B. P. T.— 14. S. 1>. T. n.— 31. 



RKCENT FOREIGN EXPLORATIONS, AS BEARING ON THE AGRI- 

 CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The rice belt of Louisiana and Texas comprises a section of prairie 

 land bordering- on the Gulf of Mexico and extending- westward from 

 the parish of St. Mary, along the coast of Louisiana, 140 miles to the 

 Sa])ine Kiver, and thence al)out 4(K) miles along- the Texas coast to 

 Brownsville, on the Rio Grande, with an avei-age width of 60 miles 

 and a mean elevation above the sea level of (] to 40 feet. 



Throughout the entire belt the surface has such a slight variation 

 that for the pur])oses of irrigation it ma}- be considered practically 

 level. The soil is a rich, sandy loam, in some sections, underlaid with 

 a tenacious clay at the depth of 2 to 3 feet. In the other sections the 

 soil is a strong clay or clay loam, with subsoil conditions similar to 

 that of sandy loam. Between these extremes the sand and the clay 

 form many grades of loams, but all easily tilled and fertile. At a 

 depth of 8 to 16 feet from the sui-face a stratum of water-bearing sand 

 is generally struck, the water answering for house purposes. At a 

 depth vai-ying from 60 to 250 feet, veins of water providing a flow 

 sufficiently strong- for purposes of irrigation have been uniformly 

 found. 



This rice belt contains more acres of ara])le land than an}' one of a 

 majority of the States in the Union. It is intersected by a large 

 number of navigable rivers and minor streams, and has one of the 

 most salubrious climates on this continent. 



Until within a comparatively recent date (1884), however, it was 

 regarded as almost valueless for agricultural purposes, due to its inac- 

 cessibility, its generally level surface, and its retentive soil. From an 

 earl}' period an occasional small field has been successfully planted in 

 rice, but this was invariably handled by primitive methods. In 1884 

 the adaptation of wheat machinery to rice culture began, and with it 

 the rapid expansion of this industry. For nearly ten years thereafter 

 the rice crops mainl}- depended for success on rainfall, and the rice 

 farmers met with man}^ reverses, though irrigation by the construc- 

 tion of surface canals was undertaken as early as 1890. 



9 



