Lower coast gazette., 1913-10-04
The Perils of the Rice Crop.

IF ever there was q precar!OuS Staple CTOp
the rice crop is certainly one. Rice is an aquatic
plant and must have water. A high river
threatens its complete destruction by overflow,
and it's cost is greatly enhanced by the diversion
of labor to levee maintenance. A low river en-
hances the cost Of the rice crop by the cost of
artificial irrigation and the usual resulting in
adequate supply of water; when all OF these
leading features of the industry are at their
best, the industry is sometimes satisfactory and
sometimes profitable. When things go wrong,
as they often do, the results become unsatisfac-
tory and even disastrous.
The very heavy rainfall and windstorms just
reported from the C~alcasieu country, with the
streets Of Lake Charles flooded, and with sever
al washouts on the railways entering Lake
Charles verify any possible statement as to the
ever present dangers to the rice crop. The ex-
tent OF the damage done in that part Of the
state, our chief rice producing section, can not
yet be estimated but it certainly amounts to a
disaster.
Here in our parish the east winds so long
prevailing have filled the back country with
water at a dangerously high level and while we
have not yet learned Of any serious losses, such
seems imminent and if they occur they will
serve the sad purpose of greater discourage
ment than ever to our rice growers.
Suggestions from those who know Of and
can appreciate all these troubles may be said to
be always in order. We hear now Of handsome
profits made in some rice ventures on the
Lower Coast this season. We should look into
the conditions that made such results possible.
If possible on Magnolia, why not on Monsecour,
Belair and Concession? There must be some
underlying principles that should guide us in
our Investigations. Let US see what we have
and what hurts us:
On the Lower Coast the lands lie low; the
rainfall is greater than in New Orleans; the
drainage water of the Mississippi Valley passes
by our doors enroute to the sea and year by
year climbs to greater heights as theup country
low lands are reclaimed and the concentrated
waters of a continent seek their only adequate
outlet.
Rice is an aquatic grass and is we'll adapted
to our lands and general conditions. What we
need to do is to select the best seed, to prepare
our lands well, to note our dangers and exclude
them one by one. First: Bad seed rice makes
a bad start and bad finish. We should secure
larger grained rice and free of red for seed.
Second: The dependable lands should be plant
ed dry, as oats and wheat are planted, and got
up to nearly a stand before irrigation begins.
The wet or mud planted rice, rice that is sprout-
ed before planting, must terminate and root at
once or die, and the chief successes with it
seem to be in small areas with the EXTREMIST
care and even then a heavy rain may rot it out
and cold weather may delay its start until the
sprout dies. All this would seem to be an ar
gument in favor Of dry culture but it is not So
intended. It is intended to show the special
dangers of wet culture and perhaps how to
avoid some Of them.
Attempts are now made toavoid the dangers
of wet culture and defective stands, by sprout.
ing the seed rice and narrowing it into the mud,
and this to be done late, when warm weather
has arrived and quick termination is thus Sc
cured.
This would seem all right and many splendid
crops are thus secured but a month or more
taken than by dry culture. Rice planters fear
10 plant sprouted rice in March. Dry culture
rice planted in March, in we'll prepared lands
can be harvested four months later. III July,