Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-22
the route agent would have to come
every day. Moral: Take the Daily -
and get mail every day.
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RICE INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH.

RICE INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH.
Paper prepared for the National
Farmers Congress at Sioux Falls, $. d..
by ]. B. Foley of louisiana
The term. rice industry. no doubt
gives a very indefinite idea to the great
majority of the members of the Ma
tional Farmers Congress.
During the first year of my location
in the rice district of southwest Louisi-
ana, a friend wrote me asking for de-
scription of rice country. is 1t a
continuous series of lagoons Is the rice
planted from boat? Is it harvested
from boat? Are you always In the
mud and water?'-were some of the
questions asked. The rice district of
southwest Louisiana is beautiful level
prairie, cut into cross sections by the
timber skirted rivers and bayous that
wind their tortuous courses to the gulf.
These prairies We're, until a few years
ago. pasture lands for great herds OF
cattle, and give to persons from the
level prairies of the northern states
quite home-like feeling. The coil is
an alluyial deposit very impervious to
water. This last quality makes it a rice
flooded.
The rice industry of this section has
been developed largely by northern cap
ital and northern people. The rice far
mers are from Indiana Michigan, Ill
ncis, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minneso-
ia and the Dakotas, Illinois furnishing
the largest quota.
The rice area has been circumscribei
only by the ability to irrigate. The wa
ter Is pumped from the rivers and bay
ous by individuals and by irrtgating
companies, and 10 conducted over the
higher portions of the country In wide
surface canals, from which 1t Is distrib-
uted by 1aterals over the adjacent lands.
The water is held on the land by lev
ees. These surround areas that have a
difference in elevation between higher
and lower sides of from three to six
inches These areas vary in size, ac-
cording to the fluctuations of the surf
ace, the country generally being quite
level
The last two years have added to the
rice industry. by the general discovery
that deep wells ranging from 200 to 300
feet in depth, and from to IL inches in
diameter. furnish an unfailing supply
OF water for irrigating purposes. THE
is found to be even better, for irrigating
purposes. than river water.
A man and team of four mules, or
horses, can put in and care for 100 acres
OF rice until it Is ready for harvest. The
land requires careful PREPARATION. Shall
low blowing is the rule, but fine seed
bed is desirable.
The range of seeding time is from the
first of April until the last of May. altho
March and June often share the honor.
The weather during the seeding-time is,
az d rule. quite favorable During the
flooding season, which commences when
the rice Is about three inches high, the
levees require constant watching to
avoid loss of water by leakage. The
levees make harhor for all kinds of
insects, crawfish, etc., and by these are
rendered porous.
Rice harvesting commences about the
first Of September and often continues
until the last of October. The binder
used for cutting rice has the drive wheel
fitted with large lugs, to keep 1t from
slipping in the mud, which is quite COM
mon In rice harvest. The land being
level, and the soil almost impervious to
water, 1t must run off or evaporate. The
water is usually turned off in ten days
or two weeks before cutting begins. "A
few heavy rains make a soft field for
the binder. A binder team is six good
mules The rice farmer can not count
on getting over more than half the area
with binder that could be cut in the
same time If in wheat or oats. This Is
partly due to the short days in which
we harvest. damp. foggy mornings often
making the day still shorter The cost
of cutting and threshlng 100 acres of
rice may be safely estimated at twice
the cost Of the game acreage of oats.
"A crop of rice produces about the
same quantity of straw that the same
acreage OF oats would produce. The
straw is used as hay for the mules. and
has about the same feeding value as oar
straw. The yield of rough rice, that is
rice as it comes from the threshes. is
about the same as oats, from twenty
five to seyenty-five bushels per acre.
The standard measure of rice is the.
barrel Of 126 pounds, or about four
bushels. The usual farm estimate is by
the sack, which weighs from 100 to 200
pounds
The feeding value Of rough rice is be-
tween oats and shelled corn for given
bulk The cheaper grades are often fed.
Rice is threshed in the same manner as
oats, but is harder to separate from the
straw.
Until within few years the rough
rice was shipped to New Orleans and
sold, but within few years rice mills
have been built at almost every availa-
BILE point in the rice belt. They mill on
toll, or buy the rice. The large number
of mills affords sufficient competition to
insure to the farmer the full value of
his rice.
The value Of rice crop per acre has
a wide range; from s12 to more than
800 per acre has been reported. While
most farmers make handsome profit,
some come out behind. The rental value
of land depends on the crop, as a share
of the crop is the usual way of renting.
"A common rate is for the land owner to
furnish the land. water and seed for half
the crop. The customary water rent is
one fifth of the crop.
The twenty-one rice mills of south-
west Louisiana are a source OF profit
both to the mills and to the farmers
They are known as the country mills
as distinguished from the New Orleans
mills. These mills cost from 100000 to
$50, 900 each. and have capacity of
from 500 to $500 barrels of rough rice in
twenty-four hours. The town of Crow
ley has eight Of the twenty-one mills
The receipts here last year were about
100000 barrels of rough rice. The mills
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