The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-05

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which revenue will be derived and winch
VIII sustain thousands OF tillers OF the
soil, who turn w@ll give support 10
every FORM Of commercial and Industrial
activity.
Rice growing will add to he wealth OF
our country and city as much as any
other branch of husbandry.
While great many acres OF land suita-
BILE for rice culture are 50 situated that the
necessary water can be obtained from
streams. lakes or bayous. there Is no
doubt greater area of available land lor
when some other means must be round
for Irrigation. There are lands either too
high or too remote from water courses 10
make canal Irrigation practical propo-
suon. In this case recourse must be had
TO either surface or artesian wells.
There is no doubt In the minds OF your
committee that both kinds OF wells ars
oDtainable and a flow Of water OF sufficient
volume Will be found to make irrigat on
by pumping from wells entirely feasible
mat rice can be successfully grown by
this method is proven by the rice farms
at Jennings and WEIGH which depend on
tirely upon wells FOR their water supply,
therefore the only question 10 be solved
n our section Ia the problem of getting
sufficient water from wells.
Careful inquiry leads us to believe that
wells IN this country and section. There
are number Of wells which Indicate hat
It only requires experimentation IN well
boring.
In Louisiana from 100 to 800 acres are
irrigated by single we'll The amount OF
water required varies according to depth
and character of soil and the season, and
II is therefore diff cult to estimate how
much land can be cultivated by the water
Uo1l
occurs to us, must be solved by each per
son contemplating rice culture by we'll If
rigation After a few wells have been put
down in each section the flow can be ac-
curately determined and the last problem
VIII also have been solved We do not
fear what the result will be, but are con
fdent of the outcome.
There Is no farm crop produced. with the
possible exception of sugar. which yields
such large monetary return per acre as
rice
Considering that Louisiana and Texas
are tho only rice growing sec
tons in the world where ma
chinery is or can be used for the har-
Vesting of the crop, II seems that I Is
wellnigh impossible that the price Of the
product can ever be SO low as to make tbs
growing an Improbable venture Further
more, it must be considered that the
O"'tou states Only prOuuce dpout ~ per
cent oil the amount OF rice it consumes
Another feature of rice growing we
must not lose sight of, and that is that 1t
W II be the only crop which we produce
where the producing section derives the
beneht of both the producing and the
manufacturing. Whlle we raise an enor-
nous amount Of cotton, we manufacture
only an innnltesimal part or our crop
our rice VIII be produced here and manu-
fnR n..1
iacVured mere, leaving In our county aud
CITY the proht OF both operations. In
otner words, n rice culture we derive the
prohts incident to both growing and manu-
occurring point OF great interest TO our
cues 1s
Another feature which becomes interest
ing when considering rice growing is one
Whlch deserves our careful attent on In
laet' II is one OF the questions which our
county ana city must seriously consider II
we desire our country to improve and
progress ana ina. is good roads and drain
age both are linked together, and rice
culture makes another link. When our
lanus VIII produce rec the question Of
drainage becomes part OF the business, as
rice iands must be susceptible OF drain
age as wei as irrigation. rms brings the
questions OF roads 10 the 'front.' Between
tue rice neluS VIII De the highways, winch
must nc the hAlurai channels LOT the wafer
dralhen from the neids ana also the means
OIL conveyance ana communication.
n'ce growing means irrigation drainage
ana gooa roads
IN TINS report no mention has been
maae OF cattie ana hog raising and feed
ing, Wnl'e thls mas had lltte attention
III LOUISIANA " 's evident that II can De
inaae an important ADJUNCT to rice culture,
Just rs wen as II mas become almost a
part oI COTTON growing
Out vuWale ana cohdltions are peter
au"p'eu ior the raising OF cattle and hoSs
man man Tue rice GROWING section OF our sister
Hu'te' ana VIII no doupt form an important
, part OF rice growing almost irem the be-
eihhlns oil TINS new industry
: Is "pproNimated that nearly 2Oo'0lO
acres are deVoted TO rice growing In
{ southwest LOUISIANA principally in three
PARISHES Arcaula' Calcasleu ana Nermil
: MN IN aHdltlon TO the elgnt rice muls
j AT crowley there are ten others distrib-
. uteu throughout the rice district.
1 hce mas been grown around jennings
| ,or ABOUT twelve years wells Tor irrigatinS
5 nave peen used Tor two years past.
On the Mermenteau river and its
> branches are located l25 pumping plants
Tor the canal system, the HITS ranging