New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-01
RICE CULTURE IN SOUTH.
GREAT INCREASE IN THIS PRODUCTIVE
DUSTRY-MARKET STEADILY
GROWING

GROWING.
New-Oreans, May 20 (SpeciaD-Rice culture in
the Southwest particularly in Texas and Louisiana,
is increasing at a rapid rate and the great profits
resulting therefrom attracting a large amount
OF capital to this comparatively new American in
dustry. Rice is easy cereal to grow, and on
lands costing from so to $50 one man. with
the assistance of four mules. cultivate one
hundred acres. making in many cases. it is est-
mated, about s25 net to the According to the
opinions of students OF this country's agricultural
products, rice is the certain crop of all the
cereals And agent in producing energy in
the human body rice is exceeded only by oatmeal,
butter and cheese. Rice can even withstand West
ern tornadoes, and it is recorded that in the Gal
weston tornado of few years ago the farmers on
the lower Colorado River lost all their cotton,
while their rice crops only withstood the
but yielded seventeen bushels to the acre. In
Texas and Louisiana the people who are raising
rice are enthusiastic this industry that
they consider it a surer investment than savings
banks railroad securities
II may be put down a fact that intelligent
farmer. with suitable soil and plenty of water, will
make more money out of rice than in almost any
other branch of agriculture This is due to the
fact that the demand for this cera is growing rap
idly. and to the fact that the crop is hardy and
more immune to climatic changes than other
cereals, while it does not exhaust the soil as
quickly other grain products In the warm eli
mates rice is particularly valuable food as in the
food. owing to the fact that they cannot be pre-
served from one season to another. Moreover, rice
is a healthful. easily digested food. and for this
reason it is becoming more popular in all parts OF
the country.
The area Of rice land in the United States is. of
course limited and the States of Texas and Louis-
ana enjoy almost monopoly of land suitable for
the perfect growth of this cereal
In Orleans home capital has just purchased
seven thousand acres OF land suitable for rice
o,,I-, a,d II &c no int
terested in the company to establish one OF the
largest and most modern plantations in the state
land situated in Vermillion Parish Since the
war with Spain the rice business has increased at
a rapid rate, this being accounted for by the fact
that rice has been found to be of great value as
food for army purposes, and by the fact that men
who have served in the army have taught othefs
the wisdom of including rice in the regular daily
diet. Northerners using rice to a greater eN-
tent than ever before, and as soon as Northern
cooks learn the proper way of preparing THIS aTt-
Gle of food rice sales NewYork and other cities
will doubtless increase to q marked degree.
Successful rice farming requires warm climate,
plenty Of fresh water and a clay subsoh that VIII
hold water. Irrigation is necessary in the SOUTH
ern rice fields, and the wise farmer viii calculate
TO use about thirteen thousand gallons OF water
for each acre. while he will also calculate 10 have
complete system Of drainage in order TO get water
off his land as wen II. The establishment
of pumping stations and the building OF lrrlsa-
ton canals have revolutionized the industry. In
regard to the building of these canals. which are
Of recent institution present there exist over
eighty of these artificial streams. extending
throughout the prairie of Southwestern Louisiana.
There miles and miles Of irrigation canaIs' leo
streams. each canal irrigating anywhere from one
to twenty thousand acres OF land me canaIs are
is given the rice just at the time when IT needs
Rice is flooded from two to twelve inches. and
kept Hooded during all OF 1e a0S the crop begins
to rpe when the ievees are tua anu "a tiroa 70
ry and Harden r Before hsrvesting time har
vest season does not not ogfh ,T9 se Alter cut
ting the rice is allowed TO stand in a shock from
tho the or 1fee SoGnt oe Of IN the
takes longer to dry OUT than other grain The The
anne manner with lf-binding harvesters as other
s o Mhe grain ndee PFoduee
from twelve to eighteen barrels an acre tne arraI
Rice growers sell the cereal in the rough to the
mn Ih erans Planting generally begins in March.
and it may continue till July. while harvesting
American rice machinery enables one American TO
accomplish about as much as thirty men 90 IN the
Rice culture in the United States was confined
Georgia Florida and Louisiana. Subsequently It
found that the so-caned prairie ian Iands SO. OF
fully adapted TO the growth Of rice and WITHIN a
been considered worthless were made to yield
comfortable incomes The coast rice belt IN LOUIS 9
tile rice land In most cases irrigation Is en- en-
ployed, rains 1nfrequent ana tne pIoAiiHity
Of ten navigable rivers makes the chief problem
in rice culture an easy one CanalS are run 4I -
the rivers TO the farms, while in addition the
farmers receive the benefit OF gravel beds underly-
ing the land from which large supplies OF sort
water obtained. The modern rice mill taxes k
the rice in the rough and turns II out ready Tor
market graded sacked and weighed. at the rate
OF 20 600 to 100000 pounds a day; With TINS ma
chnery there is no country where a dollar WI VIZ
produce as many bushels of rice as in the Cnited
States It is estimated that Cuba, Porto Rico and
the Philippines will all be large importers OF nee
from the United States. and that even lndla'
China and Japan will some day need American rice
to help their increased popula ton the gen,
eral planting Of rice in the Southern states VIII
doubtless have important effect on the material
wealth of that part Of the country. and in this
connection it is Interesting TO note that in Texas
alone (mostly Northern capitaD has already
been invested in the rice industry According TO
the statistics compiled by 3 r. = morse RasSt I
cor traffic manager of the Southern Pacific. the
Southern Pacific road handled cut of Southwestern
Iouistana 200 pounds of rice in 1856. while in
less than ten years in 1892 100000 pounds Of rice
were nroduced. Under present conditions the an
nual rice production in this country IS 2ooOoOOo
,lo1nds hut ii is estimated that with the present
and prospective market this country Will soon be
able 10 sell 100, 900 900 pounds Of rice annually