The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-26

viii soon De Exporting This Grain
Prank Bond. irrigation expert of tho
Department ot Agriculture. who has just
returned from southwestern Louisiana
and southeastern Texas. where he has
been puTsuiu" investigations InuEing Co
'Le distribution , the available supply OF
wafer over % lager area than il is now
used 90 irri=ate. predicts that Within the
next five years or so the United States
win Doe raising enough rice 60 supply all
,h. demands Of home consumption and be
abb" 20 export largely to other countries.
DE called attention % the fact that only
e. few years ago Tho United States was
raising a very small percentage of the
rice 10 consumed. while ut present so per
cent of the home demand is now supplied
HE the growers of the Texas. Louisiana
and the Carolina districts. II is Tor the
growers iu the Texas and Louisiana fields
that Mr. Bond predicts future as in the
Carolina fields. which are Z1U years old,
the character of the soil prealudes tho
possibility of the adoption of modern
methods of cultivation.
The rice-src wing industry in Texas aud
Louisiana. hJ..eyer is comparatively re
cent. and largely the result of the AEri-
1 cultural Departments successful solution
of the irrigation problem which confront
I'd TIM growers iu those States. Irrigation
of the rice fields in Louisiana and Texas
| differs materially from tn method pur-
sa,d in the northwest Instead on bitches.
! serpeutine reservoirs built above ground
convey the water through the rice grow
| ing districts Pumping stations have been
| built at intervals throughout the district
where huge Corliss engines of many hun
d..
1aycus into the reservoirs. When the
/ rice has been planted, tho fields are flood
I ,d and the water allowed 90 stand for
seven days. when the fields are drained
| After allowing ten days for the rice t0
mature. The ground Is hard enough to per
| init the employment of modern machinery
/ IN harvesting the grain In much the same
! manner as the vast wheat crops II the
/ Northwest are gathered
/ II is with the problem ~ the rice fields
! that is To say the determination of the
! successful rice crop can Doe gruwu-that
/ the department has devoted its greatest
/ ,upTls From the Investigations made by
! MT Bond he has arrived at tho COuClu-
| sion that tn\ vast acreage I'm Texas.
/ Louisiana, Georgia. and Mississippi. which
/ IL would be possible 90 place under rice
/ cultivation could supply not only
I The demands of this country, but leave a
! large margin Tor export.
/ The TiCe-gruWlng industry, he believes,
! viii within few years. through the ef-
! forts of the Agricultural Department and
/ the planters. become OF great prominence.
: The State Uf California alone used J.. 600
I 90 pounds Of rice during the last year.
! OF this quantity 6.v1Jgt' pounds were fur
/ nished by American growers. principally
( in Louisiana. and T.ppuup pounds came
{ from Japan 10000 pounds from China.
/ and the remainder from Honduras. The
/ rice grown in this country. NJ Bond
/ says. is far superior both in grain and
! polish TO the Chinese rice and there is no
/ reason why, with its extensive cultivation
/ iu this country. the price should not De
] cut in half and the grain vie with the
/ American cereals as a staple article of
/ diet for the American people