The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-10-09
ELECTRICITY IN
RICE CULTURE.

One of the Many Change
| Wrought by the Discovery {
Fuel Oil in Texas.
Fuel oil has worked many strang
improvements in tho method of dom
things in Texas and Louisiana sine
the Lucas gushor "camo in" nearl,
two years ago, and it is destined t
accomplish many moro wonderful
changes, tho latest and most strikin.
of which has just been announced.
1t sounds like fairy tale, but it ha
the serious approval and financial back
ing of conservative business men, anG
the approval and support of tho South.
orn Pacific Railroad, and tho further
fact that $3.50, 900 in cash is to be in,
vested in carrying out this plan places
it on the same plano as any other great
commercial undertaking.
The plan has as its object nothing
moro nor less than the turning of com.
paratively (agricullurally) unimportant
section of II Texas county into thirty
ing centre Of life and activity through
the Agency of electricity.
Harris County is that selected, and
the industry to hc developed is tho
raising OF rice on an immense scale, all
the power to be supplied by electricity,
even to the flooding Of the field, har-
vesting tho crop, milling The rough
rice, lighting and heating the homcs of
farmers, supplying heat for their cook
ing stoves, and supplying the power for
the transportation Of the product over
network of trolley car lines. In
othcr words almost every necessity and
comfort of the people who will be
brought in to settle this country will
come to them through the agency of
electricity.
Fuel oil will produce steam, which
will operate The big central power
plant, and through its use the cost of
operation will be just about ono half
of what il would be were coal or other
fuel used, the oil folds being only
short distance away and also located
on tho main line of the Southern Pa
cilic.
Tho company which will carry out
this plan is practically roady to begin
work. First, il viii equip Il 10000
acre rice plantation, which cannot bo
irrigated under the system of surface
canals now used, and at an expense
much less than that at which water can
be supplied through such canals even
III the moro favored sections.
Wells arc to be bored, an abundance
of water being obtainable at a depth of
fifty feet or less i'll any portion of The
rice belt, and tho water drawn and dis
tributed by electrically operated pumps.
Each farmer will have his own well
end will be independent Of his neigh
bors and of drought, thus insuring an
uninterrupted cultivation and con-
stantly increasing crop Of rico.
a central power plant will supply
power for the wells, rico mill, harvest
ing machinery, trolley lines, warehouse
trucks and equipment, lights for the
plantation roadways, stores and dwoll
ing houses, and, possibly, heat in win
ter timo, as woll as the means for cook
ing all tho year around.
Thus will be solved practically all
the problems of domestic economy in
the rural districts of Harris County,
I and if the big project proves linun-
cial success the plan will be extended
to all parts of the rice belt, for it is
claimed that not only will it lessen the
cost Of operating rice plantations to a
very apprcciable degree, but will bring
into the rice zone of these two States
many thousands of acres of highly
productive lands not now available for
(cultivation.
I 1t is proposed to lease the lands of
the Harris County plantations to small
farmers, all working independently
while yet maintaining a community Of
interest between them.
Prof. Knapp, president Of the Ma
tiOnal Rice Growers Association, which
has just closed an important session in
Now Orleans, has long held that solu.
ton of the costly system of canal irriga.
tion-rccciving water supply from
rivers and bayous-will be followed
by an increase of 100 per cent. in the
rice output within five years.
The men who arc behind the present
revolution in the plan Of rice cultiva-
ton assert that the electrical method
of pumping from wells completely
solves the economic question and in a
decade will enable Louisiana and Texas
to supply n large portion of the rice
product Of the world.