Vol. VI [. No. 156. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



127 



RICE CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. 



Rice growing has become .-m inipoitant iinlnstry in 

 the United States, notably in Louisiana, Texas, the 

 Carolinas, and Georgia. Low-lying lands, easily irri- 

 gated and drained, naturally consiitute the chief part 

 of the area given over to rice culture, and it is stated 

 that the best results are obtained on medium loamy 

 soils, underlaid by a stiff subsoil. A rice that has 

 given excellent results in the States is a Japanese 

 variety, known as Kiushu. Carolina Golden Kicc is 

 also famous for its yield and quality. 



A British Cunsular Rcjiirrt (No. G2.5, Miscellaneoas 

 Series) was issued sometime ago, giving a full and 

 elaborate account of the methods of cultivation, irriga- 

 tion, harvesting, threshing, etc., in general practice 

 among the rice growers of the States.' The following 

 extracts, W'hich may be of some interest to cultivators 

 in British Guiana and other jiarts of these colonies 

 Mdiere rice is grown, have been taken from this 

 report : — 



For purpose.s of irrigation, rice fields are .surrounded 

 by a marginal canal, and are divided up into .strip.s of land 

 about 50 feet wide and of various lengths, by ditches which 

 extend from the marginal canal on one side of the field to the 

 marginal canal on the other. These ditches arc about .1 feet 

 wiile and 3 to 4 feet deep. 



The surface of the Held should have a uniform grade in 

 order to be properly irjigated. An uneven .surface recpures 

 more labour, produces smaller crops, and in the end damages 

 the crop it.self. Too much water in some places and too 

 little in others soon show injurious elfects on the soil. ( )ii 

 such a field the crop does not ripen uinfoimly ; the field 

 shows alternate patches of yellow aiid green, and the grain 

 ■when harvested is found very inferior in quality. The 

 planter whose crop is uniform in quality knows the value of 

 applying water evuidy over the entire surface. The rice lands 

 of the Gulf and Atlantic States have a very gentle slope, and 

 do not, as a rule, require nnich grading. 



Drainage is very e-ssential to rice culture. Planting, 

 cultivating, and harvesting all depend, to a considerable 

 extent, on drainage. On grounds insufficiently drained 

 planting is never well done, for the ground cannot be put in 

 condition. Cultivation is greatly impeded, men cannot go 

 on the fields to work, the ground cannot be stirred, and 

 weeds and noxious grasses flourish. 



Before the crop can be harvested it is necessary that the 

 field be drained. AVhen the land is wet the harvester works 

 at a great disadvantage : the fields are dug up by the 

 labourers anil the .surface becomes sodden and sour. On 

 account of insutficicnt drainage, grain has often to be taken 

 from the fields to some higli place where it is stacked and 

 cured. 



In the Carolinas an<l Georgia the lands, as a rule, are 

 prepared for planting in December and January. The ground 

 ii-plonghed 3 or 4 inches deep, run over with a disc harrow, 

 and then by a roller which breaks u]) the clods, and makes 

 the surface level and compact. In ditt'erent sections the time 

 for ploughing varies and the meth(ids differ. In some 

 instances the soil is .so .stiff that it is necessary to flood the 

 fields before they can be ploughed. 



liice is a shallow feeder. Some [ilanters are tlierefore 

 of the opinion that deep ploughing is unneces.sary. It miidit 

 appear, however, that deep ploughing would give new land 

 each year for the plant. In upland culture the ground 

 is prepared as it is for corn, and in Xurth Carolina the crop 

 is raised in much the same way. 



(_)n lands that are flooded by i-ivers wdiich carry a rich 

 sediment, sufficient nutritive material may be deposited to 

 ensure its continued fertility. On lands not so favourably 

 situated the soil becomes greatly impoverished if some 

 fertilizer is not used. Many different kinds of fertilizers are 

 in use in the rice belt. Among these are cotton seed meal, 

 dried blood, bone meal, kainit and tankage. The last-named 

 is a special mixture for these lands. Most fertilizers contain 

 a laz'ge percentage of potash, and are spread with very 

 satisfactory results. 



liice is generally planted with a drill in rows which are 

 1 1 inches apart, and covered liy means of a harrow. The drill 

 is gauged to put in from 54 to 81 It), of nnhullcd seed to the 

 acre. In some fields trenches alxiut 2 inches deep and 

 14 inches apart are made with trenching hoes and the seed 

 dropped in and covered. Sometimes, in what is known as 

 the open trench method, the trench is left open, in order to 

 save time and labour, the seed having been clayed, in order 

 to prevent it from floating when the field is ttoodt-d. ('laying 

 consists in stirring the seed in clayed water until a coat of 

 clay covers each grain. 



In the North Carolina uplands the common corn drill is 

 used in planting. Planting with a drill in.sures equal distri- 

 bution, one of the essentials for the greatest productivity of 

 a given piece of land. The amount sown per acre vai'ies ; 

 the average, however, is estimated at 3 bu.shels. 



One of the inost important features in the culture of 

 rice is flooding. Many planters flood the field immediately 

 after the seed is sown, planting and watering on the same day. 

 This first water, called the 'sjirout flow,' protects the grain from 

 the birds and causes germination. The spri>ut flo\\- is left on the 

 field till the seed sprouts In early iilanting this requires 

 from si.x to eight days. Pice planted in June s]irouts in 

 twenty-four hours. When the sprout flow is taken oft' the field 

 remains without water until the plants come up, and the rows 

 across the field can be plainly seen when the water is again 

 turned on. This is called 'stretch flow', and remains on the 

 field until the plants are 5J, or 6 inches in height. This 

 requires from two to .six day.s, the time depending very largely 

 on weather conditions. The stretch flow serves the double 

 purpose of renilering nourishment available to the rice plant, 

 and impeding and destn.iying the growth of weeds and 

 injurious grasses. 



When the plants have grown sufficiently high under the 

 stretch flow the water is gradually lowered to an average depth 

 of 4 inches, wdiere it remains from thiiteen to thirty days accord- 

 ing to the strength of the soil, the condition of the [ilants, 

 and the temperature. The stretch flow is taken off, and the 

 following period of forty or, fifty days, when the crop grows 

 under dry conditions, is known as the 'diy growth.' During 

 this period the crop is cultivated with horse and hand hoes. 

 All 'weeds, grasses, and self-sown rice are uprooted and the 

 ground is thoroughly stirred. It is during the ' dry growth ' 

 that conditions are most favourable for grubs, and an 

 intermediate flow is sometimes necessary to protect the crop 

 from these pests. 



When the plant begins to joint, tlie ' harvest flow ' is 

 turned on. First the water is raised till it covers all the high 

 places in the ttelds, and is held so for three, four or five days, 

 after which it is lowered to the level reached by the stretch 

 flow. In a few days the water is again raised till it almost 

 touches the rice heads, where it remains till the grain is ripe. 

 The harvest flow extends over sixty-five days, and in order that 

 the water may not become st xgnant, it is .shifted every ten days. 

 When the grain is ripe the heads bend low-. The field is then 

 drained for harvest. 



