The Pulaskian., 1920-06-03

compared with land of equal fertility l in other sections, and the rice farm ing projects have matured from un- tried possibilities into money-making certainties. The man of adequate finances should, by all odds, purchase the cleared land for, besides the cost
 of clearing and getting it in good
 shape during the time he has spent i'll this work of reclamation, he could
 have raised one or more crops of rice had be bought cleared land at the outset
 At present the land adjacent to the largest rice fields is rapidly appreci- ating in value, and it will be long un- til the prospective rice grower will have to pay for the land in accord ance with it's true agricultural value in the rice regions of Arkansas. Rice is grown in quite a similar manner
 as wheat and oats. The Arkansas plan Of operation is to drill in about one and one-half bushels of seed to the acre as early in the spring as possible, the other planting season be- ing largely dependent on the wealth CT and ranging from the middle of March to the middle of June. In case the land does not freeze too severely it should be plowed during the win ter, otherwise the blowing should oc- cur as early as possible in the spring, so that a smooth-textured, uniformly level seed bed may be prepared by planting time.
 After the crop is in the ground it's subsequent culture corresponds to that accorded the wheat crop, with the exception that when the grain at tains the height of three inches the fields are completely flooded for the succeeding ninety days in order to drown out all other vegetation and to mature the rice crop. Many grow CTS practice what may be termed a sequence or intermittent method of flooding They flood the fields and then let the water dry off naturally; then they flood again, repeating this process about four times during the three months period. When the fields dry out subsequent to the fourth flooding, the crop, under normal con ditions is ready to be harvested.
 Thsss3A fence method of flooding is to be recommended, due to the fact that where the rice is wholly sub merged for the entire 90 days an ex- cess of stalk is developed at the ex- pense of the grain. The levees are cut when the crop is mature and the water rapidly seeps away, so that, shortly, the soil is dry enough so that the rice can be cut and shocked. At this period the grain is approximate ly four and one-half feet in height and the stalks are very dense and closely matted and interwoven to- gether Between the 18th, and 25th of September the rice crop is usually cut under ordinary weather condi- tions in Arkansas. As soon as the shocks have dried out thoroughly the grain is threshed out and is immedi- ately hauled to the local mills, where it is sorted and graded into three classes.
 One of the greatest profits in eff cient rice farming results from the intelligent utilization of the waste grain, the stubble fields and the by products of the industry which can be fed to fattening cattle, hogs and poultry at a clear gain in dollars and cents. The farmers buy up native cattle as yearlings and two-year-olds and rough the animals through the summer on prairie grass pasture, which usually grows luxuriantly un- til the middle of August These stock CTS are then maintained and fattened on the surplus rice straw and waste grain left over from the previous har- vest until the current years crop is cut when they are turned in on the stubble and second growth rice, and in addition are furnished more straw and are fattened for the early winter market
 In the course of the eight or ten months that a good steer has access to these rice farm wastes he will gam from 200 to 300 pounds. In a sim liar manner hogs are fattened on the by-products of the rice crop. The custom of the extensive rice farm IS to raise it's own supply of hogs and to tone the animals up to market form on the waste grain and straw.s