The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-21
RICE CROP IS SHORT
BUT THIS HAS NOT BROUGHT ABoUI
A RISE IN PRICE.
AS Low AS LAST YEARS.
THE PRICE THAT NOW PREVAILS
IN RICE MARKET.

Efforts Were Made by the Rice In
terests of Louisiana and Texas to
Promote the Use of the Grain by
Advertisement mt the Pan-Ameri-
can Exposition, but They Were
Not Successful-Rice Men Unable
to Account for Shortage in the
Crop and Decline in Price-Para-
dox for Which No Explanation Is
Observation-Disclosures of the Shortage
I'm the Atlantic and the Gulf Dis
) tricts.
Rice planters and brokers are unable
to account for the low prices that pre-
vail this season. Despite the fact that
the rice crop of Louisiana and Texas
and of the Atlantic seaboard is decid-
edly short. the market has steadily
declined from the opening of the season
of new rice. and it is now as low or
last year.
Mr.. w. G. Morrell said yesterday
that he knows of no reason for the
paradox of short supply and slight de-
mand. Other grains have Jared far
better than rice. He instanced a few
to show that they are selling at, from
60 to 100 per cent. above the prices at
which they we're sold at this time last
year.
The rice interests of Louisiana and
Texas, Mr.. Morrell said, spent $4,000
at the Pan-American Exposition, seek
ing to. educate the people to the use of
rice. The grain was served for visit
ors, and efforts were made to instruct
in the proper methods for cooking it.
1t was though probable that the more
general use of rice might result, but
the shortage in the crop and the low
prices would not seem to justify the be-
lief that the. advertisement had such
effect.
From advices received from Will
mington, N. c., Georgetown and
Charleston, Mr.. Morrell concludes that
the crop of the Atlantic seaboard is
decidedly short. Reports from Texes
and Louisiana. too, show a shortage.
The crop of those two states is usually
about 100000 bags, or 100000 900 bush
els A report that is given as that of
an expert shows a probable shortage of
10 per cent.
The Atlantic crop, according to Mr..
Morrell, is shorter than that of Texas
and Louisiana. About 100000 bushels
is the usual yield in this territory, Sa>
vannah, Charleston, Georgetown and
Wilmington are the principal centers
of the rice industry. Savannah esti-
mates shortage of about rs per cent,
Charleston a shortage of from 80 to
40 per cent, Georgetown a shortage
of from 40 to so per cent, and Will
mington a shortage of from 20 to 80
| per cent.
The pleasant summer. with it's cool
nights, caused the shortage in the crop,
Mr. Morrell said. The heads never I'LL
under such conditions. Hot, sultry
weather is best for rice. but. unfortu-
nateay, 1T is also best for the genera
ton of storms Storms are destructive
to rice, so that planters have a diff
| cult time. When weather is unpropi-
tious for their crops, they may reas-
| onably expect there will be no storm;
when it is conducive to a. large yield,
| they are in fear and trembling that a
storm may ruin their crops.
Loss in weight has also come about
through the cool summer AS the heads
| did not fill, a bushel, by measure,
weighs light. Several quarts more
than after an ordinary season are re-
quired, by measure, to make up a
! bushel As pounds, by weight.