The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1892-12-09
III WILL 0.NLY "a " n q FIJI IS =
GOOD RICE

4a@A " Na4fHA AfAN go - 1870 M - -
GOOD RICE
In TIE articlss On tse ssabieet of ziee
o1lture which have appeared and will
appear from time b time ID these
columns, re wish It understood that We
/ do not write altogether from q personal
experienoe ID Tie business but have
oolsated The opinions and actnal results
attained By MANY ofonr most successful
rice growers, millers and dealers and
lshall conaae ourselves 10 the main 10
che most important features about
which therais little diversity ofopiaion.
This week we shall speak Of the import
anoe Of producing good artiele, or At
least pntting only such on the market
Itisa sad fact, bat, nevertheless, a
fact that ont Of the large crop inst
harvested 10 this section, scarcely rs
per cent viii grade number one, and
nneh of il - % bad - % be Absolutely
unfit Tor milling purposes. We at
tribute this mainly TO two causes, both
within the power Of the planter to con-
trol. viz first the lack Of attention paid
70 procuring pure seed and secondly the
aesire 30 put in larger acreage than
he can u Justice to. we might also
assign another reason waich is, the mix
tng the good and bud together 10 the
first place the rice 8eld shoala have
been. for two years previous to putting
ia the erep. free fram weeds which
produce small seeds aud should be
thoroughly prepared. Then the seed
shonld be absolutely pnre, no matter
what the cost. Like produces like and
II the seed il foul, mixed with red, etc.
tha product viii only bring about half
price Itis useless for the planter to
say bis riee has oniy Hue red or a 5sIp
black seed and should bring almostNo.
price; that very little, will make the
finished rice worth probably a cent a
pound less 10 the miller who sells to the
Rholsaie grocer who sells 10 the con
sapasr aSho demands al absolutely pure
article aud is willing 10 pay the increased
price even though the difference in
price is much greater than the real
difference IN value. This is fact ahieh
Is beyond the power of either the planter
Or miller to change aud the only thing
the producer Gan do is tomake the kind
Of rice demanded by the consumer. aud
this can only be accomplished by using
an absolutely pure seed put into clean
ground.
The second cause Of poor rice, viz:
the attempt to market too large a crop
can best be illustrated by an actual &C
cuHenoe, Mr.. K. an ambitious and
hard working former, determined to
pnt in IS acres although only 40 acres
we're really suitable for the purpose, the
other Is acres being somewhat foul and
also Of proved quality. In this case
to be good except the IS acres before
mentioned. When it came emitting time
20 attempt was made to separate the
inferior from the best, bat it WAS stacked
aud afterwards threshed and marketed
altogether, with this result: The cost
Of harvesting was ~ cents, threshiDg
z cents, freight 10 cents, total 80 cents
per barrel, and no got at the mill only
80 cents per barrel, leaving only Al
cents per barrel for the work and eZ-
pense Of making the crop While
making this crop he fed bis team rs
cents per bushel corn. What be should
have done was either never to have
planted the Is acres of foul land, or
when he had done SO be might have cut
it when it was a little green to prevent
Hhntiering, cured it and stacked after
the manner Of hay and he would have
had enough feed TO have raised another
crop, and would have received double
the amount for his reduced crop.
OF course the present price is ridieu-
lously low and IL it should continue for
another season most of our rice farmers
will go oat of the business and stock in
the huge rice mill nov building will
be drug IN the market. As we have
frequently remarked of late, we believe
this is caused by the planters attempt
ing TO market an extraordinary crop
tnumber of barrels eonsidered) in the
short space Of go or 80 days aud is only
temporary nor would it be 80 now if
there was any speculative demand for
This cereal as is the case With other
agricultural products.
We will lose our guess il the Lake
Charles Rice Milling COMPANY does not
declare dividend d 1875 per cent On
the first years business.