The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-12

produce rice enough not only to meet
 any possible American demand however
 greatly increased, but furnish g. consid-
 erable amount for export.
 In California where scientific farming
 has been carried on and very accurate study has been made of soils and climate conditions, and also in the Gila valley
 deemed utterly unproductive, rice as
 well as cotton is now proftably pro-
 duced, and the harvest of them will be
 steadily increased
 Some of the authorities who have been
 making an especial study of food produc-
 tion have been for sometime persuaded
 that the people of the United States may find it expedient to make such larger use of rice, the cultivation of which in great | amount now seems assured, because so
 much capital has been invested In this agricultural industry, and because cli- matic conditions are rarely unfavorable George w. Perkins, who is giving all of
 his time to the study of the food prob
 lem in all its aspects. hopes that the American people will be taught the pal , atable and nutritious qualities which are in rice if properly prepared for the ta- ble.
 HANDLING THE RICE HARVEST Supplementing the cultivation of rice, there have been established in certain To- calities in Arkansas and Memphis, Ten
 nessee seven mills, which have been so perfected that they are able to put rice
 upon the market in the best marketable condition. Furthermore, these manufac- turers are careful to preserve the by products, for these are exceptionally rich in nutritive food for live stock.
 In the south advantage has been taken of the wonderfully successful experience
 of the Citrus Fruit Growers association of California. This association is un- dO1rhtpd1X Q him fi0n 1,and da pt 0p1y for the purpose of economical distribu- 1 tion, but also to maintain steady prices l for the products. It reaches every part of the United States. It Is a combina- | tion, however. which the public will not attack on grounds that 1t is an infringe ment of federal laws, and this is one of l the reasons why in the south the rice growers have formed a so-called South ] ern Rice Growers association, whose method of collecting and distributing rice 1 is similar to that of the California Citrus
 Fruit Growers association, so far as that ! is possible.
 l This association has already secured i stable prices for rice, Is perfecting means | for adequate transportation to the mar | Sets, and is also doing something which | the Citrus Fruit Growers associa ton was not compelled to do, for 1t was not neces- | sary to teach the people the value of l oranges as a fruit and even IS a food. | The only question for the California as- 1 sociatlon to answer was how widely to distribute the fruit and how to distribute | it In such manner as to maintain such l popular prices as always to command a | ready market and yet yield fair profit | to the fruit growers Rice, on the other l hand, has never been very popular ar | ticle of food with the American people. l Therefore, it has been deemed by the | Southern Rice Growers association tc I show the people what the food value of the grain Is, and in what appetizing man. ner it can be cooked The probabilities
 are that although high prices may prevail l for other food, nevertheless the market l price of rice will not be materially in creased.