The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-09-01

] OF us age The proportions rs which the
/ rice Industry has grown In the last four
/ YEARS IN Southern Texas aud Louisiana
( may 10 cared prodigy in the way or
agricultural development. few "farmcrsr
! IN Texas experimenting upon the adaptn
( biiity of the sol to rutsy rice. IN iSSs were
met with the same spirit Of ridicule thar
Robert Fulton experienced IN lsos when
/ attempting to construct steamboat on
/ the riyer Seine. The success OF these ex.
Pg . dependel upon water furnished
I pianter M Immediate reward for MS labo,
( opcsed she eyes OF the far.scelng az 10
what lay IN the future for more i'm
/ proved cultivation or the product In 1851
! the culture Of rice WIS sem problcmAticnl
bur at about tails time the method of glow
1 ing by the aid " pump flooding was en-.
ployed, and the results obtained aroused
the interest or capital AMI Industry. IN
! 1871 It's cultivation cnme 10 he regarded
ms one Of the most Inviting roads 10 wenitn
! aud developments since that time have
been highly encouraging t. this view
AS an outcome OF this successful cultiyo.
ton Houston has become a market mat
4 promises TO he only second In Importance
4 70 that OF cotton ny reason OF lts fac.n.
! Yield and It's location as the most con,
| Nenient shipping point In the belt tine city
as the principal marker uuly requlres the
! proper milling capacity This was de-
! fcient last year but the additions nlreotiv
made this year VIII largely relieve that
condition, and construction OF tho mills
for which companies have been oreau.Ecd
and those In contemplation will make enc
! facilities FOR handling the crop quite equal
To the demand for them The local nin
lnsl year was thoroughly taxed from the
beginning to the end of the season the
/ liberal receipts OF rough and sales ot the
/ Glenn article ana the favor which il re-.
! ceived from the consuming world earned
/ Tor tie mill owners handsome rcvclue
u m AZ ~ M a
4 fitness Of Houston 10 compete with any
| other market IN adyantagpously dlsposing
/ Of the product This occurred when the
! city was only able TO accommodate por-
I tlon Of the belt In turning out the manu-
I featured article. Now there nre two mills
I In operation, possessing all the most mod
ern machinery, nnd In position TO render
! the planter the hest service possible. and
1 this capacity Will likely he Increased he
4 fore the close Of the present season IS at
/ hand. More mills make a better market
i and the competition that arises rebounds
| 70 the dement's Of the purchaser and he
Z grower Of the product They attract buy
( ers and their Representatives and enable
/ the output OF the mills TO be much more
/ readily placed, The volume Of business ~
! increased as the milling capacity expands
and he number NJ those Interested IN
! handling the article causes q more tlor-
/ ough Investigation Of market conditions at
| all times ana thus establishes q rauge or
| prices In keeping With the best that can
I be obtained some Of the largest dealers
/ and brokers OF the country have arranged
/ to have their agencies I'm Houston. and,
! With rs milling facilities extended as prom
I istd ny the present rate OF growth, II Will
/ stand in A position ia receive and dispose
| Of the output Of the belt, however rapidly
II mty increase.
The rice Industry In the coast country
proved the solution of what was termed
the prairie land problem" In years long
/ q 10,
comprising about 1900 square miles and
l,extendIng back from the gulf of Mexico
must be counted MS more Of a waste conn.
try han otherwise. The fertile lands Of
the State comprised In the river lowlands
and uplands and the rich black lind belt
through Central Texas and the Panhandle
were given over to the culture OF cotton,
corn. wheat etc. Little was It thought
that In less han n decade this spleuild
strip of earth would be the producer of a
/ crop surprising In money value, from the
same amount of area planted the staples
above mentioned IuIhuding a crop ndapt.
ed to the soil and climate Of these lands
the owners have been able TO HX stable
I value where before there was NO rule by
which n price could be measured save from
the worth OF the land as stock range.
Lands that would have found ready sellers
az 81 per acre fye years ago are now
easily worth S15 10 $50 per acre and are
rapidly going higher In Louisiana, who're
been fully felt, the lands sell readily nl
$40 to $50 per acre. Il Is claimed by those
who have looked into the situation thai
the lands susceptible to the culture " tht
white cereal VIII embrace several million
acres where ali ample supply OF watei
for irrigation may be obtained.
The rice belt Of Texas begins at Orange
on the Snbine river, and embraces the ter
ritory that extends to Hldhlgo on the Rio
Grande. The belt has been designated uu
der TWO heads. one known as the Beanmon
section, Including the counties Of Jefferson
Orange, Liberty and Chambers, the othel
known aa the Colorado river valley section
extending from Columbus Texas, 10 ms
coast. These sections produce he maJo
portion OF the crop while IN counties tina
do not come exactly within the domain d
these sections there has been remarkable
progress In development. In recently DIS
GUESSING the rice industry OF the gulf ceas
DIR. S. A. Knapp, president of the Hlc'
Association Of America laid down the FOL
lowing points as fully settled:
!. That the alluyn and prairie lands q
the gulf coast are most admirably adapted
10 the production OF rice,
+ 2 The fertility Of thr,e soils is unsur
passed The carefully cultivated rice land
Of Japan. the maryelously rich delta Q
lower Burmnb and the fertile basin Of IN
Gnnges. with their laborious hand plantin
and cultivation, do rot on an average. pro
duee os large single crops per acre az "a
prairies Of Louisiana and TeSos unde
chrtfnl machine CULTIVATION Ane wv
, crops IN year IN Bengal only equal y
quantity the one crop on orr coast
e. The abundant supply Of water IN tn
strenms, II husbHnded, and Ia the snbter
ranean veins and the salubrlous climate
, round out the perfection Of conditions 70
rice.
In Texas and louisiana the great rlc
e producing sections OF America. 100 acre
+, Is the work OF ono man. The ntroduc
: tion Of more improved machinery on tn
d farms has tended TO Increase this acreag
: and bids fair 10 be more noticeable IN ih
J future. The system OF raising rice Il
Louisiana and Texas nv flooding from ca
4 Hais. rivers and wells hrs taken the des
tiny OF the croD out OF the bands Of tn
elements which so frequently destroy othe
+ plants. and placed II beyond the reac
o Of failure. The experience Of planters J.
the past five years VIII bear out the esu
. mate that ten barrels. or forty bushels pc
q acre Is on average Weld. The average NO
= price paid 10 the farmer II 50 per barrel
Z or $50 per acre. Ii costs the rice tarne
4 Tor seed, cultivation. harvesting an
/ threshng and delivery or HE rice 70 IN
: | warehouses for sale about $40 70 SlZ pc
. acre. and In addition whore the water 70
4 irrigation y furnished By canal c0mpnn
he pays that comnanv One-hfth Of his croi
| These facts sneak for themselves and az
HIHaa