The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1908-10-01
SUGAR CANE AND RICE.
Some Suggestions and Advice by
klr. Wilkinson.

Some Suggestions and Advice b,
M. Wilkinson.
The following extracts from
letter from Mr.. A. Wilkinson vii
be read with interest
Myrtle Grove. Louisiana.
Sept. IS. 1908.
DIR. ]. McC. Martin.
Port Gibson. Miss.
MY DEAR JOIN Your letter oi
the a3rd instant reached me las
night. I. too. have been doing
some hard thinking about way:
and means of Frightening the
gloomy prospects Of our good Mis-.
sissippi farmers during this menace
OF the boll.weevil invasion against
which there Is no visible defense.
As to the sale OF cane to the
Louisiana Central factories fear
that such business would not be
profitable. The price of cane de-
livered to the sugar factories Is de-
pendent upon the existing value of
90 test or yellow clarified sugar.
With sugar at present rate average
cane Is worth about s.. so per ton
delivered at the factory. cane grow
er paying the freight which is about
so cents ton for so miles distance.
Our South Mississippi farming
people would find it far more prof
liable in cane growing to grind
their cane in small horse mills and
make it into syrup In the cheap
evaporators on the market. Such
outfits cost only a few hundred
dollars, and two or three farmers
could combine in the purchase of
one plant to handle their conjoint
crops. They can make about 500
gallons Of syrup to the acre and
should dispose oft all at over so
cents gallon, which would make
q greater gross return to the acre
than Louisiana receives for her
sugar crops. This business Is large
ly done in South Mississippi aud
very largely In Georgia and Ffori.
da where they have an organized
Cane Growers Association. and
ship considerable q6autitieso OF their
canned syrups to northern markets
90 replace the depleted supply of
maple syrup. A letter to the Louis.
lana Planter, 33s carondelet ST.,
New Orleans [the official organ of
the Cane Growers Association of
Georgia and Florida) would place
Fras d
you in communication with the as
sociation named !: and doubtless an
application of a number of yonr
farmers. Mr.. John Raymond. the
able editor OF that paper would
give them lot of valuable infor.
nation on this cane growing and
syrup manufacture on a farming
scale. His paper is the leading
sugar organ of the world with ex-
pert correspondents ali around the
globe.
AS to rice. our hill country farm. |
ers should eliminate it promptly |
from any consideration. Upland
rice Is an unproductive and unprof-
liable crop In all of the gulf states.
and as A MARKETABLE crop has
been permanently abandoned after
many more or less expensive trials.
For the production of lowland
rice dead level lands and perfect
water control, with the power OF
ready drainage. are absolutely in-
dispensable. While lots of your
local bottom lands are level enough,
they could not be supplied with
properly regulated water except at
! prohibitive cost through steam
and the excess of watery,
u late spring and summer freshets
would totally destroy their crops.
At different stages the rice crop ,
leeds different supplies OF water.
Che fields must be piowed dry. ,
own wet, and after the shoots are ,
prouted covered with only ar inch ,
,r SO of water, never submerging i
he tiny blades Of the starting CROP !
rhen Is The plant grows the irri- j
.ation water may be gradually in h
:reased to O foot ID depth. IS the .
,rain ripeus the wster must be
trained OF and the ground made |
Try lcr the harvest. Al oT this
work of water cnntros could not be
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