The Orange Leader (Orange, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 31, Ed. 1 Friday, December 25, 1903 Page: 1 of 18
eighteen pages : ill. ; page 22 x 15 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
c¿A - " \n
i ;.r • - ■
-IX- *tós? "i r &&& ■)&
Ni|.üte«n
CHRISTMAS
.ia^i
N U MB E R
A. L. FORD, Edi(¿r
REIN LITHO. CO.. Píops.
O RANG E. TEXAS;
v -
#
in
RICE GROWING INDUSTRY
VlORK PROFITABLE THAN WHEAT. OATS OR lt)HN AN I)
PNTAIUS I.KSS I.AROR.
Rice is planted". harvested and earn! for i practically the." same iff the wheat field?, and cuts and shocks.ííis crtlg. * Jn jhis semi-tropicial
manner ás the cereals of the North and W<*st. the main difference being country. the evaporation is s<> sapid that from.- the time the 'water is
in the pFirfftration |<f-íhf fáryn bv ih construction 'of .levees- and drain- drained <>ff~ the field imtil the harvest begins, thegroujid becoines very
ape diJchVH To d^ thlsVle\els art taken on evcrv f<-jt of the farm In a dr\ ar l firm and i?.o difficulty is experienced because oí the "late flood."
ORANGE THE! CKXTHR. OF THE R
j *'
I
I '¿r ■
s-
]'-r
li *T
k
A Few Facts heoahoix: this Great
OPPORTI >1TIB8 OFFERED TO UOMK-SKK
IX ORAXC.E Voi NTY.
I? IH«-rRV AND THE
ÍEHS
V
«wall tracts on
>' '• -nhned t<> a
! «rderfng -the .
CE HEI.T
Few even of tnir <>\vn jieople realize the possibilities
ing in Grange ( ounty While it is true that the cnltivat
^titules one of. our growing industries and is indulged in
ble extent at present, there are so many waste, areas that
vertible into profitable rice growing farms in the itnint
(Grange and in Orange c<nmi \, that the figures are aim
their immensity.
From the, «tosí "reliable statist ices, we have been
there are at present .imVultivatrori in Orange b ounty, of
i- the coiinfy -eat and chief market, some to.o>>i acres
w hich constitutes al Hit -one-fourth
of the lands available .tt'or and
adapted to the cultivation %f rice.
In other words, there are' some 40.-
000 acres of rice growing lands
..akme jn tin- county. and of this'nn
mense ar--a; \' í'o.ooy acres are
at present tfeingj^ttilired for the
growing • -. mlwrtan* and pop
njar eerea? i
Rice i- tin r.v.ognizwt standard
¡^|«V d*ttJtV -M thr.i fourths of the
world's j*"ipn'TilVs • >v well
known, every* a\ailab!< t.*« of land
4. 'India. China and japan is de-
Voted to the estivation of rice, a
large ¡*an. of -which is consumed
at home, though then- ■ v a large ex
port trade from those countries
Cuba and Porto Rico, with their
tropscal climate and ><h1, can pro-
duce only one-fourth. and the .Phil-
ippine,' Island* about tíiree-fourths
of the quantity thev consume
These islands-now being a'jvijt of
■ tlie I'nited Státes. come in for at
tetition froní-^BÍosiiestií" rice, grow -
er*, and to ^hérn is; shipped annu-
ally v large quantity of our poorer
grades , R<*ports for last year
show that the exportation of nee
-front "the Tnited States to í nisi
and Pono Ric<\ during October
was about 240,000 barrels. during
Novernber 300,000 barrels, and a
varying amount of the entire yc^r.
which rang'1- from ioo>v*i J y: v,
000 barrels. To offset this expor
Ltation, which as stated, i* of the
. poorer grade*- the l/nited Statu*;
import* .ln-ad ru:<- or fancy grade*
for home consumptúm.-
. The rate of increase in the con-
sumption of rice in the United
States ;is , .approximately 20.000.
000 pound's per \ear,.<ándr while this
production i* increasing at a 'apid
rate, the (i'jme*tic growers cr.n onlv
jtfhducs al nTt 52 jx r cent of the
tota! amount consumed. From t,ln*
tact it is reaAiTy'seen that w ith the
demand v- far in cxce** of the pro-
dnct--ónVthere .is prarr:calh" no dan:
gi-* ' V a niatena!}d';.p lv the price
• >r a- lejssening r':. ■ the' j r-' fits de- .
fiver! front its-, cultivation The •
' truth 'hi* *r.iH'-""it i* ! >rne out
" bv two: fact* First ava -abi*
, 'area adat te'.- t<« -rt i-ultj.vatn n. in
jEbt;- I 'nitW/ St.-ites. with the «-xcep
ti«f ..n/ a'^vVr- 1
f-hf Atlantic-' ■>;><-
strip >f territory
gulf coast o if Texa-.and l^msiana'
abont 25 mites yyide.and ttoi.to cV. ,
ceed 30c>Tmiles in length, -o-npris
ing a i "t al area of al* ut- 4.000.000
acres, which/ is designate'! a* the
Great Southern Rice iie't. ' 'range
is situated in* the geographical cen-
civyT'engiiieer.-raiid idl,that part of the fanu,.U< it large or «tnalh that i.S
of equal level, or tV>t varying more than *ix iHche*. i* enclosed In a
levee,-, whibh is ttiade by plowing four- fiirrmys tog.-tlur and tamping
them into a compact hank r ridge. 1 !u-e'..levte> folloyy the contour
*t.*f the land.and run irregularly across the farm, always following the
line of the level. VVheii the^evees.are «. nee niadf tltey will do duty ^or
two or three, vear- with very\little repairing, and no further -surveys
need Ik tnade, \\*|fe'n after'á-^ú'W years the elements have beateái theni
down to toó low a level, thi y at again pl^wedlup and reconstructed.
The'levees, onvstntctet! or «tit in sha^e for the season, the ne\t
step is th« prilpajatioii of Hi. grouted to ro-ivr the seed. Hie ground l«
are easitv eon- tplowed, harrow]efi and often ftriatetí" or rolled to get "it into printe con-:
i- . ■ '. í ditibn. and sin seed rice ic sown hv means of press #ed drill* in exactly
•• iate vicinity ot . , , , - - ... .
for rice grow-
on of rice con
to a considera-
\ext comes' tjhe threshing, which is .done from the shock fvery little
t the grain beiit|; stacked) by a threshing maehine especially adapted
. From .the thresher the grain i* hauled to th^ jfarm
it is tesaed, graded and bought by the rice mill-men,
rea'dy t 1 bégin^yvork tor the ijext season..
The average yield in. Texas this seas<jn is estimated by the -gi>Vern-
ment to Ik* 10 7-8 bags per acre, against 8 7-8 "bags per ftfcre in Louisiana,
which ranks second in the list of rice producing .states.! Texas averaging
the highest yield. Instance-, .-have. In-en known this 'season in < Grange
to handling rice,
warehouse where
and the farmer "is
county w.here the
per a¿re. Assun?
hags of rice per a
ng that the average yield, in this countv has beftriQ
re . rice i* tiey^'r spoken of or dealt in bv the" bhshel.
'thii same manner as ^iats' or ¡wheat are-.'.planted by tía| Northern and poser!ly being; eqi
but always In the bag or barrel of 162 pounds—a bai; and berfpf
Western tanner ". f r weight 1 and this
st appalling in
* The plowing, may he done,; and frt 'j'iietttly is-done, late ui the fall, $3.00 {>er barrel fc
¡khle to gather, L>« mher^ January. F< hrnary and up t<> planting,time, cost of prodócing
yvhich < Grange the^vlantnig nK nth¿ beíng April, Ma-, and June. /The early plowing is leaving S-4* to S10
t^ rice growing, the best .n* St prothtces aw early rop, attd .an earlv 5pf^>p nsnallv .com-, price.. • As.the lan
* "
vield has bi t n .as high a* iyventv to tyvent> -fiye
1 V
ba-4s
;sitp-
tal. tlvugb a* bag usually runs a ft!w potm<is ^>|^f
s.'a loyy estimate^ the farmer realizes to-m .$2.|oj.oi
r h's 'crop: the income l>efng^3 tr 5^ per "^ére./-
a. croj^ |ht|acre' is in the neighborhood of ^i^^thft^
r er acre-clear profit at a low estimate for'yie-Id áncí
I costs froni $15 hi $30 per acrej according, to loca?"
« , fion. the percentage-- of pr'ifit is*
readily seen to hé ffotn ¿^. per cent
Vwit
- Í
AT THE END OF A DAY WITH SANtA CLAUS
. 50 ¡x r; cel'it On thflp: ¡twes
tach year Instances cgfl^íhe éited
in this county wwire /fatmers in
grrmmg rice on halves, renting
Tioth lan<l and water./have cleared
from $>' to $8 per /Scr^ as their
share of the }>rofits. When 1 com-
pared with the anniial. returns from
an acra-of wheat, com or oats, rice
apj>ears to excellent a<lvantage, and
'its- cultivatMni. topj not attended
-,wijth;'the danger of loss from drouth
It hat .attends the growing of other
cereals. The ricé fanner is not de.
J>endenf upon the elements for the
necessary water supply
.^having an!
t'er of^ this beít. After deducting : . . ' ; ■" ■ •. l
from this acreage ail swan.py. i,.ar- Ry. timber and w-aste,land, we have mands just a littfe better price on tin. nu^rket than «fries the later cr«>p. put in jthat .will brir
an available acreage for rice culture of not to exceed 2,500,000 acres. Of. Seed timé over the farmer lia no- further trouble or palw^r o the trkop and this in itself den
this acreage not more than one-hálf is susceptible to profitable develop- - «ave the labor necessary to keéj his levee* in good shApe. stop up leaks success wf tins uivder
ment because of a Sack of sufficient water supply, thjis we have 1,250,000 and regulate the water supply, l/nder'tln old "l'r<Tvidence" niethod, of rice culture in this
acres of actual rict; land. •! yvhich it is estimated there is now under complete losses yyéré hot uncommon because of ijirouths. but Under the "The < >&nge Ri
ile.velr>ptneik- approximately 850.000 acres. This statement should be presenrsystem of irrigation through large canals, áu--water being draw 11 p.i-date machkiery anii l^ulles irom 75.01x1 to too.ooo sac^s--ojL thé
nearly 400.- fr«>ni bayous and river* where there .* an.mexhanstthh- supply. failTírés ¡cereal annualív. Thh, nri\l-jjas"a-capacitv\>i 1.410 barrás per•ifi?, ahd
jrxjo acres, ¡s and Tosses are. indeed tore . , - - ' ' this season * crop wil
rice Canal*. When the rice has sproiited aiui,.begun* to paint the field á delic.i
ion apd "the _green. the farmer turns On the -yy^iter and begins to fli/iod the grow.Tug
further -upplemente'l by saying that of the 850,000 acres,
OOpHsres añe actually cultivated, while.the r^hiainder. 450
liemg rnaderjavaiiable for cultivation by the
Second, the' comparatively low cost [>er a
¿growing demand for and the rapidly i^^|ipfy:ng uses tf) which rice and grain, at first Jightly, aiid as.itigrow
constniction o
per acre for product
lis by-products are l>"'-sng put. have a
advance prices,
few 1'rovi
growers ,-ívho raí
dependoftt ":«>ii
ie crfjp—-tlie
fidenc\ to not orth u
)!iol¿. but t<
groyvers <>f a decade
r¡\ artificial watenng and
...adier and rainfall siiitab
t¡ to a point where then
o >«-r cent on the total.capital invested.
tin tli h h 1 is increased until wfu 11
ts, ll lv v.il|
the rice begins .to "stool - or throw out- its spur roots, it ix cbmplefélv
ti<i!.itle<l autkby the-sy stenfól levees jiist describeil, the deepest water 011
>.!(y traet inclosed can 01dy.be six inches, ami when* the water reaches
feat depth a! the levee, the highest point in the inclosure is.also c« ven-'d
tjiu* forming a series (¡1 artificial lakes, each of which i* on a. six-inch'
Tovvr^'levei; ti i í/n its neighbor, tht step* grading downward from jhe
canals, mills, inacltinrrt anrj,other 'canal « r_soim-i-!i.t .water *upji|y to tlU'-reinmest.cornet ■ -t the tield;
■ ■ .f-th:' eanals.i.n operation >*"uoi í. - ' ; ín(fro.> .■ • .-nt'- • davs fo.nn: the plaiUuig, t.he rtce\kern\
go—that i^.
vere wholly
ejto mature
is now in
seavyn s_ acreage may
of tljis -. <,.! .. -
- Ivii e farfning 1
spácévhniitatiíjtis prey
1 r ,1* sufficient ¡here t>
abundance ofi water at hand during
jhe entire season for use as needed.
< >range ( ountv is peptdiarlv
adapted to the grow ing of rice, being
•situated, as .stated, in the geographi-
cal center the Great.;V^)utherni.
Rice fieH, There is an abundance: .of
wafer in. trvs YCwnVi ;-on(. ,^.-
■* largest, rivers in the si^te. the |sáb-
m«'r. threading-its w-ay through The
«ntirp length of tbe cojrmtv. Thi*-
rj ver also ha - ^several , tributary
stream*, in Orange t mjTity,..incf«d-
iTig-(.'ow Ráyou. ^datKs-^vOú. a-nd
•Tiers, which excellently, lo-
'> a?«;'•< '.-N-'T.- • • gati -tí puqxtses and
always ccajtain aff ' inexháustlbíe -
si.ippl;, of pure fri s!j water ■ >
Regarding nee • growing ]in.-/'>r-
angé ( ounty. Rice Invjustfj. ifiuíj-
lished at fíoust^üi. Tex., has this:
to.say ' ■; \i-C
. In addition to the surfaoé.phnal,
irrigation from tiie, river* '-and.
bay < >us, a great ran y planters a/'*
using yvater ffotn deep yvells- djrivi*n
on their farms, anjd this ¡system of
watering the- cflifi- i* growing in
favor and - is- particularly beneficial
to-..th' se whi«se crops are' bewwi—
thterrit<tf'\r,of the canal systems,
and a guarijntee always <>f fresh
yvater. -
"Only a few viars ago land con-.;
si defied barren yastp. or' .at best
grazing prairie lard, sold at $2 an
- acre, and most o£-th|at same-land is -
today w« nh S25 p<-r acre. Yet
there i* an abundtnee f"'equally as
good-land at Si 5,.capable of cult i-
vatioti an<l producing a* nianv as
ten sicks of rice per acre. - ;
s; -SjiKe the beginning of the ricé
indnsftry in this country , i' has met
• wrth .marvellous access,¡and is be-
t í
ing rapidly enlarpfcd jn! area and
cultivation This industry is yet in
its incipient states th •ugh it has
been fully tested: ,;;*ftd uow_ th«*re
are 'several hundred tli.ntsii'hd'jdoj-
lar- invested in caoals'ánd pumpiiig
plarts 'in'Orange County'.
r There are other j;inals .being
g into, rice tanns -everal thousatuF! more '«acres
oiistratis that the people' wiio liave'witnessed the
ak.ing are safistied he\. nd dtwjft of the success
count v: ' • - ft .
e Mil! yyas|iuilt m n^.n. It is equipped yvith «p-
'-tf
rf
a ruifeoí-eight i;: nths.
' 1 he ext'ráordiujiry results of rice farminglin fnmge CÁintv this
y car are-bound to gn-e the industrr added . impetus so that file next
confidently be, predicted largely in excess ot ¿hjit
an interesting study-to others than faniiers. but
'en? going into the subject deeper hi thils article.!*
ay thai, rice gro\ving m\ the'giát coast has "had a
ly.'.re rapid develop!'.n[n!I.than a'jiy a'grieultural'suecialt)- ever had in^anv
, WllJil y:: v;i
t U ¡U-..-' MRÍit-i'V--" i
•• .!>: •
so- tar- a*4
' f:e \ '!
know H| in ;ui -
and the nttmbcr of nee farmers is probably ,.ivu «. . ...li in ipvn 10 in." irauy 101 me uai VOM. umi out ut tot¡ troni a smgtc crop. — y oj 1
thf ir ( whined product',amounts annually to. approximate! y^ 4,000,000 tlv^ water is drained off- the farm; the source of water supply is Investors, homeseekers, manufacturers, and otheti interested in fhl.^1
barrels r x(y2 ^¿mds «•ach.^e.qual in value to $io.ooo,GÓo t«> ?t 2,ck /í«aj. shut Ti^j^d in from ten~d|y> to two' weeks the farmer goes in with section, for further and more detailed information, st4uld ádiTres-s. '•
his bilider;-for he uses a harvesting machiiie very similar to those uséd. B. \V_-PpoiJE, Sec. Progressive Feague. grange JT
¿Í4
L'
, r-'
" • '
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Ford, A. L. The Orange Leader (Orange, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 31, Ed. 1 Friday, December 25, 1903, newspaper, December 25, 1903; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth183138/m1/1/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lamar State College – Orange.