New-York tribune., 1904-10-30

THE MILLIONS INFESTED IN RICE PRODUCTION
HAVE GIVEN 1T THAT RANK
The abundant Product Of the Louisiana and Teras Fields Greay aids
the Solution of the Subsistence Problem

Nsw-orleans. Oct 27.-Do Tribune readers. gem
sraIly. know much OF rice; Of rice as a regular
Rrticle OF diet; OF the place II has for itself
among the great food staples OF this country. and
az the tremendous increase f production Of recent
years tha9 has forced this recognition?
u is doubtful For at present rice consumption IS
confined mainly TO the South and the Middle West
Northwestern and Pacific States. The average
person IN the Eastern States knows that the arti-
Gle which ne or she has used either a dessert
when In health delicacy when ailing is
crown TO a limited extent on the alluvial lands OF
che Mississippi and OF the Carolinas and Georgia;
Knows TOO. that IT is extensively raised in the
Orient and largely used by Eastern peoples as their
staple 6ief but has ;n vague sort Of way al
ways believed its hRbitusl users inferior. neces-
rarily TO those who subsist meat wheat. corn
end potatoes.
il seems 70 reach almost the dignity OF law OF
naturg~ that people win play leapfrOg over the
things that lie at theiF doors TO acquire know-
edge % them from distant sources. Thus, the les
ron ahG9 rice is among the most nutritious and
sustaining. as well cheapest. OF foods and ad-
Enirshle eoF & factor OF the regular diet has
Sssa close AT hand: but It has remained for the
rTsssnt war between the Russians and the Japa-
uese 20 teach that which the American Civil War
might have taught For the soldiers OF the Con-
ss6euEey largely, though not exclusively. rice
esaers- Ard certainly. those that were from the
Soufhsrn States where rice IS used not only as a
staple food. but not infreGuenty IN ueu OF bread,
we're not lnSeEioE in intelligence, courage. endur-
1e@ or Dhysioue 70 Gher comrades from the other
.sass WHARF Il was little II at all. used OF course.
Fhsss rscs eating southerners were not reared on
rsse sxclusively-in fact, they were mixed feed
'. but II Is doubtful H. IN the family. they ever
ts4 AZ a dinner table az which boiled rice was not
a rrsuinsnt feau-e Of the re2ast.
Il is probable that the limited acreage and pro-
rucf5oa OF the alluvial rice lands have had much
e Go with making OF rice q negligible quantity
4nong the food staples of the United States there
being only 1000 acres producing z750oo bags, on
she Mississippi, and Georgia and the Carolinas
having under rice cultivation only 400 acres with
a combined yield Of 10000 bags. even now. But.
some ten years ago there came new Richmond
into the field. and almost st q bound placed rice
70 the fore.
II may be interpolated that this article IS not
plea Tor the Of rice for that which is the stan
OF life for more than one-half OF the globe needs
no advocacy other than its own well established
merit i is apTopos Of an investigation Of the
latest development Of q Gulf Coast industry IN
dertaken IN pursuance Of The Tribunes project OF
laying before its readers the natural Resources,
economic conditions and industrial progress Of the
South, but it may wei be that in these times Of
wheat scarcity and high priced beef What IS writ
ten here may convey a valuable HINT 10 all house
holds The results Of this investigation are set
forth here as fully the necessarily limited space
VIII permit.
Before describing the rice industry OF to-day. a
brief resume Of the history Of the staple may be
furnished 10 establish the raison detre Of the for