The Washington herald., 1921-09-19
us. RICE EXPORTS
DURING 1921 TO Be
RECORD BREAKER
Seven Months Shipments
Practically Equals
Previous Years.
NOW 373,OOO,OOO LBS.
Expectations in Last Calendar
Year Totaled 393,000,0O0
81 Lbs, New Mark.

Rice exports from the United
States in 1891 will be far In ex-
cess of any earlier year. In fact,
says the Trade Record OF The Ma
tional City. Bank Of New York, the
quantity Of rice exported in the
seven months ending with July,
1921. Is practically as much as in
any full calendar year in the
earlier history Of our rice exporta-
tions, the quantity exported In the
seven months ending with July
have been $4,000, 900 pounds
against 3s3.eOo,ooo in the full
calendar year OF 1890 which broke
the record in the rice exports OF the
United States. Present indications
are that the exports of rice In the
calendar year 1921 will approx
mate 65o.0oo.ooo pounds against
3s3.Ooo,o00 in 1920, 1ss.0oo.o0 in
1918, $1,000, 900 in 1915, and 2S,00o,-
900 in the year Immediately pre-
ceding the war, 1918. Thus. the
exports in 1921 will be about twen-
ty-five times as much as in the
year preceding the war and ap-
proNimately so per cent above the
former high record year 1890. Even
this big total for 1891 does not in
clude the shipments to Porto Rico
and Hawaii, our own islands, which
will approximate 1000, 900 pounds
/ ha
lean rice passing out of our ports
in 1921 up to 100000, 900 pounds,
or about 40 per cent of the crop
of 1920.
Value Of shipmests-
The value OF the 1921 shipments
to foreign countries and our own
islands will be about $25,00o, 900
1 Notwithstanding the fact that the
export prices of rice in July, 1891,
were only about SC per pound
/ against 10c in the same month of
last year.
This big expectation of rice as
compared with former years, is, of
course, due to enormous increases
In our domestic production, which
advanced from 100000 bushels
in 1900 TO 25.000,0o0 in 1910 and
value Increased from $1,000, 900 in
1900 to $17,O00.0O0 In 1919 and s11o.-
! 100000 in 1919. the latest year for
which value figures are available
Meantime, imports have fallen from
2SO,O00.oO0 pounds in the year i'm
mediately preceding the war and
364.00O.oOO in the fiscal year 1919.
to 91,OOO,0O0 pounds in the fiscal
year 1921. while the average i'm
port price Of rice from abroad has
fallen to one-half that of a wear
ago. OF the $4,000, 900 pounds ex-
ported in 1920. 64.00o,0 900 went to
Cuba, b4,000,00o to Germany. 35.-
100000 to Greece, 10000, 900 To Rel
gium. 100000 to France, $4,000
600 to Canada, 100000 to Arxen-
tina, 100000 to Chile and 81, ,0oO,-
600 to the Dutch East Indies.
Reasons For Increase.
This big increase in our e.nor,,
and corresponding reduction in
imports. adds the banks statement
is due to the fact that the United
states Is now the chief rice pro-
ducing country of the Occident.
though about nine-tenths of the
rice crop of the globe is still pro-
duced In the Orient. Our product
which now runs at nearly two
billion pounds a year depressed In
terms of hulled rice) is double
that of Italy, four times that of
SPAIN and ten times that Of Brizal,
the other rice producing countries
Of the Occidental world.
Our increase of 400 per cent in
rice production since 1900 has
grown out of a system peculiar to
this country, of producing rice in
a manner in which ordinary farm
machinery can be utilized. Rice
can only flourish on wet land, so
wet that American farm machin-
cry cannot be used upon It during
the season of growth. But a few
years ago it was discovered that
certain lands In Texas, Arkansas
Louisiana and elsewhere could he
prepared with the usual agricul-
tural machinery, the rice also
planted by machinery, the lands
then flooded from nearby streams
or artesian wells, and the water
drained on as the rice approached
maturity. and ordinary reapine and
threshing machines used In bar-
yesting the crop. This revolution
lzed rice growing In the United
states: and the producing area was
expanded from the Carolinas and
georgia to the Mississippi Valley.
Arkansas, and Texas and recentiy
70 certain areas in California.