING HIGH LIFT.
He used two pumps, the one to raise the
water half the distance, and the other to
carry it the other half. OF course an in
tsrmediate receptacle was used.
Ia addition to total loss On plantations
without pumping machinery there will be
a heavy reduction in yield o. fields artif-
cially irrigated Water pu npsd is in quail
ity as good as water flowing natur ally from
the river, but there is vast difference in
quantity. The failure TO maintai a suffi-
Gent water supply is not usually the fault
of the pump, but it is due to a lack of in
telligence in handling the water.
For artificial irrigation it is necessary to
lay off field carefully and With close at
tentlon to levels. 1t is also essential to have
skilled and intelligent water tenders, who
will economic the water and rot permit it
to be st through leak7 and broken dams
and levees. With the whole river to draw
on through lar e fume the ordinary water
tender manages to keep the field flooded by
main strength and awkwardness. If the
field does not contain sufficient levees the
water is forced up on the high spots. If
levee breaks there is no other evil conse-
quence but the trouble to repair it; and if
the levees and dams ara ridiled with craw-
fish and muskrat holes it is only necessary
to force the water little harder.
A rice field is laid out in small squares,
EACH SURROUNDED BY LEvEEs.
In flooding, the water is let in to the first
square; when the square is covered to the
proper depth the water OVERT )ws through
an aperture or sluice in the next leves and
floods the next square, aud thence through
the next levee, and so on, the object being
to make sufficient and equal distribution
of the water. 1t is easy, therefore, to I'M
derstand that irr CATION is a science req .ir-
ing no small degree of intelligence aud en-
glneerlng skill. Aud yet, GA most places
ignorant hands are now entrusted with the
control of water that is dearly bought.
The mere growth of the rice does not re-
quire the land to be covered with water,
for the plant thrives in soil that is barely
moist But the luxuriance of vegetation in
this section of Louisiana, while it is one of
our boasts, is also one of our drawbacks.
Water is used principally to keep down
weeds. vines and grasses, which would
otherwise spring up and smother out the
rice.
1t would be mere guess work to make an
estimate of the rice crop for this year, so
nearly has the crop been wiped out of exis-
tence. But before leaving the subject we
desire to renew the recommendation made
in our article of April 4, that the rics plant
ers turn their attention to sugar culture as
soon as practicable, for, we repeat 1.-THE
planter who leaves rice for sugar changes
from an unreliable crop to one that is
nearer a certainty than any other crop
Or0u-n in tha TTnitad StataS -