Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1909-11-05
poAsibiitiss of Rice Culture in Delts

VI FARMING III MIsSisSlpPi Is creating u
considerable demand in the Delta portion
for information concerning rice culture.
During the past two years a great many
prominent planters In that section have
conceived the idea of going into rico
culture in an experimental way and en-
larging their plants according to the sue
c2ss attained. Hon. Charles Scott, Of
Bolivar county, is making an experiment
with rice. and while it is not known
positively what success he has attained,
reports from there are of an encour-
aging nature. One or two other parties
ave made an experiment this year, the
result of which will soon be known. Tho
Mississippi Department Of Agriculture
has gotten together all the information
possible upon the subject, and will give
it to the public from time to time. The
following extract from Farmers BuIle-
tin No. 305 contains considerable infor-
nation of a valuable nature:
Rice production in this country and
the acreage allotted to the crop has, in
recent years. undergone an enormous in
crease. As pointed out by the Twelfth
Census, only 1892 acres were grown
in 1889 and 342,214 acres in 1899, while,
according to the statistics gathered by
this department. the area devoted to the
crop in 1905 was 4S2,47o acres, and the
total production for the year amounted
to 13,6O6.9s0 bushels The first rice was
T-.4 L.
middle of the seventh century, and the
crop WAS introduced into South Carolina
about its close. For years our rice Gull
ture was limited to certain sections along
the South Carolina coast, until within
recent years some of the prairie lands
of Louisiana and Texas were opened up
to the culture OF the crop During the
last four or five years a good beginning
in rice culture has also been made in
Arkansas, with results indicating the pos
sibility of widely extending the area of
profitable rice culture on lands not hith-
erto considered adapted to this crop.
"In 1902 the Arkansas Experiment
Station, in cooperation with farmer
who conceived the idea of growing rice
on Arkansas prairie lands, introduced
rice culture on a limited scale in Lonoke
county, a little southeast of the center
of the State. A good stand was OBJ
tanned from the first sowing, and the re-
suit secured demonstrated that the crop
can be successfully grown on these prai-
RE lands when proper irrigation facil-
tiles are provided.
THE following year the station, in co
operation with the irrigation and drain
age investigations Of the Office of Elk,
pertinent Stations Of this department,
sank q well, installed machinery and
constructed levees to put greater area
under irrigation. In 1904 ten acres were
grown, and although the crop was not
sown until late, it was successful from
the beginning, one plat yielding as high
as IS bushels per acre. In 1905 the
| area was increased to 30 acres, but ow-
ing to unfavorable weather conditions,
emily % acres were harvested. About II
acres of Honduras rice yielded SO bush.
els and about 8 acres of Japan 67.53
bushels per acre, the average for the
two varieties being 57.S bushels.
'In 1906 the average OF rice was
greatly increased over that Of previous
years The industry had extended from
Lonoke to Prairie, Arkansas, Lee and St
| Francis counties, and the total area dc
voted to the crop was about 5000 acres
The total production was estimated al
! over 100000 bushels. The season wal
in many respects very unfavorabe fol
growing rice, yet where the soil was well
prepared, the crop planted early, irri
gated properly and harvested at the Eght
| time. the yield was satisfactory. A
when the late planting had not yet been
harvested. damaged the crop from to
10 per cent, and still greater injury wa'
sustained from an early frost in OctO
Der. Much of the loss was due to late
sowing, on account of heavy rains, and
also the result of showers during tbs
period of pollinatiOn.
"For the Experiment Station crop in
1906 it was impossible to pillow the land
early on account of heavy rains in the
fall and winter of 1908, and it was moi
until April % that the land was fin
ished The ground was very rough and
| cloddy, and it was necessary to disk
| It three times and to smooth it dowr
| with the harrow The seed were sowr
| broadcast, at the rate of from 1 "a to II.
bushels per acre, then disked in and
crossed with smoothing harrow. Thu
first sowing was made April 20, and tn,
maximum yield, 77.76 bushels per acre
was harvested from that plat.
THE Honduras variety produced a
the rate of 61.s4 bushels, and the Japar
52.44 bushels per acre, the average being
| 75.5 bushels per acre. The irrigation
period of this crop WIS "a days. Con
trary to the experience of the two pre-
ceding years, Honduras rice produced thu
maximum yield, probably owing to thu
| fact that the Japan plats were all plant
ed much later, and therefore suffered
from storms, cool nights and early frosts
Where the two varieties were sown OF
| 300 fdIlQ uilucT tie sdillc SCHuie iOHs
Japan made much better yield. Hon
duras rice is named for the country from
which the seed came, and Japan, a hard.
variety. was recently introduced from
that country by this department. Thes
NO varieties, which are the only two
...nds now planted in Arkansas, are
briefly described as follows:
1.-THE Japan has q short, thick kernel,
thick hull and heavy grain. 1t is not
SO tall ms the Honduras, and the straw
is smaller and green when the grain is
ripe. The percentage Of bran in the
Japan is small. Since the grains do not
break so badly, it will mill more head
rice than the Honduras. The market
price for japan, however, 10 little less
than for honduras, but the yield il
greater.
"'The Honduras has large grain, q
tall, stiff stalk. ard is not so easily
blown down. Both varieties have their
advantages and disadvantages. Our ex-
periments, based upon two years tests,
49,