The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-08-07
Upland Rice.

Florida. We have recommended it
for chicken feed, as there is nothing
better. An Alabama farmer writes to
the HOmeseeker, an account of his ex-
perience with upland rice. He makes
an extravagant claim for it at the
close, but we know that the grain
makes good feed, and that stock eat
the straw greedily. The article is as
follows
The Southern farmer ought to be
interested in anything that will tend
to keep down the cotton acreage, and
with this in view | wish to call the at
tention of the farmers to crop that is
awakening widespread interest, and
which has by actual test proven sue
fessful in nine cases out of ten in ev-
cry Southern State. This crop to
which [ refer and which is, in my esti-
nation, the greatest crop of the South,
from cereal standpoint, is Upland
R1ce. Last season [ sent out rice in
quantities varying from four ounces to
nifty bushels to I35 correspondents,
and of these 90 per cent made favor
able reports. One grower reports for
ty-tWO bushels from one peck of seed
soWn. Several report sixty bushels
per acre, and many forty bushels per
acre. 1t will make more than corn
and with less work. This year [ made
a good crop and never got to hoe it
at all, and at harvest the grass in the
drill was as rank in proportion as the
rice. In this latitude, south central Al
ALBANIA, plant as early in April as pos
slble, though [ have made good rice
planted later, even as late as June Ist.
On lands that hold moisture we'll, such
as waxy or post oak land, plant any
where; on dryer or sandy soils, rice is
planted in low moist spots. Prepare
the land and cultivate as for corn.
Fertilize with any standard manure,
and while it is not necessary to fertil-
lze heavily, the crop does better if
well fed, just as any crop will A
bushel will seed an acre, planting in
rows from twenty-five to tWenty-fOur
inches apart, so that one furrow in
each middle, with an eighteen inch
sweep, usually sufflces for a working,
and the hills just far enough apart so
they can be hOed. Burrows are open
ed and the seed covered in any way
that may be most convenient at the
time, just SO the seed gets little dirt
over them. Drop fifteen or twenty
seed in each hill, and leave all that
come up. Cultivate for moisture and
keep down the weeds and grass until
rice is beginning to head If very dry
keep up the cultivation until it begins
to ripen. Seed usually ripens last of
August or early in September, the
color indicating when it is ripe. I
cut with a reap hook (sickle) and lay
enough punches in a pile to make
moderate sized bundle, where it will
stay for day Or two; then it is hauled
to the barn, where [ store it on
close floor, to be threshed on rainy
days. When house room is scarce, [
drive a wagon with a close body into
the field and, grasping the bundles of
rice by the butts, whip the heads
against the inside Of the wagon body,
which threshes it we'll, and afterwards
tie up and house the straw, which
makes excellent feed. That which [
house is threshed in the same manner,
by whipping the heads over a barrel.
After the rice is threshed it must be
famed or winded, after which it is
ready to ship or mill. Some will say
whats the use of planting? We
have no way of cleaning it." My an
swer is that it is a good crop if you
never clean it. The grain in the
rough is fine for horses, hogs and
poultry. They all eat it eagerly. The
straw is eual to timothy hay. | can
throw away either the grain or the
straw, and come out better than with