The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1905-05-26
SMALL PLANTING HELPS PRICE.
Crop is Being Put in Under DiSco"r-
aging Conditions.

aging N0HUitioHSs
\ special from Crowley gives the
following review of rice market con- |
ditions: Good Japan rice SOLD IN :
New Orleans on Thursday at three
cents and a good grade of the same
stvlp, somewhat of color and contain
ING some broken grains, sold on the
Crowley market this morning at two
and seven eighthe. which IS about
equivalent to Three and one-elghth at
New Orleans. The rice market has
risen fully cent within two weeks
and is steadily going higher. The
most marked rise is in better grades
of Japan, although the high grade
Honduras styles are stronger.
Despite the increase in pr'ce-or
rather on account of it--there is moth
inc doing in the local market. The
Crowley mills have all closed down
and the mills have all withdrawn their
SAMPLES. There is very little clean
rice in sight and the probabilities are
that there will be very little for some
weeks, as the mills will wait for furth-
nradyance in the market, cOndentthat
the short supply will force the price
up to where it was prior to the big
'cropof 1903.
It is generally agreed by rice men
all along the line that the advance IN
price is not speculative, but is due to
crop conditions and the reduction OF
visible supply. 1t is generally be-
lived that the visible supply on the
first of May fell below 1900, 900 bags.
In fact there are many we'll posteo
rice millers who claim it was not
200, 900 on that date. From this
must come not less than 2OO,O bags
for seed. If the May distribution
Thus far has been half what 1t was
dnring the same period in April the
visible supply available for marker
cannot he far above million sacks.
There are five clear months before
the new crop will be available on ac
count of the lateness of the season
The April distribution was 4o0,oO'
\ sacks and it is likely the market VII
require at least 100000 sacks montl
until the new crop is available
, Stocks in the large distributing cen
tiers are said to be lower than the
, have been for a year and a hall, an
this statement is given weight by tn
10 fact that inquiry for rice has gro"
90 very strong within the past fortnlgh
But the state of the visible suppl
'' is not the controlling factor in mark
conditions at the present time. II
The outlook for the prospective supply
Us: the worst in years. At this time Il
TO- whole crop should be in the groun
the Some of the best of the local n
Ter farmers declare that rice planted alt
lac the middle of May will not NIL a.
for recent observations have sworn u
i've it is subject to blight. The outsl
figure for rice now planted is twen'
arp five per cent of last years acreaE
i've Very little blowing has been &c
to besides that already planted. t
rice quent rains have made plo"lng
belt planting very difficult and most OF
ON roe planted has been "mudded IN.
the The rise in the price OF rice
'ags ciyen a stimulus to planting and Tn
ible is no doubt that every owner OF l
tive lands will plant every acre possll
to- Conditions are such, however, tina
d a is doubtful if an effective acreage
has fftv per cent of that of last year
he nut in. Farmers are just beglnn
! OF after the last rain to'work some OF
fully better drained fields. With g
0 to weather conditions, plenty OF me
sixty to plan and plenty OF help IL We
take nearly to July to get in nor
~, 10 acreage. But the weather condlt'
as have been very uncertain, the tarI
ands are short of supplies, teams ana n
en- II T. is estimated that fully nall
u w. w. mules in the rice belt were sold
fall and winter and labor was n
so scarce. Under these condition
is easy to see that it would be dlth'
s9o if not impossible, to get in from
@ on an acreage equal to that air
@ planted.
x Reports agree that Texas is "
x off, so far as planting conditions
Y concerned, than Louisiana.
- lands west of Houston have been
g der water most of the time since
q first of the year. Between Ho
x and the Sabine large acreage
x nlowed during the fall and W
~ and il looked a month ago as II q
- NAL acreage would be planted IN