The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1905-03-31
RICE ACREAGE CUT TO QUICK.
Louisiana Reduction Estimated to
Reach Forty Per Cent.

The forthcoming issue Of the Rice
Journal and Gulf Coast Farmer for
April will say, in its editorial review
of the rice situation says the Lake
Charles American:
While it is still very difficult
more difficult thanin ordinary years
to forecast with any reasonable de-
gree of accuracy the probable rice
acreage, it is daily becoming more
and more apparent that there will be
very heavy reduction. 1t is now
apparent that the cut in acreage will
be much greater than was generally
anticipated month ago. At that time
it was felt that better weather condi-
tons and a probable prospect of
cleaning up the old crop would slim
ulate the planter to renewed effort
and it was felt that the net reduction
would hardly exceed % per cent even
under the most adverse conditions
that were likely to occur. The in
dications now are that the Mississip-
pl river acreage will be cut 80 per
cent the Lafourche and Teche rice
area Will be eliminated, the southwest
Louisiana acreage will be cut fully 10
per cent, while that Of Texas will be
reduced from ID to p per cent.
On Il e 18th of March last year
practically all of the blowing was
finished, the river and bayou crops
were all in and 20 per cent of the
total acreage of southwest Louisiana
and Texas had been planted. Today,
instead of 20 per cent of last years
acreage being planted, not 10 per cent
of that acreage has been plowed in
southwest Louisiana and probably
not over 20 per cent Of the Texas 1904
acreage has been turned over. In
some parts OF Texas, notably in Jeffer-
son county, some winter blowing was
done and an occasional farmer did
some fall blowing. In Louisiana al
most no fall or winter blowing was
done, and there are many farmers
who have not struck furrow.
Several causes have operated to
keep down the acreage and discour-
age farmers from planting. The most
potent of these is the low price of rice
and the lear that another season may
show no improvement. Farmers who
have the means to plant are letting
from 20 to 60 per cent OF their land
lie idle rather than plant it with the
possible danger of not paying the ex-
penses of cultivation. Farmers who
are accustomed to depend Oh advances
from mills and merchants are find
ing that advances are refused except
on bankable security or on the assur-
ance that the farmer will make sub
stantial reduction in acreage. Not a
few farmers have found it impossible
to get the advances necessary to put
/ in even half crop. The canals are
using their influence to make farmers
cut their acreage, while the difficulty
of securing tenants has compelled
some land owners to abandon all
ideas of planting this season. In the
vicinity of Gueydan and in Calcasieu
and in those parts of Texas where
there are large tracts Of company
holdings. the difficulty of securing
tenants has been most marked. One
company in Vermillion parish has
imported number of Italian farmers
and this experiment is being watched
with keen interest by large land
owners.
In many sections of the rice belt,
especially along the northern border,
considerable areas of corn are being
planted in lieu of rice. But for the
slump in the price of cotton. 10 per
cent of the Louisiana acreage would
have been planted in cotton instead of
rice and most of this acreage will go
into corn, forage crops and veget-
ables.