The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-01-31
with the negro tenants, are large con-
sumers of the grain.

"A ACotoic VI tHe crop Wn1Cl II
seems would be particularly appealing
to the farmers is that rice can be best
grown in low bottom land, where 9TH
er crops cannot be raised satisfactor.
lily, and which is generally left by the
farmers lying idle. 1t requires little
work, or at least less than most other
crops. The land has to be broken we'll
before planting, and then two or three
plowings with possibly a chopping ont
Is sufficient. In the west the crop is
broadcast as wheat and oats are
planted here and gathered with ma
chinery, which decreases the cost Of
production. The irrigation which has
always proved the most expensive fea-
ture of raising the crop in the low
country and Is very expensive fea-
ture Of the production in the south
west, it has been found, is not alb
solutely necessary to grow the crop
In this section. The fact that the rice
Is planted in bottom land where
much of the fertilizer from the high
surrounding land is washed makes the
land already fertile and therefore the
crop needs little or no fertilizer. AS
there has been no demand for seed
rice, there is practically none on the
local market, but the merchants will
readily secure it, if there becomes q
demand. At present seed rice is SELL
ing for $3.50 a bushel.
Rice at present is lower than it was
last year by reason of the fact that
the 1916 crop was the largest which
has ever been raised in the southwest,
meaning Louisiana, Texas and Arkan-
sas. Usually at the beginning of a
year there Is carried over between,
two and three million bags of rice.
This year there were carried over
around five million. which indicates
the size Of the last years crop. How
ever, here Is something the Sumter
county farmer should remember The
price Of Ice, while it has not gone up
In comparison with other foodstuffs,
may go up at any time. A bad year
may come and the price will 60 soar
ing. and then 1t Is a good thing to
raise at home the things one eats. in.
carrying out policy Of preparedness
There Is an old saying: MANY men
OF many minds" In canvassing tho,
city The Item man did not find all of.
the erchants and jobbers of the
same mind. not by any means. Most
of them doubted the advisability of,
the step. but they were not practical.
farmers and did not know what it.
cost to raise rice. while at the same,
time they thought 1t a good policy to-
"live at home as near as possible. Il
there was not an actual loss by so
doing. Some OF them thought thet
there would be such loss. Others,
said that there would not be.
One broker who has made q study
Of the rice situation and who sells
large quantities to local dealers stat
ed that he would strongly advise
against the farmers trying to raise it
for market in competition with the
southwest. but he thought it q good
thing for the farmers to raise it for
their home consumption. Another
salesman, who places orders here for
quite large amount of rice each
year. ridiculed the idea of the farm
ers in this section even thinking Of
raising rice. saying that Of the five
mills formerly operated in Charles
ton. only one was being operated now
and it only on part time. He thought
that the rice from the southwest
could be shipped in here and sold at
half cent a pound less than it
could be produced here by the farm
ers and therefore thought it would be
a bad policy for the farmers to raise
1t was at loss. At another place, a
merchant who Is also practical
farmer. stated that he thought that
1t was a step in the right direction. He
thought rice could be produced, from.
sixty to sixty-five bushels an acre
easily, and that not only could it be
raised for home consumption, but it
could be raised to sell in competition
with other rice placed on the loca!
market and could be sold in the open
market at profit to the farmer. He
said he was going to plant several
acres in rice on land which had here
toforc been lying idle and he expected
to make q good thing out Of it. The
chief trouble heretofore in raising
rice. as several of the men with whom
the matter was discussed pointed out.