Louisiana, the Rice Granary of the United States 



The rice plant is very sensitive to cold and must, therefore, not be planted 

 too early in the season, and yet sufficiently early for it to mature before the 

 cold nights of autumn come on. 



Rice is not an expensive crop to grow compared to sugar-cane. The chief 

 expense after planting is the cost of irrigation. The farm machinery required, 

 however, and the teams demanded are somewhat expensive. For the last 

 four or five years, the returns of the crop to the farmer have been highly satis- 

 factory. The per acre yield of the State last season was thirtv-one bushels 

 and total production 17,980,000, bushels with a valuation of $35,061,000. 



Rice polish and rice bran are important stock feeds. Mixed with other 

 feeds to form a balanced ration, they are economic and highly nutritious for 

 either dairy or beef cattle and for hogs. 



Hay 



The area of the cultivated or tamed varieties of hay was, for the year 1918, 

 200,000 acres. Wild hay occupied about 38,000 acres. The yield of the culti- 

 vated hay amounted to 1.3 tons per acre, against a ten-year average production 

 of 1.6 tons. The yield for wild hay per acre was one ton against a ten-year 

 average production of 1.3 tons. Usually about 45 per cent of the hay crop is 

 baled. 



Hay meadows and pastures will, of course, thrive well in any part of the 

 State. The soil, the rainfall and the mild winters afford almost an ideal condi- 

 tion for the growth of grasses. The better the soil, of course, the more luxuriant 

 the crop. For this jeason the alluvial lands are the best hay lands, but these 

 lands are so completely utilized for other crops that they have not, as a rule, 

 been devoted to hay crops. 



Alfalfa 



Alfalfa does particularly well on the rich alluvial lands of the State, when 

 these are properly drained, and will also thrive well on the Atakapas Prairies, 

 when these are properly drained and sufficiently limed. It can be grown with 

 a reasonable degree of success on the Bluff Lands of the State, when properly 

 fertilized and sufficient quantities of lime applied. 



The acreage increase of alfalfa in 1918 over the preceding year was ten per 

 cent. The yield per acre (all cuttings) was 2.2 tons and the production in round 

 numbers 55,000 tons. 



24 



