THE TEXAS RICE BOOK. 31 



"I think it fell a shade under last year's crop. I believe this 

 season's output has been a little overestimated. The yield for 

 Louisiana and Texas one year ago was 2,000,000 sacks. In my 

 judgment, after being in the belt for three weeks, this year's crop 

 will be about 1,800,000 sacks for Texas and Louisiana, which 

 means a shortage of 200,000 sacks. 



"But the quality is fine. I cannot remember the year when 

 the general average was so good. The better grades predomi- 

 nate. There is, in fact, very little red rice. The heavy rains the, 

 forepart of the season seemed to drown it out. The low grades 

 are scarce and are in demand. They are bringing good prices." 

 Picayune. 



RICE CULTURE. 

 Galveston News, Feb. 3, 1901. 



Stowell, Tex., Jan. 27. S. A. Hackworth, Esq., Galveston, 

 Tex. Dear Sir: In reply to your favor of the 25th will say: 

 We raised 6,000 acres rice last year. We harvested five sacks 

 per acre six barrels. It requires from 50 to 60 pounds of seed 

 rice per acre. Seed rice domestic, such as raised from imported 

 seed sown last year on virgin soil, is worth from $4.50 to $5 per 

 barrel. We sold our rice at from $3.05 to $4.50 per barrel, ex- 

 cept some that was damaged by rain, which sold for less. 



Very respectfully, F. W. SCHWETTMANN, 



Secretary. 



Wallisville, Tex., Jan. 29. S. A. Hackworth, Esq., Galves- 

 ton, Tex. Dear Sir: In reply to your inquiries of recent date 

 concerning rice culture, I will say : That myself and other farm- 

 ers of Chambers County have made good profits by planting rice 

 in drills, and cultivating same, like corn without irrigation, and 

 I find rice so cultivated will yield as many bushels as rice raised 

 by irrigation, the only difference being that one field hand can 

 not cultivate over 40 acres 'by plow, while one field hand can cul- 

 tivate loo acres by irrigation. In this coast country, owing to 

 our heavy dews and frequent rainfalls, it is a sure crop, but it 

 will stand a drouth as well as corn. I have seen it grow five feet 

 in height and the heads of rice seem fuller and larger than when 

 raised by irrigation. About two and one-half pecks per acre is 

 sufficient to sow it into drills. We plant seed rice raised from 

 our own crops and find it just as good as imported seed rice. 

 Upon rich river bottom lands I believe 40 bushels per acre can 

 be easily raised by cultivation. On low, wet, flat prairie lands 

 it can be sown like wheat, and raised without irrigation or culti- 

 vation. As evidence of this fact, the Trinity River Irrigation 

 Company, this county, last year sowed 6,000 acres of newly bro- 

 ken prairie land in rice, and was unable to irrigate a large part 



