636 



RICE 



RICE 



thorough preparation of the soil, insures a better 

 stand, improves the quality of the grain, allows 

 prompt and complete removal of the water of irri- 

 gation at harvest-time and provides one of the 

 most important conditions for curing the crop. 



TaMng water from the Mississippi river over the levee 

 by means of a siphon. 



The soil of the Gulf coast prairies varies from a 

 sandy loam to a black clay loam and is uniformly 

 underlaid with a clay subsoil more or less tena- 

 cious. The soil is generally rich in plant-food ; the 

 surface of the land is mainly smooth and falls 

 slightly toward the Gulf or some drainage stream. 

 The numerous rivers flowing through these prairies 

 to the Gulf furnish an abundant supply of fresh 

 water for irrigation. 



The rice-fields vary in area from ten to one hun- 

 dred acres, depending on the variation in the level 

 of the surface. Many of the best rice-farmers do 

 not allow a variation of more than 

 three inches in the total levels. 



Planting. — Rice is planted in 

 drills or is broadcasted and har- 

 rowed in at the rate of fifty-five 

 to eighty pounds of seed per acre. 

 On land which has been long in 

 cultivation the larger amount of 

 seed is advisable. Rice should not 

 be planted till after the wheat 

 crop is in, as it germinates at a 

 slightly higher temperature. The 

 seeding period extends from 

 March 15 to June 15, but ordi- 

 narily the seed should be in by 

 the middle of April. 



Watering. — As soon as the rice 

 is up, watering begins. The depth 

 of the water is increased as 

 rapidly as the growth of the plant 

 will permit, till such a depth is 

 attained that the weeds in the 

 field are destroyed. 



For watering the rice-fields, 

 surface canals are constructed (with many later- 

 als), running from the river banks across the 

 prairies, and into these the river water is elevated 

 by powerful pumps and distributed to the rice- 



fields. The elevation of the canals above their 

 water-supply varies from five to sixty feet, with a 

 probable average of twenty or twenty-five feet. 

 Along the Mississippi the water is siphoned over 

 the levee (Pig. 770). In the Carolinas, a different 

 method is followed. After the first water has 

 been applied to suflicient depth to kill grass 

 and weeds, it is then slowly withdrawn and 

 the crop hoed, and a few days allowed for 

 dry growth, when the field is again flooded 

 and kept in that condition continuously till 

 the crop is nearly mature. (Fig. 771.) 



A critical period for rice is when it comes 

 into bloom. If heavy showers are frequent 

 at this time they will wash the pollen off, 

 thus preventing fertilization. 



Harvesting. — Rice should be cut a few 



days before it is perfectly ripe, when the 



straw begins to turn yellow, and should be 



shocked with a good cap to protect as many 



grains as possible from the direct rays of 



the sun, as the too rapid drying may produce 



sun cracks, causing the kernel to break in 



milling. The milling quality of the grain is 



improved by stacking, if the bundles are dry 



and the stacks are small. In the past the crop waa 



generally cut with a sickle and bound by hand, 



and it still is to a considerable extent. But the 



draining of the fields and the using of modem 



harvesting machinery is a marked advance over 



the old method and is taking its place wherever 



practicable. (Fig. 772.) 



In the United States considerable rice is mark- 

 eted with the hull on, because there are no appli- 

 ances on the farm for removing it, and the kernel 

 is better protected from insect enemies if incased 

 in the hull during the period of storage. 



Fig. 771. Rice-fleld prior to drawing off water for harvesting. Louisiana. 



YieU. 



The average yield is twenty-five to thirty-five 

 bushels per acre, but products of one hundred and 

 fifteen bushels per acre have been secured. With 



