The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-26
THE RICE CROP FALLS SHORT
New Orleans and Wilmington Want
Rough Rice From Savannah.


Its Own, But Sales Are Affected by
the Low Price of Cotton-The Japan
Chinese War Cuts Figure-The Yield
Short Of What Was Anticipated.
Savannah rice men have had ample evil
dence in the last few days that the Louisi-
ana rice crop is nothing near as large as
was anticipated earlier in the season.
Inquiries have been received by the fac
tors and rice brokers' here from New Or
leans especially, and also from Whining
ton, N. c., for rough and also for clean
rice The mills at these places have asked
for samples and quotations from the rice
men in Savannah, but SO far they have
been unable to get any here.
1t seems that the rice crop is much
shorter than has ever been anticipated.
| The sales at New Orleans are keeping
right up with the shipments, and the New
| Orleans people are beginning to look else
where for the product to supply their de-
mand. AS an example, the figures of last
week may be taken. The receipts at Now
/ Orleans were 1886 sacks for the week
! ending Oct. 10, and the sales for the sane
week were 26,476 sacks.
/ 1t will be remembered that in the early
] part OF the season Lnc estimate u luG
/ Louisiana rice crop by Dan Talmadge &
! Sons was between 100000 and 100000
sacks or from 5000, 900 to 6,000,0 900 bushels.
/ Now the estimate of the crop of that state
has been cut down one-half and is put at
! 100000 sacks, or about 100000 bushels.
This is, in fact, less than half the first
| estimate and 1t may be that these hg-
ures are too large. There have been only
| 1873, asa sacks received at New Orleans up TO
| date this year as against 2S5, 1858 for the
! same period last year.
The Savannah crop is hardly a drop in
the bucket. 1t is hardly probable that the
| New Orleans or the Wilmington mills
will be able to get any rough rice here
Heretofore Savannah has had to bring it
here from New Orleans, in order to supply
the local territory tributary to this mar
ket The first estimate of the crop in this
section was $400, 900 bushels, but it has now
| been we'll established that the rice plan
tations tributary to Savannah wiz not
yield as much as 100000 bushels whi1e the
total crop along the Atlantic coast will
not reach 100000 bushels. Mr.. John Sore
ven, Jr., of the Savannah Steam Rice Mill
attributes the falling off in the crop in
this section both to the storms and to
the smallness of the yield, which is far
less than was anticipated. The greater de-
mand in NewOrleans and Wilmington
than those points can fill, he says has
led rice men at both to make inquiries for
rough and clean rice here.
He says that foreign rice has been re-
ceived at Baltimore and has been put on
the market to the detriment of the lower
or rather the medium grades produced in
this country. Foreign rice has been Of
fered in large lots in Savannah at So per
100 pounds delivered. This has had the ef-
feet of holding down the medium grades
of rice, but has not affected the high
grades and the very low grades. Parties
in the south buying foreign rice take the
chance of having it turn color on their
hands and also of it's becoming rancid, as
it is all addressed. In the north this is
not so much the case on account of the
colder climate.
Mr.. Joseph A. Huger of the Planters
Rice Mill stated that he had had inquiries
for rough rice for Wilmington and North
Carolina markets, but none so far from
New Orleans. He said the yield in Louisi-
ana, as we'll as elsewhere, was about one
half of what had been anticipated in the
early part OF the season, and that there
was a good demand for rice in some sec
lions.
Mr. IIuger said that the effect of the
situation was to keep up the rice market
at good figure, but in this section, he
said very little was being sold now on &C
count of the low price of cotton. The
wholesale grocers arc not shipping rice in
large quantities. The farmer in the inte-
rior looks on rice as one Of his luxures,
and It is scratched from many bills of
fare on account of the drop in cotton.
They are waiting to see what turn the
market is going to take, and this is af-
fecting not only rice, but many other
products.
Foreign cargoes of rice are being re-
ceiVed at Baltimore and New York, and
these have been used to keep down the
price, especially on the medium grades OF
rice, which are perhaps the most used
q Chinese Ia hro1iphf 70 has
upon the trade, and it's effect is felt
These countries are shipping cargoes OF
rice to this country, and it is believed the
product is sent here in exchange for arms
The object, then, on the arrival of the
cargo It to convert 1t into money as soon
as possible.
Good rice, it is believed, will command
high prices before long On the market
the statistical position of the crop is very
= good. and there is no reason why good
rice should not command full prices. The
mills say they will not pound freely until
they see that prices are going to respond
to the situation. Acting on this idea OF
the situation, many of the planters are
holding back their rice, for the crops are
so short that they must get full values in
t order to come out on their investment.
, Considerable damaged rice is being re-
ceived here by both mills, showing that
there was considerable damage as the re.
. suit Of the two storms. Some of the rice
Is discolored, and other lots are fount
sprouting. The planters, Mr.. Huger says
p have threshed out enough rice TO know
what the shortage is going TO be, but the,
do not attribute II altogether to tn,
storms. They think the yield was hurt a.
much by the heavy rains and winds OF tht
, summer as anything else. The growth o
the straw indicated a large crop, but th,
, grain did not show up so we'll as was an
ticipated, and very few, II any. crops II
this section will average 30 bushels to tn,
. ! acre.
! Statlstically the rice planters are IN ,
J good position, but Mr.. Huger's opinion Il
that the low price OF cotton has over
Swallowed everything and until II has beer
determined more definitely what cottor
Ia going 10 do, the rice cannot receive IN,
fun benefit OF the advantage IN prlc.
! which so short crop should give e.
|