St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-03-26

The Louisiana Planter, In its
issue Of February Is, publishes .
most excellent address Ut Col. VIM.
H. Harris, before the State ASri-
cultural Society, under the above
title. We regret that We cannot
give room to the entire address, but
our readers will find the following
paragraphs Of great interest. In
many cases what is true Of prairie
planting is also true Of upland
fields, which are becoming Of great
importance in our parish:
For various reasons, farming
operations on the prairie are some
times delayed till It Is too late to
grow = fall crop. A good stapd Of
rice cannot be expected from
ground badly prepared. II b pos
sible to prepare . good seed bed,
even on freshly burned sod ground.
Early in the spring the cod should
be ploughed two inches deep and
Immediately pulverized with the
disc harrow, which should be pass.
ed both WAYS across the Aeld until
the sod is Thoroughly cut up. A.
ter sowing, the field ehould Be
dragged with the smoothing har.
row until al the seeds ore covered.
1t is important, especially In
newly broken sod land, that the
ground should be pulveEised -
soon as ploushed. II the sods are
allowed to dry out, no Subsequent
work can reduce them effectually.
It il impossible to secure n evea
stand in rough ground. Tie seed
will not be covered uniformly, and
much will remain uncovsred, to be
picked up BY birds. The rice win
not cone up al 1t once, and Coz
sequently will ripen ut intervals.
The heads which have not natared
ut harvest time win h lost, and tie
crop win be cut short.
Weeds, grass, red rice, and III
the train Of accumulated evils
which follow successive rice crops
have induced the river planters 10
look for fresh land. They have
sought it to the westward, and here
on the prairie they 1ind IN unlimit-
ed supply. Even our poorest look
ing land, which appears whitish
and crawlishy, win grow . good rice
crop under favorable conditions.
A river man has been heard to
say that it seemed to him that
there was less Evaporation from 81
prairie field that from . river field,
but the greater tenacity Of the
prairie sub-soil win account for it
holding water better. 1t u undis.
putablv true, that rice win mature
with less water On tie prairie than
in the more porous alluvial coil.
Even without irrigation, good
rainfalls viii save . rice crop II the
prairie, while the same rainfall on
. river field would be inappreciable.
This advantage win more readily
appear on fresh land that has been
deeply plOwed and well pulverised.
There are varieties Of rice which
mature in three months and Others
which require six months. They
may prove the basis q selection Of
new and useful varieties for Louiei.
ana.
Comparatively little attention
has been paid to the cultivation Of
upland rice 10 the South. For
many years the piney woods farn-
eEs Who raised their OWE supplies
It home have grown small patches
u upland rice for. home coosamp.
lion. The method purseed has
been to SOW In narrow drills and
cultivate with the bull-tsngue plow.
they report that cultivated nigh
and rice does not require . greater !
rainfall to mature & than other |
cereals.
While this il not clearly establish
ID as . fact. experiments b TIE
prairie have shown that cultivated
fields Of upland rice win yield .
CROP, 1t b . notable |
Iact that upland cultivation Vim a..
lord . source cf pure seed supply. |
II the general cultivation Of upland
ice should prove successful ID tie |
south. It will afford . timely relief
% the over.prodl,ctioa q cotton.
GOOD REPORT. |