The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-01-19
RICE NEW BIG CROP
in THE UNITED STATES
New Methods Have Made
1t Possible to Double
Yield.

NEW YORK. Jan. 10. = The rice
growers OF the uslteo States aresend-
ing out Of the country ten times as
much domestic rice as in the year be-
fore the war and receiving thirty
times as much money for 1t. The ex-
ports OF the rice in the 10 months end
ing with October, 1919, the latest
available figures, are 2S2,000,Oo0
pounds against 26,420,000 pounds in
the 10 months ending with October.
1918. the year Immediately preceding
! the war. The value OF the rice ex-
ported in the 10 months ending with
October, 1919. is stated by the gov
eminent at S25, 1921 900 against SS33,000
as the value of the rice exported in the
corresponding months Of 1918.
This tremendous increase in the
export OF rice, says statement by
The National City Bank OF New York,
is due In part to an increased pro-
duction and in greater part to grow
ing recognition abroad of the value and
availability of American rice, for the
selling price has trebled while the
quantity exports was so enormously
increasing. The export prices OF
American rice in the latest months OF
1913 for which figures are available
averaged 10cper pound against SIC
per pound in September and October,
1913. being thus about three times as
much per pound in 1919 as in the
months Immediately preceding the
war
Cur advance ITO first rank in rice
production in the occident and our
increase Of more than 100 per cent. il.
production in the last decade has
grown out of system peculiar to this
country of producing rice in a manner
In which modern machinery can be
utilized in planting, cultivation, ana
harvesting. irstead ofsthe crude meth
DDS by which Il is Produced in that
great rice growing section of the
world the Orient. Rice can only flour
fish on wet land; so wet that ordinary
farm machinery cannot be used upon
st. But a few years ago 1t was dis
covered that certain lands In Texas,
Arkansas, Louisiana and elsewhere
were so constituted with relation to
soil, climate, and water supply that
they could be prepared with the usua!
agricultural machinery. the rice also
planted by machinery, the lands then
flooded from nearby streams or arte-
sian wells, and the water drained off
as the rice approaches maturity, and
ordinary reaping and threshing ma
chimes used in harvesting the crop.
This revolutionized rice growing IL.
the United States, and was in fact
new development in world production.
Tor in no other country has this meth
cd been practiced. The producing
area was expanded from the Carolinas
and Georgia to the Mississippi Valley,
Arkansas. and Texas and recently GER
tain areas in California, and the an
nual production enormously increased.
II must be admitted, however, that
our biggest rice crop of considerably
over ], ZOO 100000 pounds per annum is
trifle when compared with that of
some of the Oriental countries, where
rice is the chief article of food for a
very dense population. Siam. for ex-
arcple, produces over 100000, 900
pounds Of rice a year against our l.
00Q,000,0o0 pounds; the Dutch East
indies 7,000,000.OO0 pounds; Japan
17.000.000,000. and India 10000, 000.-
90 pounds, while China, which has no
official figures OF her crop may equal
or possibly exceed India in production.
bringing the worlds total crop to ap-
proSimately 100000, 100000 pounds
year The worlds production of rice
IS nearly as great in quantity as the
worlds production of wheat. The rice
production OF the world in favorable
years is nearly or perhaps quite 2OO,-
g00,000,000 pounds, while the number
ot pounds OF wheat grown even in
nigh record years Is but about FAC, OOO,-
100000 pounds eachSyear.
British weather observers use aO,.