Show RICE production the united states has entered the list of the worlds rice producing and exporting countries figures compiled toy the department of commerce and labor through Us bureau of statistics show that the exports of rice ax cuba alone in alie fiscal year 1905 amounted to 34 pounds against pounds la the preceding year the value ot rice exported to chaa being in 1903 against la 1904 the total value of rice of domestic production shipped out ot he country in the fiscal year 1905 including that to the noncontiguous territory of the united states was against in 1900 aad in 1895 meantime abo imports of lice nave fallen from practically four million dollars in to two million la and for tho fart time in the history of our commerce the rice exports exceed in value the rice imports prior to 1899 tho rice imports ranged between three an tr four million dollars per annum and the exports had never readied aa much as in value in 1900 as already indicated the ex porta exceeded naif a million dollars about one and a halt in 1901 they were million in 1902 they exceeded two millions in 1903 they were two and a halt millions in value in 1904 two and three quarters minion and in 1905 as already indicated including in these figures the shipments to the noncontiguous territory of the united this remarkable change in the movements into and out of the united states Is due in part to the large increase in production which has recently developed in louisiana and texas and in part to the new relations of the united states with certain rice con suming communities especially those of forto rico hawaii and cuba the two former through annexation and latter through the reciprocity treaty formerly rice was grown only in the coast countries of the carolinas and georgia and the mississippi delta but a few years ago it was discovered through experiments made toy the department part ment oe agriculture that certain prairie lands in southern louisiana and texas which had been formerly considered fit only tor grazing were peculiarly adapted to rice culture these prairies are comparatively level with a slight slope toward the gulf and have a number of navigable rivers and numerous lakes and bayous from which irrigation so necessary for rice culture can be developed and conducted at comparatively small expense the prairies arc from 20 to 70 feet above the surface of the streams and bayous and intersected by numerous ridges slightly higher than the rest of tho land on these ridges canals arc built on the surface level by throwing up parallel levees while pumping plants at the heads of the canala lift the water from the stream or lake into these canals from which it Is carried by gravity to the areas in which it is required for irrigation in addition to this the prairies in question are underlain at a depth of from to feet by a water oear ing gravel from which a water supply is readily obtained by artesian wells the discovery through the joint work of the department of agriculture and the geological survey that this area was especially available for rice production resulted in a large movement of population from the states of the middle west to this rice producing section and as a consequence the production of rice in the united states has grown from less than million pounds in lasso and millions in 1890 to nearly 1 billion pounds in 1904 and the united states now takes rank among the rice producing countries of the world to bo sure it is not to be expected that the united states will ever compare with the great rice producing countries 0 the orient where this article is ahe chief food supply labor plentiful and climate specially suited to its production yet in point of quantity available for distribution trib ution to the worlds markets tho united states even now holds quite an important rank at present the united states apparently ranks fourth in the list of rice producing countries of the world the figures of exports in the latest available years being india pounds slam pounds french indochina indo china I 1 pounds tho united states gouni po uni including shipments to its noncontiguous territory japan pounds dutch east indies pounds italy 82 pounds korea pounds and spain pounds |