The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-07-22
Rice Growing
in the Coast
Country of Texas.


Tho following paper was read by Mr..
George j. Mokanus before the farmers
congress-:
Some OF YOU, ] fear do not feel that
this subject interests you. What Is this
Ohincse-Japanese Philippine product to
you? Do take you for niggers. to pud-
die all summer in marsh. regardless OF
the health and comfort OF yourself ana
your family? De expect you to do the
petty planting Of rice on the higher hum
mooks OF swemps. painfully TO transplant
later a few stalks st time TO the wet
adjoining lands? Are you the KIND Oh
farmers i think 1 oan befoozle' INTO
leaving the rich black waXy lands OF the
ootton and cane belt OF Texas (where, 70
be sure ono may have his daily or TIL
weekly chill. TO wade ankle deep IN
slush. harvesting. with bent back and u
hand sickle. q paltry rice crop? Nay,
nay. McMAnus."
My friends. ] perceive you have been
readane the cyclopediAs. or perhaps news
paper correspondenes from the Philip
pines, or your friends from the Carolinas
have told you all about rice growing on
;halr auAgs. But mono of Them knew
about our methods In Southeast Texas or
Southwest Louisiana Let me tell you
OF them. We can not use marsh or
swamp for r1oe growing. We must have
high smooth mot necessarily level, well
drained LAND. We pillow the land Cor rice
lust as we would for wheat or oats. with
ordinary sulky or gang pIows. cut the soa
with dick harrow. and GOV about CHE
third Of a barrel OF rice seed per acre
with press drills. The land must be as
dry for sowing as any wheat land Then,
while the seed IS sproutlng and growing
its FIRST six OF eight inches, levees are
made TO hold the weter. These are very
simply constructed By plowing along the
levee line about twelve burrows wide
then the earth is thrown up TO the middle
by q scrapeT about one FOOT above n,
level OF the field. over a mile OF suct
levee can be built in day by one MAI
and four horse team. The leyeo lines
are always carefully staked out by aI
engineer, and must be SO placed tina
there is no more than three inches v
fall from levee 10 leveo-so that # waite
Is three inches deep ut upper edge Of TIT
field Is Will not be more than six inches a
The lower edge. When rice Is SIX niche
high or more, and leveeR are properl,
constructed wafer Is turned on at III
highest point OF the land. and by TEN
ponary cuts through the levees is del!y
cred from level 10 level TIL the lowest j
sanding in three inches OF water. and IS
II is kept flooded for sixty to sovent
days. When the rice Is ready 10 haryes
he water IS drained oif-and one can
verv well drain water of marsh o
swamp. We never use marsh Tor rio
growing Harvesting is done with lat
est improved self-blnders. Grain is shock
ed and stacked like wheat or oats. an
threshed with u steam thrashng ma
chine. All this, YOU see Is quite an I'M
provement on the Filipino method. w
do not suffer from malaria. ! am ma
t!ye OF Canada. ana have lived ninetee
years ia Minnesota. but never have / en-
joNed such continuous good health as
have in he past five wears in Southea,
Texas, Besides, our farmers have all III
usual social advantages Of farm If
Schools and churcnes are not eyerywher
as conveniently situated as We feel SUI
tney VIII be later on. We are as ne,
railroad stations as you and far near
market than are most OF you. Our I'd
haul Is therefore much less, and we p,
less for freight. A majority o. our r
farmers can afford 10 send their grown
boys and girls TO the near by schools a,
colleges al Galveston. Houston or Ne
Orleans. Oh. the pJor rice farmer is n
SO badly off. after all.
You may have notion that soulhwt
Louisiana is the only rice country. u
have good reason to think so. for this ye
hey have over ESQ, 600 acres tn rice
sir, can't take single naught from tho
figures, And that means they VIII raj
This season about 100000 barrels.
nearly 100000 bushels. OF rice. | In,
hat UP 20 November g. 1899 there We
marketed at the little city Of CrOwl
alone $4,000 barrels OF rice for that SO
son This was about 2,5OU,00O bushels
admit Louisiana has 500 miles Of ma
canals and 500 miles OF lateral, and =
canal companies have invested over 81 50
GOO. admi, thst Louisiana has more tn
100 irrigation wells. with pumps and q
gines costing an aggregate OF $3.50, 90
and irrigating probably $4,000 acres. Z
| wish to remind you thst Louisiana
had nfteer years start OF us And a
way. we're not so few Listen, for
know I'm going to surprise some Of "
Texas-Southwest Texas--has in rice or
this season approximately 10000 acr
and has eigh;y-sx miles OF irrlgating