Edible Products. 



136 



[Feb. 1908. 



other feed for horses, as it is too rich by 

 itself. It is recommended to begin with 

 one-fourth rice flour, and after ten days 

 increase to one-half. It may be fed to 

 hogs the same as corn. 



Third. — Polished or crushed rice, 

 obtained by applying great friction to 

 the rice to polish and make it smooth 

 and white. 



This is a fine white feed, filled with 

 minute particles of rice. Though it does 

 not contain so much fatty matter as the 

 flour, it is recommended as a strong food, 

 particularly for hogs and horses. 



Rice Milling Industry.— In a report 

 issued by the Census Bureau, June 

 23, 1902, and covering eighty establish- 

 ments, it is shown that since 1880 the 

 number of rice mills in the United States 

 increased 264 per cent., capital 363 per 

 cent., and value of products 178 per cent. 

 This report noted that the increase in 

 Louisiana and Texas was very marked, 

 their production having advanced from 

 75,753,856 lbs. in 1890 to 179,919,203 lbs. in 

 1900. The statistics indicated that the 

 industry is beiug transferred from the 

 South Atlantic States to Texas and 

 Louisiana, and later reliable statistics 

 have pointed out a continued change in 

 this respect. 



The growth of the rice industry in 

 Texas is told in the following estimates 

 of the acreage and production as far 

 back as 1895, when its importance was 

 first recognised : — 





Area. 



Quantity. 



Year. 



Acres. 



Barrels. 



1895 



2,000 



18,000 



1896 



5,000 



50,000 



1897 



.. 10,000 



80,000 



1898 



.. 18,000 



... 180,000 



1899 



... 40,000 



... 425,000 



1900 



... 70,000 



... 500,000 



1901 



... 100,000 



... 950,000 



1902 



... 200,000 





1903 



... 220,000 



1,705,000 



It will be noticed that the area planted 

 almost systematically doubled in each 

 of these years until 1902. 



Other Industries.— Besides rice mills, 

 hulling and polishing the product, paper 

 mills for utilising the straw and brush 

 factories (for the roots of the rice plant 

 make 'good brushes), are some of the 

 industries which follow in tne wake of 

 rice and its by-products. 



Feed Value.— "Without going into the 

 technicalities of the composition of food- 

 stuffs, it is well to note that rice polish 

 is practically the same as corn and meal, 

 and, according to experiments conducted 

 at one of the agricultural colleges, it 

 was found that a ration consisting of 5 

 lbs. of rice bran, 11J lbs. of rice polish 



and 20 lbs. of prairie hay produced gains 

 in excess of a ration consisting of 8 lbs. 

 of corn, 7^ lbs. of cotton seed and 20 lbs. 

 of hay. 



Farming Finance.— The following fig- 

 ures on the expense and profits of a 

 1,000-acre rice farm may be taken as 

 accurate :— 



Estimated Cost of Land in Texas, 



Improvements and Equipment. 



Amount 

 Dollars. 



1,000 acres at 12 dol. 50 c. per acre 12,500 

 Boilers, engine and pumps erect- 



ed ready for pumping . . 6,000 



Necessary canal work ... 3,000 



Fencing ... ... ... 600 



Levees outside and contour ... 500 



6 houses and stables ... ... 3,000 



24 mules ... ... ... 3.500 



6 sets of implements, harness, 



ploughs, discs, rollers ... 3,000 



6 wells and 6 lots ... ... 400 



Total investment ... 32,500 



The above estimate will vary in the 

 price of the land, which may be bought 

 cheaper. 



The estimates for the canal work, fenc- 

 ing, houses, &c, are based on contract, 

 that is, hiring everything done. 



If the farmers do this work themselves 

 the actual cash expended would be 

 reduced about 3,000 dol. 



Cost per Year for Operating Farm 

 after Improving. 



Amount 

 Dollars. 



Feed for 24 mules, in addition to 



pasturage ... ... 2,500 



State and county taxes . . 100 



Incidental expenses ... ... 100 



Repairs ... ... ... 400 



Extra labour during planting 



and harvest ... .. 1,000 



Interest on investment used as a 



sinking fund ... ... 2,000 



Fuel for operating plant ... 900 



Engineer ... ... ... 300 



Threshing and sacking _ ... 2,000 

 Living expenses for six families 



of, say, four each ... ... 3,000 



12,300 



Seed rice ... ... ... 1,350 



Total annual expenses ... 13,650 



The above estimate is based upon buy- 

 ing supplies and only hiring labour 

 during planting and harvest time, six 

 men, one from each family, working all 

 the time. 



