The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1899-10-28
The Growth of Country Rice Wills.

The Growth of Country Rice Wills.
| Unless Bay ST. Louis builds q
mill. the output of rice will hard
| " ever amount to much. The
| city (New Orleans) mills will do
very we'll. But the country mill
stimulates the community and
encourages the grower. The Echo
was told recently the country mill
was a failure; it would prove
useless while thousands of sacks of
the grain could be shipped to the
city. The following article gives
| light on the success of the country
mills:
BY far the most important factor
in the disposal of the rice crop of
Southwest Louisiana IS the coun-
try mills, by which is meant the
outside of New Orleans. The
building of these marked the
greatest step that has been made
towards securing a good market
for this cereal. What these mills
have done for the industry is apt
to be underestimated unless the
conditions existing before and
since their establishment are care
fully contrasted.
The country mills are the out
growth of Il successful attempt at
self-protection. In the earlier
days of the industry in Southwest
Louisiana New Orleans was the
onl Y market, and in consequence
rice suffered all the injury, delay
and Inconvenience that any crop
with but Il single outlet must of
necessity endure. At that time
all rice farmers had to dispose of
their product through commission
men. They shipped their rice
without any idea of what they
would receive in return. and fire.
quently it remained in the hands
of the agents for several months
before any disposal was made, and
the farmer would have his next
crop in before he knew what his
last brought hin. There was suf-
ticient warehouse room to accomo-
date but Il small portion of the
crop, so almost as soon as haryes-
ted, it would have to be consigned.
In consequence of thi, rush into
New Orleans, the market would
be congosted and prices would
frequently 90 down below the
cost of production.
1t was to correct these evils that
the country mills were built.
Farmers formed stock companies
and went into the milling bust
ness, not with the intention Of
making anything out of the mill
ing process but for the purpose of
securing a fair price for their rice.
The Acadia Rice Mill, at Rayne.
was the first of these to go in,
which was built in the latter part
of the eighties, but it was not uu-
til five years ago that rice milling
was begun to be engaged ia 10
large extent through the country
In 1893 the Crowley Rice Mill and
Lake Charles Rice Mill were bmit,
and since that time most of the
other plants now in operation
were put up.
These mills had Il hard fight at
first. The people had no conf
dcncc in them and would not sup
port them, and from this lack of
support many of them had a very
chequcrcd career for two or three
years. 1t really was not until three
seasons ago that milling was car
ricd on profitably by the country
mills, but since that time they
have had splendid success, and
rice mill stock has become pay
ing investment.
Thi, is a Iricf account in 2
cral way of the circumstances saI
rounding the establishment Of ..
country mills. In spite Of I'll.
early fight for existence they tro
now prosperous and are rceCgl
ed by the planter, rs being gr.a.
bcEcfactors to the rice indust~.
So fully have the benefits of taa
mills been realized that last y.e
two-thirds Of the ricc that caao
Crowley was handled by then
and this prosperity no one can le-
grudgc them for they have Prov
of inestimable value to the ind
try al large.-CrowIey (La.) S.