RICE EXPERIMENTS IN CALIFORNIA. 3 
this being the first rice to be grown west of the Sacramento River. 
In 1912 and 1913 experiments were conducted on the Moulton 
ranch near Colusa. 
The investigations conducted by the Department of Agriculture 
during the 3-year period, 1909 to 1911, inclusive, gave some valuable 
data on the commercial possibilities of rice culture in California and 
were largely responsible for the beginning of the commercial industry. 
The acreage, acre yield, production, and farm value on December 1 
of rice produced in California from 1912 to 1922, inclusive, are shown 
in Table 1 . These figures show the rapid increase of rice production 
in the State. 
Table 1. — Acreage, acre yield, production, and farm value of rice in California from 
1912 to 1922, inclusive. 
Year. 
Acreage . 
Production 
(bushels). 
Farm 
value 
Dec. 1. 
1 
Year. 
Acreage. 
Production 
(bushels). 
Farm 
value 
Dec. l. 
Per 
acre. 
Total. 
Per T . , 
acre. lotah 
1912 
1913 
1914 
1915 
1916 
1917 
1,400 
6,100 
15,000 
34,000 
55,300 
80,000 
50.0 
48.0 
53.3 
66.7 
59.0 
70.0 
70,000 
293,000 
800,000 
2, 268, 000 
3, 263, 000 
5, 600, 000 
$64,000 
293,000 
800,000 
2,041,000 
2, 545, 000 
9, 800, 000 
1918 
1 1919 
1920 
! 1921 
| 1922 (esti- 
1 mated).. 
106, 220 
142,000 
162,000 
135,000 
140,000 
66.0 7,011,000 
55.5 7,881,000 
60. 9, 720, 000 
54.0 7,290,000 
59.0 8,260,000 
$13, 321, 000 
21, 042, 000 
11,761,000 
8,384,000 
9,086,000 
THE BIGGS RICE FIELD STATION. 3 
By 1912 interest in rice growing in California had increased to a 
goint where commercial sowings of 1,400 acres were made near 
.iggs. The interest of the rice farmers and others was awakened in 
the establishment of a rice experiment station. As a result, a group 
of business men and farmers formed the Sacramento Valley Grain 
Association to cooperate with the United States Department of 
Agriculture in establishing such a station. The association agreed to 
provide a tract of land and equip it with the necessary buildings. 
The Department of Agriculture agreed to furnish the scientific per- 
sonnel and the ordinary running expenses so far as possible ana to 
conduct experiments in rice improvement and production. The 
land selected was a tract of 57 acres, located 4J miles northwest of 
Biggs and thereafter designated as the Biggs Rice Field Station. 
The station was located and equipped in 1912 and the first crop sown 
in 1913. In 1916, 12^ acres of additional land were leased for experi- 
mental use. The buildings at the Biggs Rice Field Station are 
shown in Figure 1 . 
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. 
SOIL. 
The soil on the Biggs Rice Field Station is Stockton clay adobe, a 
dark-gray to black clay which is very sticky and waxy when wet and 
filled with cracks and checks when dry. The humus content as indi- 
1 The Biggs Rice Field Station has been operated under the general su] en isi< n of I harles E. ( haj&bHss 
agronomist in charge of rice investigations, Office of Cereal Investigations. The on] eriments were con- 
ducted by Ernest L. Adams, assistant agronomist, from the establishment of the station in 1912 till April 
1, 1918, and since the latter date by the writer. 
