332 



KICE. 



time was wlien that part of South Carolina flooded by the tide of 

 Ashley and Cooper rivers was believed to be the only spot of ground 

 in America where rice could be profitably cultivated. It was also 

 believed the African was the only human being who could thrive in 

 the miasma the plenteous use of tide-water generated. Both theories 

 have been disproved. Louisiana rice is now largely cultivated by 

 white labourers. 



In Louisiana the growth is in quite as encouraging a condition as 

 on the coast. Previous to the war its product was exceedingly 

 limited, all being absorbed by the local trade. Inferior in colour, 

 with indifferent milling facilities, the quality rated far below that 

 raised on the coast or even most foreign kinds. The past few years 

 have been attended with serious disasters, inflicting great damage 

 and curtailing the yield, which under favourable circumstances 

 would have been much larger. In 1870 the early fall of the Missis- 

 sippi prevented proper irrigation : in 1871 considerable injury re- 

 sulted from the Bonnet Carre Crevasse. The increase is, however, 

 noteworthy, as the statistics of annual growth in that section since 

 the war proves : — 



Lbs. ! l.bs. 



1866 ... .. 4,502,080 i 1869 12,750,820 



1867 4,7<i5,860 1870 13,476,320 



1868 9,089,740 | 1871 18,000,000 



Great advances have also been made by planting selected seed, and 

 adding to this improved milling advantages, the general standard is 

 raised very materially. Viewing the whole field and taking the 

 increase of cultivation in the past five years as a basis of calculation, 

 the futui'e is assuring, giving every evidence of its speedy reinstate- 

 ment as one of the great national products of America. 



A pamphlet, published locally by Mr. Bouchereau, remarks : — 

 " Should the cultivation of rice continue to increase in Louisiana as 

 it has been doing since the war, we shall soon equal South Carolina in 

 the production of this valuable cereal, the rapid increase in its culti- 

 vation here proving to be highly profitable. 



"Many large plantations are now cultivated with rice which formerly 

 produced quantities of sugar. Before the war rice was only grown 

 in a small portion of the parish of Plaquemines, and but in small 

 patches. Now it is largely cultivated in several parishes, and there 

 are still vast quantities of marsh lands which could be advantageously 

 devoted to it, wherever the proper irrigation can be applied at the 

 proper time. 



" The average yield of rice to the acre in Louisiana is fifteen barrels 

 of rough rice, although on the Star plantation, in the parish of 

 Plaquemines, nineteen barrels were gathered to the acre last year, 

 which is equal to eight and a half barrels of clean, merchantable rice.'* 



But the extension of rice culture in Louisiana is a triumphant 

 refutation of the baseless assertion that the business cannot prosper 

 under the most favourable present circumstances. The census exhi- 

 bits it as follows : 1849, 4,425,349 pounds ; 1859, 6,331,257 pounds ; 

 1869, 15,854,012 pounds. The record of M. Bouchereau, by planta- 

 tions, accounts for a total crop in 1869 of 100,748 barrels of 200 



