The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-08

ENORMOUS AND CERTAIN
PROFITS MADE BY GROWERS
Dollars an Acre Not an
Uncommon Thing Modern Ma
chinery Enables the Growers to
Compete with Cheap Labor.

Compete with Cheap Labor.
Special to The Journal. -. . .-' ....@,>a
Corpus Christi. Texas. Dec. s.-one OF
the most interesting chapters in the his
tory of the agricultural development of
this country is to be found in the growth
Of the rice industry. From small, even
Insignificant, beginnings. it has risen to a
position of great Importance, and enthu-
siasts declare that it will not be many
, years before this cereal will take rank as
| the fifth crop in value on the list Of ag-
ricultural productions in this great coun-
try of ours. AS rice is the cereal food OF
more than one-haf Of the worlds popula-
ton, it can readily be seen that there, Is
no danger Of its ever being a drug on the
al e of any worth in estimating average
! prices there need be little fear Of fuctu-
ations of any Importance. -@
A man we'll versed in the rice industry
as well, recently, summed up an address
with these emphatic words: Rice, as
grown by .present-day methods, is the
rapid market expansion, a very safe one,
for the grower can be- certain that it
VIII always bring a price greater than
the cost co. Of prSeduction thing which can
Rice is grown in many Of the southern
states, but Texas, although one Of the last
to. engage in its cultivation. has now
acres, planted in this great cereal. The
rice belt extends along the coast from
Corpus Christi eastward to the Sabine
river and soqthwestward as far as
area about equal to the state OF Indiana.
Through all this region the rice not only
groWs luxH 5ah but it is Of superior
market prices.
Especially Adapted to Rice.
Climate and soil seem to be especially
abundance Of the water supply from riv-
ers, streams, artesian and surface wells
insures a bountiful yield. That rice is one
Of the hardest he Of all grains was amply
which passed over the gulf coast cities
and counties leaving a trail Of destruc-
ton behind, and especially at Galveston.
would be practically ruined, but 1nvestf-
cations proved that the loss would be
only from to as per cent. Some patches,
were badly broken, and the wind whipped
variety, but despite all these setbacks
thS b aye eTd ;aS ye 1a vas very good
sWampy places is now quite obsolete, for
modern methods have proved that the best
results can be obtained from land which
moisture is needed. The fields must have
a nearly level surface, so that when they
The soil should be a rich loan undertake
with clay, so that the water will not sink
into the earth. This clay subsoil also
81 an another purpose, for it keeps the
machinery which is used In harvesting
the fields ''01 '0'''
The method Of procedure and the ma
chinery used in the cultivation Of rice are
very similar to those employed in the
great wheat fields of the northwest: in
ana of this machinery from the wheat
fields OF Iowa some twenty years ago that
revolutionized the rice farming of the
south and opened the way for its phe-
the last ten years more than ESQ, 900 acres
Of virgin soil have been broken and de-
voted to rice culture.
Modern Machinery ls Employed.
The gang plow, disc harrow. horse drill,
broadcast seeder, steam thresher and
twine binder, all so familiar to the wheat
farmer, have now. been adapted to the
costly experiments had to be made, es-
pecially with the Irvine binders, before
they were found to answer all the require
ments Of the new conditions Of soil and
crop. The general use of labor saving
machinery along the gulf coast has great
ly enhanced the profits by lowering the
cost Of production 1t is no longer neces-
sary to employ large numbers Of field
and when labor is scarce and high this Is
a matter of greatest Importance to the
rice farmer.
The modern methods Of rice growing
have been severely criticized because they
involve the expenditure of large sums OF
money in order to get the land properly
closer Investigation will demonstrate the
fallacy of such arguments. In the first
place, the land throughout the Texas rice
belt can yet be bought at very reasonable
it is not necessary for the rice farmer to
have a pumping station and irrigation
system of, his own, for there are many
| large companies throughout the rice belt
owning enormous plants which supply
! thousands of acres with the needful water
| for rental, paid at the rate Of two sacks
| of rice per acre, or fifth Of the crop, just
as he chooses.
| How Water Is Obtained.
| Water Is obtained by pumping from the
| rivers, bayous and streams, or farm wells
| either surface or artesian Through the
|
for that purpose, the water passes to the
smaller canals or laterals, and from these
| it is spread over the field at the appoint
| ed time.
Irrigation usually begins when the rice
| stalks are from six to eight inches high
and the water remains on the fields from
! seventy to ninety days. It is then drained
off and as soon as the fields dry sufficient
| ly, which, Is usually about ten or fifteen
days, the rice is ready for the harvesting
Rice Is threshed In much the same manner
1 JIy1ono ood so al hryt 1,n oo1y hon
rel, either "in the rough" or after it has
been milled. The profits are sometimes
phenomenal. reaching $50 or. even more
per acre. but conservative average
| would be from $40 to $50. It Is no uncom
| mon thing for a man to realize in the first
year sufficient profit to cover the cost Of
the land, and many, If not all, of the i'm.
| provements.~ ,,.. '.,>-Eg.. .. ,-,-:lj g..
! 81 TWO Cuttings a Season..
] From Corpus. Christi to RroYnsYills