The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-03-03
Plant Rice.

Plant Rice.
,r In giving this advice, we do not prom
% SO fortune the frat year, nor in severa
J. years, to every one who adopts this ad-
: vice. Neither do We advise anyone tt
drop all other crops to turn his attention
n exclusively to rice culture. We do Offer
:. it, however, after mature consideration
d and study, as partial substitute for cot
ton, which all admit is a pro6tless crop
e at current and prospective prices.
a For some months we have been casting
+ about for something we could recon
mend the farmers of South Carolina to
try in place of cotton. We say to try,
, because it would be nnwise for any far
: mer to begin the planting of en- unac.
customed crop upon large, or upon a
4 small scale for that matter, in the expec
. tstion of large and immediate returns.
The only safe course is the wise course,
and wisdom dictates that the change
from cotton be made gradually, carefully
fully feeling the way at each step. In
this way alone can the risk offurther loss
be reduced to minimum.
The principal requirements to be full
filled in crop that proposes to sup,
plant cotton are two: l. A marketa-
BILE crop atgood figures and 2, crop
that can be raised upon a large proper.
tion ofSouth Carolina soil. Both con.
ditions are fulfilled in rice, we think,
in measures sufficient to warrant the trial
at least.
l. AS to the first condition, it is only
necessary to state that the production
of rice in the United States is far below
the requirements of the people for con-
sumption. This fact should insure
ready market and a good price. That
clean rice does bear good price, needs
no proof with the farmers who buy the
article for table use. They know that
every peck they buy at the store costs
them from 80 to 100 cents As good
rice turns out half in the beating, this
means that they are paying at the rate
of two dollars per busbel for rough rice I;
and when it is understood that the yield
varies from fifteen to seventy, FIVE bush
els per acre, it is not hard 10 see that
there is considerable margin for profit |
after paying for the beating and the mar
ketiDg.
Itshould be stated, however, in the
connection, that the higher yield refer.
red to above, is rarely if ever realized
upon uplands, and then only when soil,
cultivation and season are in conjunction.
In this section of the State, where no at
tention is given to fertilization and the
crop is limited to wet soils that have
been planted in rice for long time, the
yield is about twenty bushels.
2. Can rice be grown upon considera-
BILE portion of the area now devoted to
cotton culture? This is more diff
cult question to answer, so as to not mis-
lead anyone, Our conviction is that il
can be grown. We have observed vol
unteer hills of rice very frequently in
our corn and cotton fields, and they have
invariably made good heavy heads. A
neighbours field that has been run in cot
ton for long time, and that is more
over distinctly HIGHLAND, well adapted
to cotton, was successfully cultivated in
rice long ago-indeed, We have frequent.
ly heard of the wonderful rice made Oh
that field. These observations lead Us to
conclude that rice may be successfully
grown upon very large portion of the
lands of the State heretofore run in cot
ton. at any rate we were sufficiently
impressed with the probability of SUCCESS
to set apart for that purpose, some time s
ago, portion Of the area originally in
tended for cotton this year. Ii
While a moist soil is the natural
habitsnt of the rice plant, there can be
no doubt that it grows, though with less
upon uplands. Our own {
observations point to the conclusion that
the mos. critical period of growth for 9
upland rice is at the stage of heading
out. A drought at that stage is fully as
fatal to large yield of rice as wet July
is to full yield of cotton.
In our judgment, it is at this point Q
that the chief superiority of Low lands
Or bottoms shows itself, more than in i
any peculiar quality of soil, or in any
extraordinary degree of moisture con- =
stantly in the soil.
Candor compels US to state that our 8
past experience in raising upland rice b
has not been successful. It was limited Z
70 very few acres of low.land that has 6
been run in rice for many years, and p
With the exception of few rows, no ;,
effort was made at fertilization. The 3
Inference between the fertilized aud the n
lnfartilized rows are sufficiently mark
ID, however, to warrant the conclusion
hat it will respond to intelligent fertili. o
;ation and cultivation. Our conclusion P
8 therefore, with the light before US, u
hat q large proportion of land now ="
planted in cotton may be turned into q
ice with profit and that market may o.
10 readily had at good prices; but we do U
lot advise any farmer to plant enough u
o cripple him ip case of failure-and p
q case of success the first year, it would u
70 unsafe to stake all on one crop, for =. "
be possibilities and probabilities in the "
ase cannot be developed in one year nor y
q two years. IN
As to the time and method of fplant- p'
ng. Select the land, giving preference "' r@
D low lying lands and bottoms. Pre-. &
are it as if for cotton. The planting
hould begin about the same time as te