Lower coast gazette., 1909-02-06
Italian RiCe Crop

reports the 1908, as compared with
that for other years, as follows:
The consulate estimates the Italian
rice crop for 1903 at about Is. zoe, 600
bushels which will be only slightly be
low the average for the past several
years. In the Milan consular district,
which is tina principal rice raising terri
tory Of Italy there has been sGmed Iii
intuition Of the yield: but the loss has
been fairly we'll made up by Increase III
Tiedn0nt Wurin.) the second district
In Importance. Turin and Milan TO-
gether ordinarily aboat s~iy-seYenths O.
the total rice crop Of Italy.
The decrease IL the yield IN 1908 in
the Milan disiric. IS estimated to b.
from 10 to IS per cent from the avere
age. Reports from every part of the
country, Indicate however that the
quality Of the croris high. As usually
in Italy, there is a wide variation in
the yield per acre in the various pro-
vinces, ranging from about Is quiAt as
metric qu~intal~2 20. As pounds) as a
minimum, to abont 40 q~uintals per he
tare CAT acres Of raw rice. !
The following shows the l~talias aver
age yield in bushels, by provinces. TO
the period l00i-l905; Milan,. 1876, 937
Turin, 10, 7o5, l3G; Venice, l,9lT, 1923; Be-
logna, 1850. SS8;; Sicily So, 2233;; Florence
54,l87; Mediterranean provinces, ACT;
q total average Of 25,674, ass bush
els,
This ayerage represents about the
highest mark OF the present day in
Italian rice production, though it ls al
most 1900, 900 bushels less than the
average yield for the year iS70-lS94.
Since that later date the rice fields
have been very greatly reduced the
area by hygenicand economy den ands,
and in fact, the reduction has been. so
large that only better methods of "cul-
tiyaton and consequent heavier yield
per acre have kept the total popula-
tion up to anything like the old figures.
Both the urgent demand for the
val Of the rice fields formerly surround
ing Milan City, and the call for their
conversion into factory sites has had
their marked effect.
The better methods Of cultivation
now in use were dictated by the discov-
cry in 1896 that the crop was falling
off to a dangerous degree. IN that
year the total yield was only l0,669,957
bushels or less than half the expected
return. The result Of the revival of
effort was easily observable in succeed
ing years; SC that the smallest yield in
many seasons since 1896 was "a, 05T, 760
bushels, which was the crop for 1902.
The heaviest crop in recent years and
in seed.
Valuable reports the consulate
from experiments which have been
conducted at Crema, in southeastern
Lombardy, in the cultivation Of varie-
ties known as Japanese Black and
"Lencino." These. plants gave the
best possible results. Their yield was
satisfactory. both as to quality ard
quantity. The average, production
equaled 40 qintwals per hectare TIN
ay:num Ucrtued from the who'll
Italian field, phich in-American termse
stands f1N about $500 pounds Of rae
rice per acre. This ought to figure at
from, So to 70 bushels per acre. A full
70 bushels Per acre is. reported from
Crenona, near Crema; but not much
more than 60 bushels was harvested Of
the Japanese Black" variety which
was also under experiment there. Elk
perimentsat the Cremona with 'Japa-
nese Yellow" on second-year plants,
yielded from 50 to 60 bushels per acre.
There is a small expectation of Ital-
ian rice in sacks to the port Of New
York to satisfy a special demand in
the Italian colonies Of the Atlantic
seaboard; but the United States does
not stand as one of Italy's n,lJJ pl
hasers in this line