The suburban citizen., 1902-06-28
AMERICAS RICE CROP
CARE TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT
TO FOSTER THIS INDUSTRY.

board states Wnere SulIuDle StIctCucs
OF land for its cultivation exist as to
call attention to the importance which
rice has assumed among the cereal
crops. This is due to several causes,
chief of which is the care taken 10y the
Government to foster and enlarge the
scope Of this industry. For several
years past the United States has i'm.
ported from abroad seed rice to expert
ment with in the rice lands of this
country, and now has a commission at
work, under the direction of its De-
partment of Agriculture, studying rice
its culture, and the lands wherein it
has been and may be grown in every
part of the world. The reputation of
this country for its success in the cul-
ture of rice is known in the East, and
it was to the United States that Tur-
KEY turned for instruction and infor-
nation relative 10 putting certain
lands under cultivation in rice.
Japan has 100 varieties of rice, many
Of which are adapted to American soil.
and one. known as the "short straw
JAPAN is in general use in the Gulf
coast rec belt, 1t is Il most prolific
plant. and the stalk is short and hardy,
which enables it to resist those heavy
winds that sometimes fiatten fields of
long-straw rice.
The United States Rice Commission
Is composed of Professor S. A. Knapp
and Professor w. II. Heilman. Pro-
fessor Knapp. who left Iowa, and took
up his residence in Southwest Louis
lana several years ago, for the benefit
of his health, has become an expert
upon the subject Of rice culture. He
has been making a tour of the world
studying the processes of raising rice
in various countries, and especially in
China, Japan India. the Philippines,
Egypt and the islands of the Pacific,
and he has sent TO the experimental
growers in this country seed that
seemed to him adapted to the soils of
their States.
Professor Heilman is making a soil
survey of the rice belt, after which he
will map out its different soils and de-
termine their adaptability to various
qualities of rice and other crops and
decide what fertilization might be ad-
vantageously supplied.
For many hundreds Of miles under
the rice belt an underground reservoir
of fresh water at a temperature of
seventy degrees, is tapped at depth
varying from 125 TO 200 feet. The
United States Government is endeav-
oring to discover the course and extent
of this underground river which sup
plies numerable deep-well irrigation
plants and canals with an irexhausti-
bic quantity Of clear water. This un-
derground river is easily tapped. A
well has been sunk in it to a depth Of
200 feet in fourteen hours time. 1t
lies in the region of the oil reservoirs
and sulphur beds Of Southwest Louis
lana and Southeast Texas; how far be-
yond is not yet determined
Through the wide extent of rice
lands, wild and cultivated, which lie
in this region, how ten navigable and
many smaller streams besides hun
dred irrigation canals which vary in
length from one to forty-five miles and
in width from twenty to 100 feet
These have many miles of laterals and
pumping stations, or relifts, wherever
n fan in the incline of the land throws
the canal below its highest level. The
canals are built in the ridges, or high
portions Of the prairies which are from
six to twenty-five feet above the sur
face Of the streams that traverse them
Some of these pumping stations have
a capacity of 100000 gallons a minute,
but most Of them average 20,001 to 90,
900 gallons a minute.
The Chinese claim to have been cul.
tivatlng rice for 5000 years, and their
crop has attained to 3,000,000,000 bar.
rels annually. In this country the first
rice that grew successfully was in 1894
Mt Charleston, S. c., and in the Gulf
coast rice belt in 1S47, while the total
rice production last season represented
four and n half pounds per capita,
Louisiana and Texas produced over
300O00,000 pounds between them. ard
have enlarged their canals many
miles, increased their acreage, and ar
ranged to produce double that amount
this year
Under the irrigation system n rice
crop never fails, ms it is not Lject to
the effect Of low water in the rivers o.
drought
over thirty rice mills, largely owned
by New York capital are situated in
the rice centres Of Louisiana and
Texas, exclusive Of those in the large
cities. These have a daily capacity Of
from 300 to $500 barrels, ald can ware.
house as high as 100000 sacks Of rice
at one time These sacks hold 1G2
pounds of rice in the hull, or 100
pounds and over of clean. polished rice.
Notwithstanding the increase in irri-
eating canals and rice acreage the CO.
real did not assume great proportions
asa merchantable article until the Gov.
crnmeat took an interest in it, Then
| the Rice Association of America es-
tablished q kitchen at the Buffalo Ez-
| position. where rice was cooked in 200
|