New-York tribune., 1902-10-19
MODERN RICE FARMING.
FORTUNES PROMISED TO EX-
PERTS IN THIS LINZ.
,-,rcTRIC PUMPS ARE BEING IN
STALLED on MANY PLANTATIONS
IN THE SOUTH.

,1o,ston Tex. oct. ls.-Electricity, the king Of
- which has revolutionzed industries without
!, This progressive country is about TO work
~. series OF wonders in the rice fields Of
To,,,siana and Texas. The plantations are 10 be
-,nned with electric pumps and the question OF
,gsfion-the only one which causes any trouble
. nice growers-1il he solved.
ry-,erts say that the present rice territory OF
,.r million acres viii be doubled within year
"a the new plan, which. by the way. has passed
W. cxnerimental stage, means that nearly all of
= % a0a square miles in the coast rice belt viii
- available new 10000 acre rice farm in Hsr-
-;s County Tex. on the line Of the Southern
-,,ec Railroad. is being equipped with electric
r,,nns and others viii follow as soon as power
,sHous can lie erected
what the success Of this industry means to
., T-nited States most Northerners do not realizs
IA longer viii the country he dependent the
o,s 81 Japan China. Siam and India for this i'm
,-tart foodstufi. in ten years more American
ice will force it's way into the markets of Europe
Ids by side with American wheat from the vast
fsrns OF the Northern plains.
The remarkable progress of textile manufactures
IN the orient means that their production Of rice
all decrease. for every turned 10 the cultva-
Non of fibre means less for rice. Last year the
rnned States produced 200 0o0o0 pounds Of cleaned
,,s and imported 205 eo0,al0 pounds To market
has been added Porto Rico. with annual de-
,s,pd for 75cooe0 pounds; Cuba, for leoocacO0 and
:. PHILIPPINES for 1856 e0Gn0. This gives a total
sssnt and prospective market Of 725 on ooo pounds
II IS thought TO he time that steps were taken 10
.tisfy this market II the United States is going
!, remain commercially independent
rn means all this for the country at large Il
..,rs even more for the South. The paramount
a,uspd in this region has been for some small
-yin crop which would furnish food for the people
generous surplus for export anu leave the planta-
ton with abundant and nutritious by-products for
,bs maintenance OF stock. Cotton viii not do this
beir1 ble kear
,be farm Cornstalks lose too much OF their value
tefore they are iii for fodder, and this is not
wheat country.
So It's up 10 rice, and here is what DO
with one hundred acres, the amount one man can
cultivate without assistance II costs from IS S2
an acre 10 raise an average crop which can be
sold at a profit of from so $50 acre There IS
q by-product of at least hundred tons OF straw.
superior TO native prairie hay and twenty-five tons
of bran on this one hundred head Of stock
be Wintered comforta bly,.
And why was this not discovered fifty years ago
that the South could raise rice with proft?" IS
question which visitors always ask. Here is the
answer in the words OF government expert:
The spinning jenny and the power loom cid not
DO more 20 enthrone the cotton industry than the
machine seeder the tWine binder and the steam
thresher did 20 make wheat chief Of cereals. Rice
IN al this period Of evolution Of wheat remained
stationary. Fifty years ago IL planted, har-
vested and milled the world precisely II
two thousand years before America was dis
covered. and 10 all appearances there would be
no Improvement for the ensuing twenty centuries.
one DAY some bold optimists conceived the idea
that improved farm machinery could be adjusted
10 the rice industry. After many trials and fall
res II was success. The gang plough. the horse
aok possession Of the rice fields"
The first rice growers under the improved con-
ditions came from the North. for it was hard 10
persuade the natives that modern machinery would
make the industry proita ble. They telling
y. Y. one OF the ol ltimers along the Hudson who
came % Texas 10 visit his son. He was taken over
the plantation, shown acre after acre Of flowing
fae flooding which made Them grow. He looked
over The liz pumping stations " Which made il posi-
be 10 water the rice fields: He examined the big
steam thresher and the mill. where the rice was
This is q pretty big farm for you to own boy
piazza OF the country mansion. How long have
YOU been away from home?
=, u Was about ten years ago that We came down.
non. Ten , years ego unused the old gentlemen and
nov now you own all this. Suppose you've made some
About a hundred thousand as near as ] can
nguTe without going over the books SAID the son;
Hundred thousand what demanded the old
man sitting up straight in his chair and looking
Dollars. dad What did you think
Now. you John: don't YOU lie your old
father he said why. boy that's $1,000 a year
he was finally convinced that his John had made
more money in year than the NeW-Nork farm
nae yielded in "a lifetime. but he has not yet ceased
wondering how d can be possible.
fields of this state by iourneying through IL on a
spection however il is necessary drive into the
country from one Of the rice Shipping stations Ia
almost every township there are ridges above the
surrounding land. Along these have been built
canals from 30 10 80 feet in width. according
70 the area 10 be watered The sides Of these
canals We're raised four or FIVE feet by grading ma
enineTy. Powerful pumping plants force up the
water at the head of the canals from the feeding
rivers and lateral bitches convey II TO distant
lefus- Dther sections cat least nfty thousani
tteres) are irrigated from deep wells. the pumps
10 feneIa.ig 10y eIeG,,lei'g i g,atIn, %
MS system IS increa sing.
IN the first three months OF the year the rice
leds plOug he'd. whether the land IS dry.
Great gang ploughe, drawn by oxen mules.
hasten The work Planting is well under way by
May J. II Is done with drilling machine. which
puts the rice in regular depth. permitting II al
~ sroN and ripen al the same time IL takes one
@ @.nIq al barrel OF seed 10 the acre seemingly a
shaA quantity. but no grain stools or SHOOTS more
uan rice.
IN other fields in May one can broadcast
~ muddy for the drilling machines and TINS nake-
bs b.lw must De used. The sewers are toIloweG by M
SsFg 80 haIroNs a process called 'muoding IN IN
ne Neraacular OF the planters.
In June the hoodgates are opened and the water
FS91rs out Of the main canals and lateral ditches
A. pumping stations are IN operation hlenl anu
eay, some OF the larger ones feeding twenty-five
uolsand acres. The depth OF water on the nelds
aries from 20 six inches according TO the rise
eno fan OF the land thorough saturation Is all
uaS Is required; excessive quantity will neither
'.ent 9t nor harm the plant.
~ ~ y not long before the drainage gates can be
ys sehsd and the fed cleared The ground dries out
~ Nork. They are supported by wheels OF extra
width 10 prevent cutting into the soft earth. TIL,
out IN ter dsvs SO as 20 he ready Tor threshing
tice threshing outfits cost 5000 on an average
sbI.n S many OF the larger planters Own tnelr ma
bushels dsy, and the average yield is twelve
"erfels 70 the acre. one machine can serve num-