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THE DIVERSIFIED FARM. 



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In diversified farming- by irrigation, lies tlie salvation of agriculture* 



THE AGE wants to brighten the pages of its Diversified Farm department, and with 

 this object in view it requests its readers everywhere to send in photographs and 

 pictures of fields, orchards and farm homes; prize-taking horses, cattle, sheep or hog's. 

 Also sketches or plans of convenient and commodious barns, hen houses, corn cribSj 

 etc. Sketches of labor-saving devices, suce as ditch cleaners and watering troughs. 

 A good illustration of a windmill irrigation plant is always interesting. Will you help 

 us to improve the appearance of THE AGE ? . 



THE RICE INDUSTRY. 



The people of the United States con- 

 sume over 300,000,000 pounds of rice every 

 year, less than one half of which is grown 

 in our country. This cereal forms the 

 priaci-pal food of one half the population 

 of the world. It is used as a substitute 

 for potatoes, made into flour, forms a 

 dainty dessert and is a valuable nourishing 

 food product. Good rice soil produces 

 from 30 to 50 bushels per acre. A bushel 

 weighs 45 pounds and the general market 

 price $1.00 to $2'. 00 per bushel gives a 

 fair income from an acre. Add to this the 

 by products, straw, hulls and broken grain, 

 and the profits are large. The Louisiana 

 Experiment station reports rice polish 

 worth $21.50 per ton, rice bran, $20.80; 

 rice straw, $9.13; and rice hulls, $8.34 per 

 ton. From these figures it would appear 

 that the industry is a profitable one that 

 shonld no longer be neglected, when such 

 a large area may be cultivated. 



Rice can be grown successfully in moist 

 climates, where water may be had for irri- 

 gation. The department of agriculture re- 

 ports that the plant can be grown anywhere 

 south of the Ohio river, if suitable soil 

 and climatic conditions prevail. The es- 



timated area now subject to irrigation for 

 rice culture is given at 3,000,000 acres, ex- 

 tending over several southern States. The 

 crop is at present almost entirely grown in 

 North and South Carolina, Georgia and 

 Louisiana. All of the Atlantic and Gulf 

 States have large areas that may be used 

 profitable in rice fields. As the demand 

 for rice increases every year, it is but 

 reasonable to suppose that the acerage de- 

 voted to this crop will soon be doubled. 

 The Chinese authorities give 1,400 varie- 

 ties of rice, of which the irrigated kinds 

 are the best. They have tried upland rice 

 with very unsatisfactory results, still it is 

 recommended for subirrigated land. 



A low muck soil is best adapted to rice 

 culture. The land should be thoroughly 

 prepared for drainage and irrigation before 

 planting. After being plowed and har- 

 rowed it is sown broadcast, at the rate of 

 one and one half to two bushels per acre. 

 March and April are favorite times for 

 planting. The gold seed and white varie- 

 ties are considered most profitable. In 

 some sections the silt coming in from irri- 

 gating waters supplies a portion of the fer- 

 tilizing elements. Experienced rice grow- 

 ers find it profitable to use additional plant 



