St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-12-02
THE RICE CIR P.
REyOLJTICNIZiNG THIS SOUTH
ERN INDUSTRY.
Highly Important Suggestions, by the
Department of Agriculture Rc:ia bill
itatins Abandoned Plantations.


itatinS Abandoned Plantations.
People who are looking for places to
invest COZ siderable SUNS Of money may
he interested in some suggestions offered
by The Agricultural Department in regard
10 the cultivation Of rice in the nitcl
States and the possibilities OF great re-
suits. According to this statement there
are in the South hundreds Of thousands
| OF ncre8 Of finest nee lands a}ardoNt1
and lying idle which offer great financial
advantages to those willing to invest in
| them for tie cultivation Of rice il large
quantities. The losses Of the rice plant
ers during tie war were very great.
During their absence the dykes which
kept buck the water from the rice lands
were washed away, canals were filled up.
and plantations which had cost i'm
mense sums thus rendered yAlutic>>.
| 1t was in1racticab!c for these men
impoverished as they were on their
| return to rc-cntcr upon the in
dustry Of rice growing, because large
| sums Of money Wcr" required to rehni!1
| dykes and recut canal, and bring the
| land again int0 condition for the cuitiva-
ton Of this crop. It Was not possible to
| put nearly an acre or two under cutiva-
ton because great systems Of dykes and
canals had to he constructed before any
portion q the land could be made avail
| able The lands whio& were mort aged
are still .noltgae>N, and these NOR Cages
are held by bAnks Of the great Southern
cities, no enc c,Ning TO fore lose to get
proncrty for which there is no sale.
Lands which were formally worth two
hundred or three hundred dollars pcr
acre ac@orlline to this rcnort, are now
and where dykes lave been washed away
and the canals and bitches been filled un
they can often be had for one do!iar per
acre. Another difficulty which pcoplc
Of small means have encountered is in
getting labor to build dykes and keen
them in repair. or to repair and die
canals. The colorcd workmen of the
South prefer work in the phosphate
fields
All these difficulties, the Department
OF Agriculture suggests could be over
come bv Ingn or cUmpanies with large
ca;ituI I"s,,.l Of being dependent
upon the aY.ri.4 !uborer, Which lrefcrs
work IL ,::..r j.. j. If Industry, an or
gau;zy;:ou &..: u,u"s to purchase
druI:.uo aut I:- could d.cdgc canals
aud I,u.!l, j.. steam machinery at
very >:::.i: IT, !ayHincry could also
bp l.,"! - {! ar.ttiJn Il the land
a:I lis H.: ,.. .. i'll tie harvesting
Of Tie q j. .i!ntlz a!c PERFECTLY
Ityt! u:,.i Il . Tu>'tlt. -c;lIar fields
with IU}, ,.. .. ornaments around
each. a.& T.. ty,~ou why steam
mar,.;",!t /, leed on these
fields il t..'... I'll Harvesting Of
the creep.
III Iii, c,.:.". H., general facts
about ri,r. .:Ycn in the
same l.nol; ..s.. Rice. &C.
curlir4 "a Iu.~ b -. a..,ls first in
inpv.ta3Jp t.:4.. .' III grains,
both il regard .,.I 49,, rr. persons
who con,Hl.e If, :. produced
and the AREA uyY,,. f.. cultivation
the wol'.. u;cr. Ri -: :..rlr.rciral
and in soo.v c:4.,s al. &c.. - CITY food,
according t. H., STAGE" -. u from one
third to enc hat OF liz. =. !. huIuan
race. The !igr { n@,...,.f.r .4tirns, ill.,
cID1ino TIE Chine, .4.r~,. the
re3n,c Of I.d;, ard MA; : II Afliru.
make ND total Of sJo,l,3,.vU) pcoD,c,
or over flty- four Der cuHf, Of the total
population Of the world.
S'sce we arr. in the centennial mood, it
is vo:.h willie mentioning t:.ut this is list !
n?;out the 2oD;n anniverS,.r. Of the i;;tro !
luc,;on Of rice growing a. Al Industry !
in The United States. 1t WIS in ISL !
that an Err1ish Shin honnd from Nauu- /