The morning times., 1896-11-22
RICE CROP IS REDUCED
Recent Storms Have Damaged the
Fields in the South.
MODERN CULTURE METHODS
They Have Superseded the Old Style
Oh Ifiiage and Made the Crop
More Profitable Than Sugar-wet
Harvest Season the Only Draw.
back Feared.
Nesc York Ereninq Post.


New Orleans, Oct. 31.--The damage to
the rice fields of the South by rain, storm
and flood Will seriously reduce the annual
crop this season, but in all other respects
the yield has been as satisfactory as the
southern growers expect in these DAYS
Of small profits. New orleans lust now
is entering upon a scene of activity that
always follows the garnerIng of the rice
Tor IL. the Crescent City are located over
sixteen rice mills, employing more than
,2oO men An ordinary crop generally
keeps these mills busy all winter, and in
1881 they could not hanGle all the rice
sent to them before another seasons crop
burst upob them. Seventy five years agp
there was not rice mil IN the city, but
today there are enough establishments
in the city limits to entitle it to the name
OF the chief rice milling city in America
Louisiana has long been the sugar State
Of the Union, but now she has become
the rice State as well, and New Orleans
is the chief distributing point for the
industry.
Rice culture conducted under modern
UethOds would not Re recognized by the
old Creole settlers in whose palrny days
rice and sugar were considered the chief
essentials or a civilized government-she
beginning and end of all agricultural in
dusir1es. The planters and farmers have
teen forced by circumstances to Keep
tuted the latter day rice-millng machinery
for the old We oden affairs where ten times
less work was obtained at the same cost
They Ho longer trottheir onieS around the
wooden lever TO the music of many "sacresr'
They send their rough rice to market,
where Il is bought outright by the millers,
and then cleaned by them for the trade.
The planter may nSt always get the fullest
reward for his Iab0 0by this system, is the
Inillers sometimes Combine 20 corner the
market, hut as q rule IL is mere satisfactory
than paying toll and receiving clean Vi
rice. which comes back tC him some etimes
as a burden II the price declines after
the milleFs have taken the rice. it does
not materially concern the planters, for
they have received their money irrespective
OF later market Developments
Highland rice does not pay any more in
Louisiana, and the visitor looks in vain for
the old upland rice-fiei;Is that az one time
dotted the landscape of the South. Only
the aquatic rice plant returns profits 10
the planters, snd consequently the main
requisite Tor rice-field is a low, rich piece
of land which can be conveniently irrigated
from the prairie reservoir or the flu,ne
in the levee. The aquatic rice plants de-
II and water first, last, and all the time
when sprouting, growing, and ripeniGg.
Without 1T the planter is suddenly stranded
high and dry. and heavy nor.gage.nrst
DS pitCtu upOu OIucI 20
over the disappointing season. The water
supply being the chief concern, the plant
ers have long since taken up about all the
available rice land in the State.
New rice land is scarce commodity,
and unless some Of the extensive swamps
are cleared and drained there is little
Nkelih ood of Louisiana ever extending
her rice acreage. 1t pays sometimes, how
ever, to reclaim the low swampy districts
forperfectlynew landwili yield from twenty
to twenty-five barrels of rice to the acre.
while fields cultivated for several years
do not produce on the average more than
fifteen to twenty barrels, and old lands
very seldom yield more than ten to fifteen
The demand for good, new rice land ia
always in evidence, and the newcomer has
little opportunity OF securing any unless
he is willing TO pay the price Old farmers
are on the lookout for 1t, and they VIII en-
tieavor TO impose upon the unwary b.
swapping their old fields foI the new