15. r. I. — 751. 



A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON RICE GROWING IN 

 THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the Sacramento Valley of California there are large tracts of 

 land that 30 years ago produced profitable crops of wheat and 

 barley which are now not yielding crops of either grain in paying 

 quantities. These tracts were first used for grazing cattle, but were 

 afterwards converted into extensive grain ranches, which to-day 

 might be as remunerative in yield as in the earlier days if mainte- 

 nance of soil fertility had been valued as an asset. Under improved 

 methods of fanning, however, a large part of this area, depleted as 

 it is in plant food, will still produce grain in quantity and of good 

 quality at a profit. While crop rotation, diversified farming, and 

 intensive culture will ph\y conspicuous parts in the improvement of 

 the agriculture of this valley, irrigation will play a more important 

 part in the development of its agricultural possibilities, for through 

 the intelligent use of water it is possible to obtain the full capacity 

 of the crops now grown and also profitable returns from crops which 

 are not now cultivated in this valley. 



Among the crops requiring water rice is worthy of a trial, but its 

 successful cultivation is so dependent upon water that it should 

 never be planted where the supply is not sufficient to submerge the 

 land to the depth of at least 3 inches from the middle of June to the 

 middle of September. If there is water enough during this period 

 for a continuous submergence, the greatest obstacle to the produc- 

 tion of the crop is removed. There is no crop gi^own in California at 

 present that requires as much water as rice, 



CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH VARIETY TESTS OF RICES WERE 



MADE. 



In the spring of 1909 the Office of Grain Investigations of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry inaugurated tests to determine the adapta- 

 bility of rice to the climate and soil of the Sacramento Valley. These 

 tests were made on the black adobe soil lying on the east side of 

 Butte Creek, approximately 9 miles west of Biggs, Cal. (PI. I, 



[Cir. 97] 



