The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-04
LOUIsIANA's ACE INDUSTRY.
Rice Cultivation Moving From Delta
Lands 70 Prairie Parishes.

4
Lands 70 Prairie Parishes.
The american / 7ric1,Iturist fer August,
II the course Of az interesting article on the
American rice industry, drawsssttention to
! The remarkable change in progress in
LOUISIANA IN rice cultivation. II says:
/ Since 1885 rice has been surrendering
back 70 sugar much Of rs usurped domain
on the banks Of the Mississippi river and
| Bayou Lsfourche. In those localities, in
many instances, enough money has been
made OF rice planting 70 enable the plant
| ers TO return 10 ths more costly and much
I more productive cane culture. The
/ reductlon Of the rice acreage in
the river and Bayou parishes accounts
for the falling of from the l, 100, o0O barrel
crop Of 1885 to an annual average of about
| ~ ,UUO barrels TOR the four years Up TO 1890.
During the past three or four years rice
culture has been moving steadily from the
| southeastern delta parishes 10 the south
western prairie parishes Of the state. These
| latter are cadia, St. Landry, ST. Martin,
Lafayette, Nermlllio1 and Calcasieu- Three
years ago the prairie region produced prac-
tlcally no rice for market In 1889 the
production suddenly rose % 500, 900 barrels,
against Az barrels for the delta par
lshes, which had made 100000 barrels
AZ 1871 III 1ScI LQE crop OF the
prairie parishes Is estimated at roo 600 bar
rels, or about seven-teuths Of the whole crop
OF the state. Il is ardently hoped that the
entire culture may be moved over to the
prairie region. Piercing the levees Of the
Mississippi river and Bayou LafOurc5e with
irrigsting rice fumes has, during the past
seven years, cost louisiana in damages
many times the value Of It's total annual rice
crop. In 1854 the Davis crevasse, IN the
r1.h Of ~ f. A.
rice fiume in the levee, inundated
seven parishes, equal in area TO the entire
state Of Connecticut, ove-howed two
manufacturing suburbs of New Orleans.
and stopped for five months commerce and
travel on two lines Of railroad reaching
from that city to the Pacific ocean. The
damage it inflicted IS calculated in costs at
100000 In 1880 the Nita crevasse. in
st. James parish, due to a defective rics
fume, flooded several rich sugar parishes,
closed up temporarily the southern ends Of
the Illinois Central and Mississippi Valley
railways, aud, sending a vast volume of
water into the Gulf Of Mexico through Lake
POnchartrain, DESTROYED the immense oyster
beds Of Mississippi sound. Its gross
damage In money has been
computed at 5000. 900. On March II,
this year. the Anes crevssse, in Jefferson
parish, opposite New Orleans, broke through
the levee where it was lately pierced for an
iron pips. to irrigate rice field This
crevasse, now !, POO feet wide. has already
overhowed several parishes, and the thriy-
ing manufacturing towns of Gretna and
Gouldsboro. 1t threatens hourly to mum
date the populous suburb, Algiers, and has
cut in two the Southern Pacific and Texas
Pacific railways. The extent Of its damage
is already measured by millions. There is
thus yearning desire TO see rice culture
relegated to the prairie parishes where there
are no levees 10 break and no devastating
floods to turn loose through hume-pierced
entertainments holding a mighty wall of
( rushing waters high above the fields and
| homes Of the people. The new rice region
in southwestern Louisiana has had the beue-
fit OF numerous farmer immigrants from
the far northern states, and the advantage
OF capital literally applied 10 its drainage
and irrigation works. These strong com
| panies have dredged the lowlands and cons
| structed artificial lakes and reservoirs in
the interior 10 furnish a continuous supply
Of water for the growing crops. Some
OF these lakes are several miles in superb
cial area, and five feet deep They are
formed by building high and broad en-
banknents across low depressions in the
prairies, thus holding the winter and spring
rainfall FOR use in summer to be fed 20 the
rice fields through proper bitches and
sluices. That section of Louisiana is al
| ready the great rice field. Of the western
continent During the past ten years the
louisiana rice crop has exceeded that Of the
Carolinas aud Georgia combined by about
25 per cent. Before five years have passed
the new prairie rice district is likely to sur
pass in production the present annual crop
Of all the rice-growing states There Is an
immense area Of land in those prairie
| parishes to be prohtably devoted to rice
culture. The product ls planted, grown
and harvested at far less cost than on the
leveed lands OF the delta parishes, and the
horse-harvester can be used at far greater
advantage in the prairie parishes, where it
performs the work of twelve or fifteen
highly-paid harvest hands.