The Carlisle independent., 1920-07-08
SOUTHERN RICE GROWERS AS
 ISOLATION LETTER


 Beaumont, Texas-That the figures given out last Friday by the Louisiana State Rice Milling Company of New Orleans, purporting to be a prelimi- nary estimate of the acreage and yield of the 1920 rice crop, is ridiculous in so far as it applies to the estimated pro- duction, is the opinion expressed by E. A. Eignus, Secretary of the South ern Rice Growers Association.
 It is silly, continued MT. Eignus, for any rice milling concern to attempt to forecast the production of the Uni ted States at this time, when all of the rice is not yet planted, and when any number of things detrimental to the crop may happen between now and harvest time.
 The newspaper story of this remark able forecast contained about twenty four lines. twentytwo lines of the story were devoted to list of the sub sidary companies controlled by the Louisiana State Rice Milling Compa- nies, and their prediction of the yield in the different states, and only one line and half of the story had to do with the rice acreage. I think this is significant, said Mr. Eignus, inasmuch as 1t indicates that the Louisiana State Rice Milling Company consider their opinion of the production of a crop not yet all planted is about fifteen times more important than their estimate of the planted acreage. They estimate the acreage at 1,370,612 acres and the yield in excess of 60,O0O,OOO bushels. This would place the average produc- tion at about 43.7 bushels or 12.1 bar rels per acre.
 According to the figures of the Uni ted States Department of Agriculture, there has only been one year (1916) in the past sixteen years in which the average yield per acre was as great as the prediction made for this years av- craze, by this milling concern. From 1904 to 1919. with the exception of 1916, the yield per acre, according to the United States Department of Ag- riculture, ran from 28.2 to BIT bush els, or 10 bushels per acre less than the extremely optimistic report just published by this mill.
 By just what process the yield of over twelve barrels per acre arrived at is hard to understand. While. in some sections of the belt our planting season was favorable in many others protracted drought extending over seven week period followed by sea- son of continuous rainss, delayed planting operations, and a great deal of rice was replanted two or three times. Although the crop looks good in some sections, there are very poor prospects in others. Anything that happens to the crop from this time on will tend to lessen the yield.
 It is a favorite pastime of many bears and market busters to attempt to forecast the production of the rice crop in the early days of July. Such predictions should be taken by the trade at exactly what they are worth. The present rice crop will be the most expensive one ever produced in the United States. The planters realize with the large acreage this year, that the prices to be expected would hardly range as high as those last fall, but they will resent an attempt on the part of any rice miller or speculator to bear the market weeks before the first of the new crop will be harvested. Predictions of the probable size of any growing crop made by private concerns, are usually calculated to col- or and affect the market in such a way as to rebound to the profit of such concerns.
 In my opinion, continued MT. Eignus 1t is untimely and in poor taste for M r.Godcheaux, who is not only the President of the Louisiana State Rice Milling Company, but also the President of the Rice Millers' Asso- citation, to countenance the publication of such an estimate on the eve of the annual acreage estimate published by Il n
 It is the proper function of the Bu- reau of Crop Estimates, of the Depart ment of Agriculture. the Southern