The Carlisle independent., 1917-09-06
PREDICTS 100000 BUSHELS 1917
 RICE CROP FOR ARKANSAS
Fifteen Per Cent Increase in Acreage Expected to Yield Proportionate h. crease in Production, Says A.
 D. Beals

els, Arkansas is aiding the gov ernment materially in it's plea to the people to conserve the wheat supply as far as possible by us ing grain substitutes.
 While certain rice products are used as stock feed, it is chief ly valuable as a food, according to A. D. Beals. manager of the Arkansas Rice Shippers Traffic 1 Bureau. MT. Beals stated that last year 2,50O cars of clean rice were shipped out of Arkansas. l Within the last ten years the growing of rice in this State has developed from a mere side line" until it now ranks third in Arkansas grain production. corn being first and oats second. Farmers are giving it more at tention each year, and MT. Beals Ipredicts that it will only be a matter of a few years before the production of rice will be second only to corn.
 Last year the rice acreage in Arkansas was 125.000, and this was increased 15 per cent this year. The yield last year, ac- cording to Mir. Beals, was 6 800, GOO. or an average Of 52 bushels to the acre. The seasons have been quite favorable and MT. Beals states that there is every reason to believe that the inn mense yield will be proportion ately as great as. the increase in acreage.
 LABOR IS NEEDED
 l The labor shortage for har- yesting is LOW the only obstacle that stands between the rice growers of this State and a sue cessful crop year. The harvest season commences the latter part of September. Mr. Beals said that efforts are now being made to meet the situation in  time to successfully harvest the crop. Arkansas county. the heaviest rice growing county in the State, Is feeling the labor shortage more than the others, it is said.
 Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi are the four leading rice growing States, Figures compiled by M. B. Layne of Memphis show that the average return per acre for rice in Arkansas was $45 98, which was more than twice the average return per acre of wheat.
 The average production per acre in Arkansas was greater than the other Southern States. LOOK FOR l. c c. DECISION
 Mir. Beals stated that the rice growers and millers in this State are hoping for favorable deci- sion from the Interstate Com merce Com mission in the case o1 the Arkansas Rice Shippers Traffic Bureau agalnst Ann Ar z bor Railroad Company ct al., which was heard here during July. The complainant charged that the rates on clean rice and rice products from the Arkan sas mills to New England terri tory, Trunk Line territory, Cen tral Freight Association terri tory, Western Trunk Line terri tory and to the State of Okla homa, ''are inherently unjust and unreasonable. and are rela lively unreasonable as compared with rates from Memphis, New Orleans, from interior Louisiana and from Texas, and as com pared with rates on analogous and competitive articles.
 It was declared further that :. the rates on clean rice from Ar kansas mills are unjust. un-ea . sonable and unduly discrimina- tory to the undue predjudice and disadvantage of the Arkansas t rice millers, and give to the mill CTS and shippers of rice at Mem phis. New Orleans, interior Lou